SOME PECULIAR HEROES
Throughout history we have met many heroes. They have normally been associated with exploits and victories in wars, with physical strength, with the intelligence to harangue and direct the masses, in short, with the ability to overcome life's obstacles and be leaders of a community. This is what the great epics of Antiquity have told us and, in the 20th century, cinema has given a good account of it.
'Books are a danger that most people avoid, the danger of learning'
There are names that we inevitably associate with war: Troy, Sarajevo, Ukraine, Gaza,... and some, unfortunately, are still current. There are still heroes and villains, depending on the point of view we take. But this time they are different types of heroes.
I am referring to those adults who are dedicated to improving their academic training and professional life, making it compatible with their family and professional life. Some of them are even deprived of liberty in prisons.
Foto @mmolpor
In this era in which easy money, scarce work or disdain for knowledge is sought, they seem to me to be modern, anti-system heroes who seek to escape unemployment or job insecurity and do so under very adverse conditions.
This is not the first time I have written about them. But the reality is that the closer I get to teaching adults, the more I respect and admire them.
I have been working for just over a quarter at the Provincial Institute of Permanent Education (IPEP Adult School), where people who want to obtain the ESO degree (Secondary Education Degree), Baccalaureate and entrance tests to university or training cycles attend. Our students learn in a blended way, remotely, from a juvenile center, from a penitentiary institution or in some locations where they have a CEPER (Permanent Education Center for Adults). Our adult school is also a center that is part of an international “Erasmus +” project titled: 'Rethinking educational practices for adults, prison students and juvenile offenders'.
This implies that there is an international exchange of knowledge in relation to this matter. Colleagues who have visited centers and prisons outside of Spain tell us how they work there. And there are truly admirable initiatives and experiences.
I will tell you some of the experiences that I have lived during this time and that, without a doubt, have made me reflect as a teacher and as a person:
A few months ago, a foreign student visited me and told me that Spanish students do not value what it means to have free education. He told me his personal story and some anecdotes about his country. They come from places where corruption and crime are widespread, the possibilities of improving living conditions are slim and even the social consideration towards them is discouraging. In their youth they are already seen as too old to train or change jobs.
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| Foto de @mmolpor |
A few days later, a student apologized for being absent or late and told me that he takes care of ill people and works as a family caregiver full-time.
It is easy for some of them to squeeze too much into their rest hours and doze off in class. And then, he calmly tells me about his usual schedule, when maybe he can start cleaning at five in the morning and finish in class at nine at night.
Some of these students are looking for better job options and a better quality of life for themselves and their families. Others want to get a degree for no reason, just because, for personal satisfaction, to fulfill a dream. They have avoided the typical discourse of discouragement around them: why do you want it? Where are you going at your age?
These rare specimens have another peculiarity. They are polite. They are respectful. I see attention, smiles, gratitude in them. What things!
I talk on the phone with the distance students that I tutor to get interested in them and most of them don't have a problem, they have a thousand. Impossibility of combining schedules, shift work, lack of time, small children who have nowhere to leave, illnesses,... and yet, many of them ask me for help as soon as they can to return to their studies. I open the email and find a handful of messages giving explanations, requesting materials or apologizing for their absence or for submitting the assignment late.
'Rethinking educational practices for adults, prison students and juvenile offenders'
Other days I receive writings from my students in prison. They tell me how surprising it was to see that there was a library in the module. And words like these that cannot leave me indifferent: “It is a relief to think that I could have other activities that were not just smoking or walking around in the yard” or “I am looking forward to continuing my journey in this course with you, making a tremendous effort every time.” "Moreover, I have learned to write better and I want to continue." .
It surprises me when I see that there are people in a prison who want to read and learn. I remember the immense work that librarians do to promote reading. I remember the deserted, dust-covered libraries where no one was interested in a book. Books are a danger that most people avoid, the danger of learning. I still have in my retina my recent visit to the place where the Sarajevo library was and other places where there are shots and wounds that can be seen or sensed. Bombed books, ignored books,... and in a prison, books as refuge.
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| Foto @mmolpor |
How ironic. This year I was commissioned with the “Peace Space School” project. Some days, I work in the morning, yet others in the afternoon, I spend many moments in solitude and think a lot about my student.
Life is not a straight and easy line in most lives. Who has not been exposed to the setbacks of youth or to life leaving you out in the cold at any moment? And I ask to myself, are there new opportunities? Are these your last chances to get back on track? I look out of the window, sometimes I see sunrises, other days sunsets and I wonder: Is this working for peace? Will they be the current heroes?
I hope I have been able to convey to you what I think: do not give up in your efforts because you make the world a better place by improving it, you are the true peace squads.
Adoración Reyes Delgado García.
Profesora de Lengua castellana y literatura.
IPEP Adult School Jaén
Spain
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