Life in Haiti
Map of Haiti
(Petion-Ville located in south east)
Mozard was born in Aux Cayes (or Les Cayes) in Southern Haiti and moved to Petion Ville when he was five. He lived in the city until he immigrated to Boston at the age of eleven.
Petion-Ville, Haiti
Although Mozard cannot remember much about his life in Haiti, as he only lived there until he was eleven, he does remember what it was like in school. He recalled that they were not allowed to speak their home language (Haitian Creole). Most students spoke French but others spoke English. When asked about the difference between US schooling and Haitian schooling, he recalled that Haitian education values memorization more than the general practice of critical thinking. He explained that, in the United States, most schools require students to read the book and then write an essay analyzing the message when the students are done reading. In Haiti, students are expected to memorize the entire contents of the book and are tested on it. This highlights how countries may take significantly different approaches to education.
Mozard's elementary school graduation
Mozard's class picture from elementary school in Haiti.
(Mozard is second row from the bottom, fourth from the left)
Text: Children's Paradise 2004 -2005
Mozard's report card cover from the 2006 -2007 school year.
Another way in which the schooling is different in Haiti is that most students if they could afford it, opt to go to private school. Public schools in Haiti are not as widely accepted as they are in Massachusetts.
In school, Mozard did not learn much about the United States and therefore did not know what to expect. Although they did not learn much about the history of the US, they did learn how to speak English.