The reopening of the Rita Longa Pedagogical School in September last year was a moment of great satisfaction for the educational community. After fifteen years of closure, the institution reopened its doors with a commitment to continue training new generations of teachers.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Gerardo Cruz Leyva, director of this educational center, proudly recalls that, in twelve graduating classes, 3,100 educators have already graduated and contributed to the educational coverage of the territory. For him, the ongoing challenge is to ensure a solid graduate profile that reflects the fundamental values of today's Cuban society. These principles, together with mastery of general and specialized content, form the basis of the pedagogical training that distinguishes the school.
Gerardo Cruz Leyva, director of the "Rita Longa."“The institution strives to ensure that its students graduate with correct writing skills, fluent and coherent reading skills, and the discipline necessary to listen and express themselves clearly. Our graduates must be ethical role models, in keeping with the traditions of Cuban and universal pedagogy.”
This year, he notes, 158 students are expected to graduate, all of whom are already involved in work experience in educational institutions, accompanied by the rigor and high standards that characterize the school. With 148 teaching staff and 56 support staff, the institution reaffirms its status as an emblematic and prestigious center.
A vocation for teaching often stems from the conviction that education is the path to transforming society. It is in this institutional context that Marco Alejandro Flores González, a fourth-year student specializing in Spanish and Literature, shares his experience of this training process.
From the first year, the institution offers a set of tools that allow students to approach teaching with a solid foundation. Marco recalls that, in addition to theoretical preparation, students are allowed to do internships from the beginning, which facilitates their entry into working life and early contact with the classroom's reality.
Marco Alejandro Flores, a fourth-year student specializing in Spanish and Literature.“Over the years, the internships intensify, and in the fourth year, they become a concentrated exercise that requires applying what has been learned in real situations. It has been exceptional because we have been able to get to know our students better and strengthen the link between theory and practice, which is essential for our proper training.”
The young man acknowledges that facing a group of students involves challenges, but also lessons that shape his vocation. "You realize that each student has a different way of learning, and that's where the challenge lies: finding how to reach everyone, how to motivate them, how to make them enjoy learning.
"We are not only training to be teachers, but also as people. We learn to listen, to understand, and to be patient. Education transforms us as much as we aspire to transform others."
His experience at the Pedagogical School has confirmed that teaching is a commitment to the future. “Every day in the classroom is an opportunity to instill values, to spark curiosity, and to accompany students on their own journey. That's what motivates me and makes me feel that I chose the right profession.”
