Just in time and without pause to ensure the teaching profession receives the necessary new teachers, the doors have once again opened at the "Rigoberto Mora Aguilera" primary semi-boarding school in the Holguín municipality of Calixto García.
The invitation to attend this demonstration came from the experienced educator María Caridad García. "This is an opportunity for ninth-grade students interested in becoming teachers to observe a class taught by a great teacher, retired but now back in the classroom, Elma Peña Cruz. It's not that they'll leave here completely convinced about what it means to be in a classroom with elementary school children ranging in age from five to eleven; it's difficult and complex. But if they understand the process now and commit to continuing this vocational training, we'll certainly have the opportunity for them to enter the teaching profession. However," she continued, "the secondary school in this main town has attracted very few students. We mustn't forget that what we do now, and I would say from the very beginning, must be about persuasion, patience, demonstrations, and having professional teachers by their side who, through example, guide them along this path."
[From left to right: Luis de Jesús Cruz Domínguez, next to him Alianay Labrada Peña, attendees of the Open Doors class] From left to right: Luis de Jesús Cruz Domínguez, next to him Alianay Labrada Peña, attendees of the Open Doors class
Aliany Labrada Peña is in ninth grade. "Since seventh grade, I've participated in pedagogical interest groups. I've been drawn to becoming a teacher. Many tell me to think twice because a classroom with children whose families sometimes don't properly attend to their children, don't tutor them, and think that we should take care of everything is complex. But what I've seen today, what I see in this class with this experienced teacher, has moved me, and I think that's going to be my profession in the future."
For his part, Luis de Jesús Cruz Domínguez, a man of few words, says he isn't entirely decided. "It's too early for such a decision, so I'll continue seeking information and participating in events like this open house. I need to think," he tells me, still visualizing the model class.
[Lorena Melisa Núñez Peña, a ninth-grade student, aspires to become a primary school teacher.] Lorena Melisa Núñez Peña, a ninth-grade student, aspires to become a primary school teacher.
Lorena Melisa Núñez Peña is fascinated by the idea of being in a classroom in the future. "I would like to be a primary school teacher. It's a tradition in my family, and I don't want to miss the opportunity," she tells me with the conviction that in a few years, children from Calixto García will receive instruction from a young teacher trained by the Revolution.
And we couldn't forget Marja Marrero Carralero, an experienced educator who has been an instructor in her specialty at the Jesús Peña Serrano Pioneer Palace for over forty years. "My role is to contribute to their vocational and pedagogical training, and I've come here to support them, learn about their progress, and identify their learning needs so I can interact with them and their families."
"I am here to support them and their families." María Caridad returns to the conversation, saying, "We need every classroom, regardless of the educational level, to be, through the quality of its participants, a place that fosters the future training of teachers. At this crucial juncture, we need the family to be a bastion in this endeavor; otherwise, we won't have teachers in the future, and it's clear that in Cuba, that's not going to happen."
[Ninth-grade students, members of the Pedagogical Interest Circle, attentive to the teaching and learning process.]
Of course, we must win this "race against time." I witnessed a revolutionary, engaging class, with full participation from both teacher and students, where the former are the protagonists. It's a shame that this moment of inclusive education seemed so brief in a country that remembers our Fidel, the principal mentor of the Educational Revolution, through its actions. Fidel will be celebrating his centenary in 2026, and yet his legacy continues unabated. a trench of ideas that is worth more than trenches of stones.
