Resumen de Two Mazahua (Mexican) communities: Introducing a collective orientation into everyday school life
Ruth Paradise, Adriana Robles Valle
This article presents an ethnographic description of parents' and other community members' participation in the everyday life of two rural schools in indigenous Mexican communities. Adults and children, together with school authorities, transform their schools by introducing a collective orientation that contrasts with the emphasis on individual development that commonly defines the social and learning experiences associated with formal education settings. Through their regular presence and by participating in activities that maintain and celebrate school life, community members become active agents who create culturally relevant schooling experiences for their children. At the same time, they integrate their schools into the social life of their communities. Interactions among students as they carry out classroom activities designed to promote individual learning similarly reflect an underlying collaborative solidarity. The interactions and activities described imply the collective expression of community members' shared sociocultural knowledge.
