ciadoncha; ¡cuántos recuerdos - Webpages at SCU - Santa Clara ...
ciadoncha; ¡cuántos recuerdos - Webpages at SCU - Santa Clara ...
ciadoncha; ¡cuántos recuerdos - Webpages at SCU - Santa Clara ...
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The school of Ciadoncha, like all other schools in Spain, had a photo of Franco, of<br />
the Primo de Rivera and of the crucifix. The children would pray before beginning class.<br />
In the mornings they studied M<strong>at</strong>h, Calcul<strong>at</strong>ion and Language. While the teacher<br />
explained the lesson of the day, other groups worked on the problems on the chalk board,<br />
corrected the homework, etc.<br />
The school was only a single classroom, but there were two schools: one for the<br />
boys and another for the girls. One participant remembers with nostalgia the time of his<br />
elementary educ<strong>at</strong>ion. He says th<strong>at</strong> back then they taught and were strict. Further he<br />
added th<strong>at</strong> now the teachers fear the students.<br />
Girls Promotion, 1940-1946. Photographic Exposition 1986<br />
Photo provided by Arcadio Varona<br />
The women of Ciadoncha said th<strong>at</strong> they did not <strong>at</strong>tend class very frequently.<br />
They had to stay <strong>at</strong> home in order to care for their younger siblings, while their mother<br />
had to go out and help in the field. Laughing, they said th<strong>at</strong> nothing would happen if they<br />
did not go to school. They remember th<strong>at</strong> to read they went would g<strong>at</strong>her around the<br />
teacher and would read one by one.<br />
Every time I brought up the topic of educ<strong>at</strong>ion during the interviews, the<br />
participants laughed remembering the pifias (mischief) th<strong>at</strong> they did. They said th<strong>at</strong><br />
while some people read, others would go behind the teacher and make gestures in order<br />
to distract the reader. The poor girl, facing the teacher, had to hold back her laugh,<br />
though she couldn’t always accomplish it. All of the participants remember how the boys<br />
followed them when they had to go hacer de aguas (urin<strong>at</strong>e). Since back then there<br />
weren’t any b<strong>at</strong>hrooms, they had to go behind the school and the boys liked following<br />
them in order to l<strong>at</strong>er tell them th<strong>at</strong> they had seen them go to the b<strong>at</strong>hroom, even though it<br />
wasn’t true.<br />
The only books they had were the encyclopedia and a handbook. The girls went<br />
to school to learn only how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. They still remember<br />
how difficult it was for them to memorize the multiplic<strong>at</strong>ion table. However, no one had<br />
problems with the exams and did not have to repe<strong>at</strong> the course. They did not have<br />
homework. Some times they were sent to the chalk board to solve a problem, but if they<br />
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