WORDS FROM A TEACHER, A REFLECTION ABOUT EDUCATION

by Irene Calderero, LiffeyGroup educator

Firma "invitada" recomendada por Julio Morales

Autor: JoeysPhotos, de MorgueFile

In 2006 in a trip around Uruguay, an Argentinian friend lent me his book. It was there that I discovered that special teacher who left us just a short time ago. More books came after that first one, and in this section, I would like to share with you a little extract from one of those books. I am talking, of course, about the great Eduardo Galeano. I really think this text, based on Simon Rodriguez's words, leads us to a good reflection.

“Everyone must be educated without distinction of race or colour. Let’s not deceive ourselves: without popular education, there will not be a true society.
 Instruction is not education. Teach, and you will have people who know; educate, and you will have people who do.
To make someone recite by heart what is not understood, is to create parrots. Do not order a child, in any case, to do anything that hasn’t got its “why” at the basis. Once the child is used to always seeing the reason behind the orders (s)he receives, (s)he misses it when (s)he does not see it, saying “Why?” Teach the children to be inquisitive, so that, when asking for the reason about what they are told to do, they learn to comply with it, not with the authority like limited people, nor with the habit like stupid people.

 Boys and girls should study together at school. First, because by doing it in this way, men learn to respect women from their childhood onwards; and second, because women learn not to be afraid of men.

[…]

Someone who knows nothing, can be cheated by anyone. Someone who hasn’t got anything, can be bought by anyone.”

 Memoria del fuego 2. Las caras y las máscaras 

Eduardo Galeano 
Buenos Aires, Siglo XXI Editores, 2010.