Imagine...

RENE GERÓNIMO FAVALORO

Although he is not usually associated to education, I believe this person is worth writing about. For his pioneer work in Coronary surgery, Rene Favaloro is considered one of the most important Argentinean figures in the field of medicine. Nonetheless, his achievements as a doctor are not the only teachings he has left to our society. This surgeon devoted his life to the provision of free, quality health services in Argentina. He was a man of immense integrity who preferred to share his knowledge with his colleagues in his country than becoming incredibly rich in the United States of America, where he a was very prestigious professional. He promoted the country’s growth by training young doctors in remote regions of Argentina such as Jacinto Arauz, and by fighting to get social equality in health services. I think his kindness had no limits and his example is a great teaching to our society. He left us with more than a bunch of celebrated feats; he taught us that we should work all together to build up a better society by eradicating individualism and irresponsibility.

Read more: Rene Favaloro: 1923-2000: Heart Surgeon Biography - Interest In Medicine Began Early, Returned To Argentina, Clinic Struggled With Financial Difficulty http://biography.jrank.org/pages/3864/Favaloro-Rene-1923-2000-Heart-Surgeon.html#ixzz1L9zByMFw

Who was Francisco Pascasio Moreno?

I decided to write about this educator when my little sister had to look for information about him for a school project. The name had not rung a bell for either of us but when we realised he was known as “Perito” Moreno, we knew he was really important in our history due to the glacier, the town and the National Park in Santa Cruz.
Francisco Moreno was a scientist, an explorer, an educator, a politician and a “perito” (which means expert or specialist) in Argentina. He was born in 1852 in Buenos Aires and he was interested in nature at a very young age. He founded a Natural History Museum in the city, he embarked on different scientific expeditions to the Patagonia and discovered many rivers, lakes and even Mount Fitz Roy. He is well known for the role he played when he defended Argentina against Chile in relation to the boundary disputes between the neighbouring countries.
Francisco was also genuinely interested in children education. He became vice-president of the National Committee of Education in Argentina and one of his main contributions was “La Obra Patria”. It was an institution of social inclusion whose main aim was to provide shelter to poor children to teach them school subjects and also different skills so that they could have a job later on. Moreno pointed out that if the State made the child go to school, then the State itself had to feed and support him when parents were not able to do it. Today, more than a hundred years later, this is something that still needs to be taken into account. Primary school and also now secondary school are compulsory, however, families find it extremely difficult to afford children’s education. Moreno later created another institution, the first Argentinian Boy Scouts Association. He claimed that it was a useful means of stimulating students’ interests in nature and of transmitting values such as honour, loyalty, humbleness and love.
Perito Moreno also considered that Adult education was of great importance. He presented two projects in the National Committee. First, he proposed building “Evening Schools for Adults” to give people the opportunity to learn skills and crafts according to their needs. Later, he suggested the project of “Schools for Cinderella” in which teachers could go from house to house to teach girls and young women who had to stay home to take care of their children or younger siblings. Consequently, what Francisco did was to provide adults with centres of cultural and practical learning to give a possibility to improve their individual growth. Now, this is also absolutely necessary in our society, especially for adults who did not have the chance to study before.
In view of this, we can conclude that this educator paved the way for further developments in education and also paid attention to key issues that still have to be considered these days. “Where schools and work reign, prisons close.” said Moreno.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Moreno
http://www.aquimontserrat.com.ar/genuinos/pmoreno/PeritoMoreno.htm
http://www.fortunecity.es/sopa/cejas/785/rionegromoreno.htm

Mathematics, are you there? English, are you there?

It was not difficult to decide who I wanted to write about. From the very beginning, I knew it wouldn't be an educator from the past, since several volumes must have been written about them, for sure. Consequently, I decided I would write about a contemporary educator, someone who has surprised me because I was not used to seeing him in that role. As a matter of fact, Adrián Paenza (for it is Mr Paenza I am writing about) is well known in the world of sports as a TV reporter, journalist and commentator, who has especialised in football and basketball. He has a vast experience in the media, having worked on the radio, TV and press. However, Mr Paenza is also a brilliant Mathematician, a university professor and the author of the best-selling books "Matemáticas, estás ahí?". Adrián Arnoldo Paenza was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 9th 1949. He was 5 years old when he started 2nd form, and only 14 when he started university (NB: in Argentina, the average age for children in 2nd form is 7, while students start university when they are about 18). He's got a BSc in Mathematics, as well as a PhD in the same field of studies, and he was awarded the Konex Prize on two occasions (the Konex Platinum in 2007 in the field of Science, and the 1997 Konex in the field of sports) apart from being part of the jury for sports in the year 2000. He is also the host of a TV programme called "Alterados por el pi" which has recently been awarded a Martín Fierro Award for cable television. An impressive record for a man whom most people used to associate exclusively with sports. However, what made me choose him as the topic for this essay was not his academic success. Besides being a sharp observer of reality, he has managed to get the attention and arouse the interest of thousands of children and adolescents who now see mathematics in a different light. Quoting Paenza, "Why does Maths pose so many problems for students? The problem lies in us, teachers. We provide answers to questions which the students have never asked. How boring it is to listen to someone who provides the solution for problems we do not have!... A teacher is not just someone who is there to provide answers, but to generate questions." In his opinion, education should be in charge of the best qualified teachers. Furthermore, he acknowledges the use of technology in the classroom, and compares "not being able to use a computer with having to study without books. With a clear view of today's education, Adrián Paenza embodies the teacher of the XXI century: someone capable of succeeding in different fields; somebody who loves teaching and doing research; a person who makes a difference. What he feels for Maths is what I feel for English. They are not that different anyway. It is not a question of providing answers, but of generating in students the need to ask questions. Touché, Mr Paenza.

http://es.wikipedia.or/wiki/AdrianPaenza
http://contexto-educativo.com.ar/2001/6/paenzahtm
http://www.fundacionkonex.com.ar/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t01SBUqmgQ