Beautiful Minds: Ana María García Blanco Huáscar Robles
Dr. Ana María García Blanco has succeeded where every politician has failed. The school teacher restored a public school in Guaynabo , increased its academic performance and reconstructed the social fabric of its community. The project is now emulated by other schools, and its methods could well serve as a viable solution to the island's deteriorating public school system.
García Blanco directs La Nueva Escuela Juan Ponce de León in an impoverished suburb of Guaynabo. She and members of the community reopened it 18 years ago and employed the Montessori system, which lowered violence and increased performance. “We call this a social reconstruction project,” says García Blanco. We have been able to reconstruct one piece of the society in which we live.”
García Blanco trained in Boston after receiving a doctorate from Harvard University . She returned to Puerto Rico to restore the school and its community.
After reopening the school, illiteracy levels dropped and student performance improved dramatically. The Montessori system, which encourages self sufficiency, is credited with transforming the school and the community. Students hold community meetings to make academic and social decisions ranging from naming their pet turtle to budgeting and organizing field trips. The first international one was to Mexico last year.
The students' attitude shift is reflected in their parents and their home environments, reducing stress and violence levels.
The school also eradicated the “cold war” between students of several nationalities and social groups. Dominican, Puerto Rican, Haitian and students from St. Kitts fought among themselves and kids from the neighborhood clashed with those from the low-income housing nearby.
The school's current academic performance is above local standards, according to García Blanco. Students read by age four and dominate all disciplines, including special education students, who account for 40 percent of the student population.
The Nueva Escuela model is now being implemented in 20 public schools on the island, Sacred Heart University , the Angel Ramos Foundation and Banco Popular are also contributing to train public school teachers in Montessori methods.
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The ghost of the recession has prevented some diners from enjoying a good night out, but Metro has found a way to beat the recession blues. This article serves as a map to some of the hottest, most relaxed and – above all cost effective– hangouts of the season.
Just A Girl Mayra Matos steps out of her navy-blue sedan, revealing long, elegant legs. They're covered in skin-tight jeans and her bell sleeve shirt reveals a hint of her smooth shoulders. She stands about 6 feet tall in high heels. She wears faux Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses and a frown.
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