The Teresita González Quevedo Educational Community of Anaco, Venezuela, met this May 13, at the invitation of the pedagogical coordination.
The objective of this meeting was to experience a deeply human space of formation and sensitivity entitled “Pedagogical coffee with a chocolate flavor: we all fit in this cup”, with the purpose of “Educating in diversity, including from the heart”. We want to transform our classrooms into communities where each student is seen, valued and accompanied in his or her uniqueness. Ana Brazón was the one who accompanied us on this path and search, in a creative, dynamic and participative way.
The atmosphere was marked by a contagious joy and a good welcome from the attendees. We felt like companions, ready to share a cup of chocolate and experiences, allowing us to look at reality and seek answers together. The symbolic act of receiving a mug decorated with the phrase “Here you fit, we all fit” allowed each participant to take ownership of the meeting. On it we wrote our names and a word that defines our vision of inclusion.
Afterwards, we carried out the “Mateo’s Chair” dynamic , which helped to create a space to reflect our reality. We personified the challenges of a student called, symbolically, Mateo, who has conditions that make him different from the rest. From Mateo’s empty chair, a space for dialogue was opened, where we reflected, with courage and honesty, the difficulties that often “keep us awake at night” when managing diversity.
It was a necessary exercise to recognize that, at times, the reality of a student with his or her dreams, joys, sadness, loneliness, fears, depression and need to be heard can feel heavier than that of the rest of the group; however, we also discovered that this burden becomes more bearable when it is shared by a team that accompanies us.
At the coffee tables, there were moments of dialogue, reflection and the desire to create new strategies to respond to our reality within the learning spaces.
We analyzed three critical dilemmas of daily practice, divided into three round tables:
- Bitter Chocolate (Justice): the members of this round table discussed equality in evaluation when there are curricular adaptations, analyzing how to explain to the environment that success has different scales for each person.
- Chocolate en Rama (the Rhythms): Addressed the management of different learning rhythms, looking for strategies to not slow down the faster ones or leave behind those who need more support.
- Chocolate with Salt (Culture): We worked on the limit between respect for family values and the child’s own right to an integral education.
After the work at each table, we moved on to a Harvest Plenary, where each group shared the ideas that emerged from the experience, commitment and creative respect of the debate.
We concluded with a personal commitment from each teacher, written on a sheet of paper with the phrase “In order to make my classroom more diverse tomorrow I will…” motivating us to return to the classroom ready to offer each student a real opportunity for transformation.
The applause, the shared smiles, the fellowship, the cakes and the joyful photographs brought us closer to Joaquina de Vedruna, reminding us that “joy is the main virtue”.
This pedagogical café reminded us that inclusion is not about giving everyone the same thing, but about giving everyone what they need to have the same opportunities.
Prof. Georgina Orta
