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One Day Two Years Ago... Teacher's Day in Venezuela

ONE DAY TWO YEARS AGO... 

     Long ago, I began teaching English, in order to make things different I started new practices for me and the students. However, my practices were not allow by the school policies, I was obligated to accomplish just the lesson plan without trying any new idea; as a result, I did everything I considered necessary to develop my ideas. Those times were full of passion that made me keep on believing. Suddenly, after some years I formed part of a singular high school in Valencia, Venezuela that allowed me to teach reading and writing skills. That was the right moment to develop in a free way my integrated approach to English teaching.

      As I was teaching  using an integartive approach through poetry, arts, drama, music students everyday had opportunities to reflect and express themselves. Those reflections were, of course, based on the poems, plays, symphonies, popular music/art or any different input provided they had to read, listen, watch and appreciate so they develop stronger communicative skills after each task.

      One day starting the year 2014, the celebration of Teacher's day was really close and my students  were extremely happy because they were going to have a day off, by that moment I decided to change my plans for the class of January 13,  I went to the computer and started writing the text below to provided my student a background and a piece of reflection to read, analyze and argue. That day I reschedule the evaluations in order to make a meaningful class about the holyday.

     The text below is the same text I used that day. I hope you find it interesting, useful or you might found an idea to give the Teacher's day in Venezuela a different point of view.



 TEACHERS’ DAY IN VENEZUELA 

Teacher: Diego Navarro Petit 
     This day started to be celebrated more than fifty years ago in order to honor all the teachers in the country. However, I wonder if nowadays most of Venezuelan people know the meaning or the origin of this celebration. Since that origin, we have lost the importance of teachers for the development of the country. We have grown with the idea that studying is an activity with the only purpose of being graduated someday, no matter if we learn or not. Therefore, if we do not appreciate the value of education, how do we appreciate teachers’ labor? What’s the sense of this celebration, is it an honest act if we celebrate a day for teachers and we, neither educators nor students, recognize and appreciate the important contribution former Venezuelan teachers started during the dictatorial government of Juan Vicente Gomez?
    During, January 15 in 1932 some teachers started a struggle for the improvement of education and the profits of the profession. As it was a dictatorial system, the struggle was difficult and they had to act in a prudent way, due to the repression. Then, during the government of the General Isaias Medina Angarita, educators’ actions were recognized and the 15th day of January started to be Teacher's day to honor the movement of those who sought a good education and better living standards. However, that day was rescheduled to November 29; and then, from the year 1959 on, after the overthrow of Marcos Perez Jimenez dictatorial government, the celebration resume on January 15 as it used to be since its beginning.
     All these facts, evidence the importance of teachers in every aspect of the country realities. That’s why, I ask about the role of teachers in this country? It is true that nowadays the struggles are different. However, we must take the responsibility and transform education as an act of honor, as a brave act to enhance our nation. Only by assuming that responsibility, there will be a celebration and different ways not only to honor the history of those great teachers but also to empower new generations to assume the reality of the world and the country. Just if we arrive to that ideal point, the commemoration of teachers’ day will remain as a heroic act every day and every class and not as a simple day off.
    To conclude, this reflection, I want to highlight the role of the teacher and the responsibility of the student within the teaching and learning process. As a way to value our labor and maintain students away of their own way to success through Khalil Gibran’s words in his book The Prophet when he speaks about teaching: “The astronomer may speak to you of his understanding of space, but he cannot give you his understanding. The musician may sing to you of the rhythm which is in all space, but he cannot give you the ear which arrests the rhythm, nor the voice that echoes it. And he who is versed in the science of numbers can tell of the regions of weight and measure, but he cannot conduct you thither.”
REFERENCES 
Vílchez, J. (2014) El 15 de enero celebramos el Día del Maestro. Online article retrieved from        http://www.cultura.luz.edu.ve/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=199&Itemid=208 on January 08, 2014.

 Gibran, K. (1923) The Prophet. Online pdf retrieved from http://charlyawad.com/images/books/TheProphet_En.pdf on January 08, 2014.




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       One Day Two Years Ago... Teacher's Day in Venezuela by Diego Navarro Petit is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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