First grad

Bolivia used to have a shortage of teachers in rural areas, so gifted high school graduates were invited to teach in rural schools. As more students graduated from Bolivia's teaching colleges, these maestros interinos were asked to get their teaching certificates or leave the profession.

In 2003, the College in Carmen Pampa started offering an elementary school teaching degree to these maestros interinos, holding classes on weekends in the town of Caranavi, about 3 hours from the College. Last weekend, the first of these students completed her research project, the last requirement of the program.

This student was Sandra Barreto. She wanted her degree to be able to keep teaching while her husband drives a taxi, and they raise their daughter together. She studied how deaf students are handled in Caranavi's public elementary schools -- and found that school principals and teachers there were generally unfamiliar with idea of mainstreaming deaf students in classrooms with their peers, and also unequipped to make these accommodations.

"Deaf students -- and students with disabilities in general -- are marginalized in our rural schools. Teachers do not know how to integrate them into their classrooms," she notes. "There is also a great prejudice in society, based on the surprisingly common belief that God punishes parents by giving them children with special needs. And since parents are the main advocates in these situations, their children are often kept out of sight at home, or sent to a special program sponsored by the mayor's office."

This is not enough, she explains. According to Bolivian law, and experiences here and in other countries, mainstreaming children with special needs is beneficial in many cases. Sandra is sharing her results with the school system in Caranavi, raising awareness of this issue, and making practical suggestions about how to change the current system, like more teacher training, and working with parents with children with special needs. She is well placed to do this at her current job with an local organization that teaches parenting skills to mothers and fathers in Caranavi.

Meanwhile, we will celebrate her success, a trail-blazer for her classmates as the first graduate from this special program at the College. Congratulations, Sandra!