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Education 365 Culture Project: Guatemala

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• Students are asked by their teacher to stand and pray at the beginning of the day.
• Lots of time is lost each day because of late starts (which are quite common in Guatemalan culture), early closures, and being off task. On average, instruction only takes place for 72% of the day.
• Lately, schools have utilized "Rules of Thumb" posters to help establish requirements of how often principals should be meeting with and observing their teachers, as well as good school management practices.

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• Students are taught to be obedient, not to question instructions from their teachers, and to behavior respectfully.
• Teachers must help facilitate communication with families, especially since the parents of many students are illiterate and may not be able to fill out forms, respond to letters, and more.
• As is respected in Guatemalan culture, eye-contact between students and teacher is important. It shows interest.
• Speaking loudly in the classroom is not acceptable nor respected in Guatemalan culture.

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• Education is free and compulsory for six years.
• Three-tier education system, beginning with primary education, then following with secondary and tertiary education.
• Roughly 74.5% of Guatemala's population older than 15 years of age is literate.
• Even though education is required for six years, the average length of schooling is 4.1 years.
• Attending school is difficult for many families because of the rise in cost of books, uniforms, and more, as about half of Guatemalans live below the poverty line.

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• Teachers are highly respected in Guatemala and this means parents do not raise concerns or question teachers.
• Gender inequality is quite common in education in Guatemala. Overall, literacy and enrollment in school is significantly higher for males.

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• The official language in Guatemala is Spanish.
• Additionally, 21 Mayan languages are recognized, including K'iche, Q'eqchi, Mam, and Kaqchikel. However, it is important to not assume that all Mayans from Guatemala speak Spanish.

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• The official national instrument of Guatemala is the marimba. This is made of keys and bars of wood that produce musical tones when struck with mallets. The arrangement of the keys and bars is similar to a piano.
• Depending on where you are in Guatemala, you may hear rock from the 80s and 90s, or reggae along the Carribean coast. Mexican style music like ranchera is also popular in Guatemala.
• Guatemala was one of the first regions to be introduced to European music beginning in 1524.

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• Guatemalan cuisine largely consists of dishes of pork, rice, beef, cheese, chiles, corn, tortillas, and beans.
• Typical for Guatemalan culture is that certain foods are eaten on certain days of the week. For example, paches (potato tamales) are normally eaten on Thursdays.
• Guatemala's setting with fertile volcanic soils, high rainfall, and warm temperatures make it easy to grow a wide variety of foods and create unique products.
• Coffee is a huge export of Guatemala

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• Roughly 50% of Guatemalans practice the Roman Catholic religion, and 40% practice the Protestant religion. The remaining 10% practice a variety of Mayan religions.
• The city of Antigua's Holy week (in late March or early April) is the biggest and most festive celebration in Latin America. It leads to a procession on the morning of Good Friday annually.
• Guatemala celebrates Independence Day on September 15, along with many other nations in Central America, to commemorate its independence from Spain in 1821.

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• Guatemala is a collectivist culture. Family and community is a priority, as opposed to the US's individualistic society which prioritizes themselves and their nuclear family. Family harmony and shared values are very important.
• Guatemala is a patriarchal society. Women are not considered social equals and are responsible for domestic responsibilities like cooking, cleaning and supporting the family.
• Personal space of about 2-3 feet and eye contact show respect. Raising your voice is considered rude.
• Greetings between women and close friends and family are usually a huge and a kiss on the cheek. Otherwise, you greet someone with a handshake.
•  Girls celebrate their coming of age at 15 with a quincenera. Boys come of age at 18.
•  Guatemalan's honor their dead with burial proceedings and prayers, and celebrate Dia de los Muertos. Guatemala has a unique Dia de los Muertos tradition, where they fly massive kites introduced by Mayan culture.

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• Education in Guatemala | K12 Academics. (n.d.). K12 Academics. Retrieved April 25, 2021, from https://www.k12academics.com/Education%20Worldwide/education-guatemala#:%7E:text=Education%20in%20Guatemala%20is%20free,the%20level%20of%20technical%20training.
• The Behavioural Insights Team. (2020). Improving School Management in Guatemala with “Rules of Thumb.” https://www.bi.team/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rules-of-Thumb-Report_FINAL-1.pdf
• USAHello. (2020, February 12). Guatemalan students. https://usahello.org/how-to-help/for-teachers/cultural-background-resources/guatemalan-students/#gref
• Adventure Life. (n.d.). Guatemala. https://www.adventure-life.com/guatemala/articles/culture-politics-and-cuisine-of-guatemala
• A. (2021, March 25). Guatemalan Food – What Is It, History & 7 Traditional Dishes. The Best Latin & Spanish Food Articles & Recipes - Amigofoods. https://blog.amigofoods.com/index.php/guatemala-foods/guatemalan-food/
• Guatemalans - Introduction, Location, Language, Folklore, Religion, Major holidays, Rites of passage. (n.d.). Countries and Their Cultures. https://www.everyculture.com/wc/Germany-to-Jamaica/Guatemalans.html#ixzz6sz2Jq9bb
• Culture Crossing. (n.d.). Culture Crossing Guide. https://guide.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student_details.php?Id=11&CID=87
• Country Comparison. (2020, August 12). Hofstede Insights. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/guatemala/
• Johnson, C. (2017, June 8). An Introduction to Guatemalan Cuisine: What Kind of Food to Expect in This Central American Country. Build Abroad. https://buildabroad.org/2017/06/08/guatemalan-cuisine/

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• The Mayan people are known for their very bright-colored yarn textiles, which are made into capes, shirts, blouses, and dresses. Each village has its own distinct pattern, so it is easy to determine someone's hometown from designs on their clothing.

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• Guatemala City houses many museums important to Guatemalan culture because they feature historical Mayan artifacts. There are museums specific to textiles and archeology.