Magical Classroom

Deeply passionate about education, Astrid has dreamed of being a teacher since she was a little girl. As regional coordinator of 6 preschool classrooms in San Juan La Laguna, and embarking on her 4th year as a teacher for Aula Magica (teaching preschool from the library in San Juan, her community), one could say with certainty that her dream has come true. However, for much of her childhood, Astrid’s chances of becoming an educator seemed slim: from ages 11-13, Astrid had to quit school to help support her family financially. For two years she yearned to return to school, her desire to study taking precedence over everything else. Astrid values education so highly that she hasn’t left the classroom since: because of her past, Astrid gives all that she has to her job as a teacher.

Astrid spent the first 5 years of her life with her parents, before her world shifted. Her father (an alcoholic) left the family, and her mother remarried. Astrid moved in with her grandparents, who’d had 9 kids of their own. Of the nine, only three went to school. Astrid’s mother was one of the three, having completed the 6th grade- an uncommon accomplishment in rural areas of Guatemala. Astrid feels immense gratitude for her grandparents, who gave her all they could: her values, and the opportunity to get an education. Now 75 and 73 years old, they treat her as a daughter, rather than a granddaughter, and Astrid wants nothing more than to be able to reciprocate the care and support they gave her. Still, Astrid felt a sense of lack throughout her childhood, seeing families with kids and full lives and longing for those experiences. When she had to quit school at age 11 to in order help provide her family with extra income, she was heartbroken. Astrid worked daily making textiles and picking coffee, making 15 Quetzales ($2) per textile- a craft learned from her grandmother, and the family’s main means of income. She was embarrassed to not be in school, and had no friends, only leaving her home on Sundays. So when the municipality’s government gave Astrid’s mother a small grant and Astrid was able to return to school at age 13, she did so with a renewed sense of hope, motivation and gratitude. Astrid knows that it was due to the support of many that she was able to graduate with a specialty in teaching, and wants to return the gift to her community; aspiring that all may feel the enthusiasm she feels for learning, and the opportunities that come from it. She carries not an ounce of bitterness from her past, only appreciation; she even hopes to one day reconnect with her father and share her gratitude and positive outlook with him.

For Astrid, the most important thing she can teach her students is that education is fun. To this end, we have to teach in a way that’s fun... so kids want to go to school, and have a desire to learn everything: this, Astrid says, is every teacher’s job. It’s also Astrid’s specialty: she creates a dynamic classroom that’s full of energy, teaching with love and patience to build the best education possible for her students. She seeks to share these values with her peers, so that they too can build successful classrooms and a culture of enthusiasm. Astrid also sees great value in the classroom games played with recycled materials, geared towards developing the minds of her students. She wants to make these games so accessible that they’re played by children in communities all over Guatemala, developing their minds while playing. Because for Astrid, learning and fun are one and the same: she teaches with joy and enthusiasm, motivated by her past to shape bright futures. 

            Arcadio believes education is the key to developing social and communal strength. He sees education as one of the most important pillars of the human experience: the way by which communities are empowered, and people realize their ability to contribute to positive change. Arcadio knows he can deeply affect his community through education, helping to develop that which is missing, and contributing to a wave of empowerment. He knows the reality of many living in rural areas, sharing in the collective struggle of those who have dreams to receive an education without the means to accomplish them. But Arcadio also knows dreams can become a reality- his story a testament to what is possible when you believe in yourself and have a positive mentality, refusing to yield to the barriers in your way.

            One of nine children, Arcadio’s family has always struggled economically. Arcadio had to leave school after the 3rd grade to help contribute to the family’s income, working with his father to sell vegetables beginning at age ten. He did so until he was sixteen years old, when he began working in agriculture. Arcadio recalls these childhood years of work with neither resentment nor sadness- doing what needed to be done to support his family, Arcadio assumed he’d never be able to prioritize his education. At age eighteen, he joined a youth group in the local church, actively participating and sharing his opinions. He was soon asked to coordinate the group, studying theology with other members of the municipality. When a friend involved with youth development invited Arcadio to join a training on human rights, civic participation and sociopolitical participation, Arcadio was quick to accept. At one point during the training, he was asked what his education level was, and felt uneasy about disclosing the truth to a group comprised of professionals, teachers, and university students who had all gone beyond the 3rd grade, unlike himself. A colleague in the same situation proposed that they study together, and Arcadio soon began taking classes for adults at an education center through La Sagrada Familia de Chiantla. His schedule was difficult: Arcadio continued to work Monday through Friday from 4:30 in the morning to 7:30 at night, listening to lessons over the radio at 8:30 each night and going to the center on weekends to take classes. In spite of being ridiculed and told he was too old by many, Arcadio persevered for one and a half years, and completed 6th grade at age 21.

            Though he hadn’t initially planned to go beyond 6th grade, Arcadio’s connections in the education center motivated him to continue with el basico (middle school equivalent). For five years, Arcadio continued to work in agriculture on weekdays, studying on nights and weekends. He barely had enough money for classes and transportation, and had no money left over for food when he went to the center on weekends, waiting until he returned home to eat. But thanks to his father supporting him with what little he could, Arcadio finished 3rd basico at age 26. He then returned to working in agriculture, assuming his studies were completed. However, by the end of the year’s harvest, Arcadio had made enough money to begin studying again the following year. He entered school in the field of primary education, attending classes from 7:30 to 12:30 on weekdays, supported by his father and brothers. In October, 2013, at age 31, Arcadio graduated as a primary school teacher. Upon graduating, the head of the program asked if anyone was interested in going to university. Arcadio said yes, as it was a dream of his, but he figured he’d never be able to attend due to finances. When his evaluation was good enough to enroll at the University of San Carlos, Arcadio wasn’t very excited, because he knew he couldn’t afford to attend.

            In the meantime, Arcadio was coordinating a theater group that performed for human rights initiatives, informing the public about sexual health and HIV. Performing nationally, Arcadio made connections with activists in other municipalities, and was recruited to work with a Women's’ Empowerment project in Chiantla and Aguacatán, called Mujeres Empoderadas. Arcadio initially worked with 5 groups of 20 women each, and by the end of his three years with Mujeres Empoderadas, was a trainer of 15 groups: working with 300 women total and discussing human rights, women's’ rights, and teaching entrepreneurial activities such as cosmetics and candle making. When the project ended in September, 2016, Arcadio had saved enough money to begin attended university. He briefly returned to agricultural work to help his brothers, and was connected with Aula Magica in January of 2017, receiving the opportunity to become a teacher and coordinator.

            Arcadio attends university classes and does work-study in the mornings, and teaches in the afternoons. He hopes to have a degree in teaching secondary school by next year, and dreams of studying an additional two years to receive a license in education. He is closer than he ever thought he would be, and seeks to contribute to education in Guatemala to help create the change he knows his country is capable of. For all of his work in empowerment, Arcadio sees the importance of self-support, and realizing one's’ own capabilities. He hopes to support his peers in this way as a coordinator, working as a team to help prepare kids for success. Arcadio says the most important impact he can have on his students is to help them discover their different abilities: because we all have something to discover through education, we just need the opportunity.