Five Westminster Education Majors Taught in Mexico City

Jessica Henninger, Megan Johnston, Meghan Medvick, Erica Nye, and Allison Pupo, elementary education majors from Westminster College, spent the summer teaching in the American School in Mexico City.

"Teaching in Mexico was an eye opening experience," Johnston said. "Kids will be kids, no matter where they are, but it was an amazing experience to work with a group of 25 bi-lingual kindergarteners. The children are given much more freedom to do as they please in the American School than any other school I have been to in the United States."

"We went to the school every morning from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and each of us was assigned a different classroom," Medvick said. "This school was a prestigious private school where the language of instruction is English."

"My favorite experience in the school was their Father's Day presentation," Pupo said. "The fathers of the children came in and the children sang "L is for the Way You Look at Me" in Spanish. Then the fathers came down and danced with the children. It was really something to see because the fathers all came in their business suits with their bodyguards waiting outside, but they still let loose."

"I am an elementary major with a minor in Spanish, so this internship was exceptionally helpful in all areas of my studies," Nye said. "I had a wonderful cooperating teacher, Ms. Ileana, who allowed me to teach reading lessons, lead math activity centers, and go on a field trip with them to a farm."

Dr. Mary Agnes McKay, a 1964 Westminster graduate and retired education professor at Slippery Rock, led this annual internship in Mexico.

"Prior to the trip we had several seminars to teach us the basics about Mexico - geography, economics, politics, and history," Henninger said. "Dr. McKay is one of the most energetic, strong-willed, fun, and intelligent woman I have every met. She taught me so much before and during the trip."

"The traveling and sight seeing was also a major portion of our trip. We traveled to six different states in Mexico," Nye said. "Some of the main sights we saw were San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, the Taboada Hot Springs, Maximillian's Castle, Acapulco, Pyramids at Teotihuacan, and the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe."
"The colonial cities in Mexico are so beautiful," Johnston said. "I felt like I was stepping into the pages of a book."

"We took a trip to a rural school, which was much different than the American School because we got to see why Mexico is considered a third world country," Pupo said. "The supplies used in the classroom were all recycled materials, and they were very crowded in small rooms. We brought them books, markers, pencils, games, and other small items, so they could at have something new. I have never seen anyone so grateful in my life. It really helped put things in perspective for me."

"My Westminster education and my college level Spanish helped me to understand and talk with some of the students at the rural school," Medvick said. "Students came from neighboring schools and performed a special dance just for us."

"I think this experience will help me be a better teacher," Johnston said.

"I learned so much about the Mexican culture," Nye said. "It was quite a cultural awakening."

Jessica Henninger, a senior, is a daughter of Paul and Edna Henninger, Pittsburgh, and a graduate of Brentwood High School.

Megan Johnston, a junior, is a daughter of Bruce and Sue Johnston, Batesville, Ark., and a graduate of Batesville High school.

Meghan Medvick, a senior, is a daughter of Michael and Marlene Medvick, Pittsburgh, and a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School.

Erica Nye, a senior, is a daughter of Kenneth and Andrea Nye, Jeannette, and a graduate of Penn-Trafford High School.

Allison Pupo, a senior, is a daughter of Edward and Gail Pupo, Plum, and a graduate of Plum High School.

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