The Wilkes Education Center
2008 Summer Remedial Program

Photos, clockwise from left: Victor, Level 4; Jennifer, Level 2; Class Levels 3 & 4 during class session; ; and Brenda, Level 6.

On July 31st, seventy students ranging in age from seven to twelve completed a four week Summer Remedial Program at the Wilkes Education Center (WEC) which is funded by the Lake Chapala Society (LCS). The Remedial Program is a free summer school program offered to Mexican children who attend government schools in grade levels 1 through 6 and have had difficulties with some of their courses.

Participation in the Program has grown over the last nine years.  Until this year, the Program averaged approximately sixty students annually.  This year, however, seventy students were enrolled, the majority coming from Ajijic, Chapala and Jocotepec. 

The Program ran Monday through Friday and offered classes in math, reading and writing.  All classes were taught by Mexican teachers with WEC paying for all books, paper and pencils.  Students brought their own lunch.

Hugo Reyes, who taught the twelve students in grade 6, has been a volunteer teacher in the Remedial Program since he was 19 years old.  He has a degree in psychology and now at the age of 26 is returning to school for his Masters Degree. Reyes has always enjoyed teaching at WEC but says his biggest concern is, “Some kids are brilliant, but they don’t get encouragement from parents or the community.” His teaching philosophy is that children better understand their course material if they do extra curricular research on their subjects in the library.  The WEC library/bibliotheca  provides students with excellent reference and research material.

Olises, age 12, is one of Reyes’ students who looks forward to secondary school but is not sure what he wants to do with his life.  Brenda, age 11, (photo above) also looks forward to secondary school and wants to study to become a veterinarian.  She’s working to get her GPA up from a 7.9 on a scale of 10.

When one 6th grade student was asked how the Remedial Program has helped him, he responded, “I’m able to pay better attention in class.”  Another 6th grade student said she does not forget things and she can think better here than at regular school. 

Because WEC keeps class sizes at 20 or less students per class, teachers are able to spend more time with each student.  Government run schools average a 35 to 1 student-teacher ratio where some children get lost in the system for lack of attention.

Maria, age 11, is a 4th grade student who said she learned more by taking classes at the WEC than she learned in her regular school.  Her favorite class is math.  Like many students in the Remedial Program, Maria has sisters and brothers in other Remedial classes. 

Victor, age 10, another 4th grade student, (photo above) also had a brother in the Remedial Program.  He said his favorite class in school was natural science because “there are lots of things I can learn.”

Ramon, age 8 and a 1st grade student, failed his classes last year in government school and told his WEC classmates that he is only seven to conceal the fact that he was held back.  He also had an older brother in the Remedial Program.

Jennifer (photo above) and Estephen, both age 8 and in 2nd grade, said they think the Remedial Program is “good”.  Jennifer’s favorite class is math while Estephen likes Espanola the best.

Classes for the Summer 2008 Remedial Program ended July 30th; however, all the students returned on the 31st so volunteers could take them on a well-deserved field trip to the Guadalajara Zoo.

--Sandy Feldmann