Customs/Gestures

Greetings: firm handshake, nodding of

the head- although if they are of
opposite sex they will usually not shake
hands-children like when adults shake
their hands- considered rude if the
person does not shake everyones hand
that is present. Friends and family that
have gone a while without seeing each
other hug. Arm around the shoulder
shows friendship.

Gestures: If hands are waving in a

wealthy atmosphere it is considered
poor taste. People in El Salvador use
their hands a lot though, making this
hard. Pointing at a person with the
index finger is impolite. Beckoning
people depends on how well the person
knows someone, a friends is beckoned
with a hand wave but strangers need to
be beckoned with a verbal indicator. A
person may hiss to get a friends
attention which is fine but to hiss at a
stranger is considered rude.

Family: Keep strong bonds, family is

important and usually visit each other
frequently. Highly valued. Urban
families usually have three children,
rural families usually have about six or
more. Families will find time to spend
together throughout the day and week.

Gender Roles: The father in the house

is the head of the family and the
provider of money, the women care for

Possible Student Needs

-Become accustom to school in general
-Learn the etiquette of a US classroom
-Get used to a smaller classroom, if
they attended school they could be in
classes of hundreds
-Learn how to look to teachers as a
teacher not someone they can invite to
their home
-Work alone at home, learn to not copy
others work, plagiarism is not
acceptable
-Get used to doing work in class not
just taking notes
-Have to realize that school is

Tips
Teacher:
-Keep constant contact with the
parents
-Read up on the student to understand
what their behaviors could mean.
-verbalizing to get your
attention is because they do not
know you on a personal level,
not trying to be rude, may not
understanding concept of
raising hand
-do not point directly at the
child
-Bring in photos of what they might
like from their countries or culture
-photos of the layout from their
native home
-family photos, they value
family tremendously
-Be patient with them
-not every child has the chance
to attend school in El Salvador
-Give them opportunities that they can
come to you and ask for help
- Have a routine
Parent:
-Be patient
-Do not want them to get
annoyed
and not want to
communicate with you because then

El Salvador- What it is like:

Location: Central America, bordered by
North Pacific Ocean, and between
Guatemala and Honduras
Terrain: mostly mountains, narrow
coastal belts and central plateaus
Capital: San Salvador
Religion: Roman Catholic (57.1%),
Protestant (21.2%), none (16.8%), other
(2.3%), Jehovah's Witness (1.9%), and
Mormon (0.7%)-2003 est.
National Language: Spanish
Violence:
50.3 per 100,000 murdered- El Salvador
Fewer than 7 murdered per 100,000
people- in US
~in any given year, 1 of every 2,000
residents is murdered in El Salvador

There is a major
poverty issue in
this region.
Most of Central
America is
poor, just like in
El Salvador.

Reference
(2014). The World Factbook:
Introduction:
El
Salvador.Central Intelligence
Agency.
<https://www.ciagov/library/
publications/the-worldfactbook/
goes/es.html>.

The life of the El

Salvadorian People

Anonymous. (2014). Republic of El

Salvador. CultureGrams.
<http://
search.proquest.com/nursing/
printviewfile?
accountid=28076>.

Seligson, Mitchell A. and Booth, John

A.
(2010). Trouble in
Central America: Crime, Hard
Times, and Discontent. Journal of
Democracy, Vol. (21),
123135.
Shields, Charles J. (2009). El
Salvador.
Philadelphia:
Mason Crest
Publishers.

By: Katie Temps

Benchmark-El Salvadorian Culture
EDU 365- Critical Issues in
Education
TR 9:05-10:30AM
Dr. Spatt