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During the period I was in the classroom, I observed seven
different groups of former students return to visit the teacher.
Three parents also came to converse with the teachers at separate
times while I was there.
The North American context
Differences in cultural behavior patterns were observed in the
cafeteria. "You see," said an administrator, "over there is the
catsup and mustard table," pointing to a long cafeteria table with
several containers. "No one," indicating the Cubans, "is allowed to
sit over there anymore because someone has been spitting in the con
tainers. But that is nothing compared to last year. When the first
group arrived in 1980, I had to spend about 3 weeks teaching five or
six boys how to use eating utensils."
"Do you think they didn't know how to use them, or were they
pulling your leg?" I asked.
That's what I was getting to. I believe it was a
little of both. They used to say, "I don't under
stand," as an excuse. They'd say that or "This is
the way I do it." When they finally learned a
little English, our relationship improved because
we could talk. They admitted, at least some of
them did, that what they had been doing was a lot
of horse play. They had heard America was freer,
and they came expecting to have a lot of fun doing
anything they wanted to. One thing puzzles me
though. I've traveled in the Soviet Union and
other socialist countries, and I've observed their
school systems. Somehow, when these children came,
they seemed to behave very differently from what I
had expected from children raised in the socialistic
environment. They ran in the hallways, they threw
papers, and they talked loud all the time.
The head custodian, himself a Cuban, confirmed these statements,
and added, "These children have changed a lot. The teachers and the