SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS- REFLECTIONS OF A GREEN DOG/ A ESCOLA NEL MEDIO RURAL- OBSERVACIÓIS D’UN CAN VERDE

SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS- REFLECTIONS OF A GREEN DOG
I think we can agree that the education of its citizens is of interest for the progress of a nation.
Any progress made by society has always come from the advances in science and culture, promoted by education.
In small Asturian villages, which are what I know, since the middle of last century, schools have gone from being relatively less important to everyday life to becoming the defining element of rural children’s lives.
At the beginning, school was limited by the needs and conditions of rural life, farming tasks and the parent’s will. Anything beyond basic maths and being able to write a letter to their parents when the lads went off to serve in the army was of little interest as it wasn’t practical.
In 1985, the Rural Grouped School of Eilao had seventy nine pupils in the schools of Eirías, Sarzol, Villar de Bullaso, Bullaso, Zadamoño, Eilao, A Montaña and Pastur. In 1996, Sarzol and A Montaña had closed and the pupils were down to half. Between 1996 and 2003, all but Eilao had closed. At a certain point, there were only three children and the school was in danger of closing.
And here is the Green Dog vision. I was the representative for the parents during those years and I was surprised and worried to see that the school was in danger. My sons, their grandparents and father went to this school. I studied a school year there, too. My sons had the best teacher they could have had. She provided them with a solid base to take them through to secondary and university.
But what left me truly bewildered was that there were people in the village that didn’t care whether the school closed or not. Some families even sent their kids to Bual (20 kms.away) from the age of three, discarding the local school. And there were even people who went to the newspapers with half truths.
Behind this is a peculiar mindset that states that ‘Whoever stays here is because they can’t do better’. There is a sense of shame in being a villager, which is strange to me because in the end, we are all from a village.
A final reflection: People who disown their roots are doomed to never find their place.

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A ESCOLA NEL MEDIO RURAL- OBSERVACIÓIS D’UN CAN VERDE

Penso que taremos todos d’acordo en que a educación dos sous ciudadanos e un tema de interés pra el progreso d’un poblo.
Dende sempre, os grandes logros d’ua sociedá consiguironse a través dos avances científicos y culturales.
Nos poblos pequenos d’Asturias, que e lo que eu conozo, dende mediaos del siglo pasao, as escolas pasaron de ser un elemento de ua importancia relativa a ser elemento que define a vida dos nenos nel medio rural.
N’un principio, a escola rural taba supeditada as necesidades y condicionantes da vida da xente del poblo, as faenas del campo y a voluntá dos padres. Más aló de ‘as cuatro reglas’ y poder escribir ua carta aos padres condo os mozos se iban a mili, había pouco interés en más, porque nun se ye atopaba utilidá pra a vida cotidiana.
Nel ano 1985, el C.R.A. (Colexio Rural Agrupado) d’Eilao tía setenta y nove alumnos repartidos nas escolas d’Eirías, Sarzol, Villar de Bullaso, Bullaso, Zadamoño, Eilao, A Montaña y Pastur. En 1996, pecharan Sarzol y A Montaña y os alumnos quedaran na mitad, aproximadamente. Entre 1996 y 2003 pecharan todas menos Eilao. Chegóu a haber sólo tres nenos y a escola tuvo en peligro de pechar.
Y aquí entra a visión del can verde. Eu tuven de representante dos padres del C.R.A. n’esos anos y quedéin sorprendida y agoirada de ver cómo corría peligro a escola unde aprenderon os bolos,y el padre dos meus nenos, unde eu misma tuven un curso y, por supuesto unde os meus nenos tuveron a miyor maestra que yes podese tocar y que los preparóu pra seguir estudiando hasta a universidá.
Pro el que más confundida y preocupada me deixóu foi que houbese xente del propio poblo que nun yes importase el que quedásemos sin escola. Houbo familias que prefiríron mandar aos sous pequenos a Bual (a 20 kms.) dende os tres anos, descartando a escola del pueblo. Y houbo incluso quen foi aos periódicos con medias verdades.
Nun deixa de sorprenderme que nun se puxese todo el pueblo a favor da escola . Foi denostada y atacada polos que más se deberan preocupar d’ella.
Existe detrás ua mentalidá de que ‘el que queda aquí e que nun vale pa outra cousa’ . Y tamen ua cierta vergonza de ser ‘de pueblo’, cousa incomprensible pra mín, porque a fin de contas, todos somos de pueblo.
Ua reflesión final. A xente que renega das súas reices ta condenada a nun acougar en nengún llao.