There’s a jewel in the center of Jocotepec that is unknown to many Lake Chapala area expats.
It’s the Escuela Para Niños Especiales or School for Special Children.
Here, 90 students are provided a quality and caring education by a devoted and well-prepared staff. Under the direction of principal Salvador Macias Cuevas, the school works with children who have learning issues that prevent them from being taught in traditional classrooms.
Some have Downs Syndrome, others serious learning deficits and some are on the autism spectrum. No matter what the learning issues are, the staff works to ensure that each child has the best chance for a productive future.
On a recent Tuesday morning, the principal hosted a parent meeting. In the United States, such a meeting would have been viewed as successful if five to ten percent of the parents attended. Here 75 percent of the parents came and participated in the discussion and planning. The principal told them about the hopes for the coming school year and what the staff was doing to improve the programs. He then asked the parents what the conscription fee (a voluntary fee that schools request to assist with the cost of supplies) should be for the coming year. He suggested a 150-, 250-, or 300-peso fee. After the parents discussed what could be bought for the school and their children and understood that this was a voluntary donation, they unanimously approved 300 pesos and many happily paid the fees on their way out of the meeting.
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