Background of Freinet's pedagogy in France and Spain

Rosa María Sandoval Montaño*

The modern school comes to Mexico

Herminio Almendros, ca. 1939 in Cuba

Around 1930, teachers interested in studying new ideas and pedagogical strategies began to appear in various public schools in Spain that were using traditional methods. One of them, Jesús Sanz, a teacher at the Escuela Normal in Lérida, Catalonia, was awarded a scholarship to the Rousseau Institute in Switzerland and learnt about Freinet's work during his stay in France. On his return to Lérida, he shared his experiences with Herminio Almendros, a school inspector, who established contact and exchange with the French teacher.

In this way, Almendros, together with teachers Patricio Redondo and José de Tapia, tested the school print shop with their groups of pupils. At teachers' meetings, Redondo and Tapia reported on these experiences in their schools and the advantages that the Freinet techniques brought to educational work. This gave rise to the Spanish Freinet Technique Co-operative, whose main objectives were the exchange of teaching suggestions, correspondence between schools and the production and dissemination of teaching materials. As part of this dissemination work, Herminio Almendros published the first book about Freinet in Spanish in 1932, entitled "La imprenta en la escuela" (The printing press at school).

In 1935, the magazine "Colaboración. Boletín de la Cooperativa Española de la Técnica Freinet" (Collaboration. Bulletin of the Spanish Cooperative of the Freinet Technique) was published by Ramón Costa Jou. However, with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, this teachers' movement was dissolved, several of its members died and others went into exile in various countries. Patricio Redondo Moreno, José de Tapia Bujalance and Ramón Costa Jou escaped the Franco regime and settled in Mexico at various times, where they continued to work on this innovative pedagogical movement, which was also inspired by other thinkers such as Giner de los Ríos, Bartolomé Cossío and Francisco Ferrer Guardia.

After the defeat of the government of the Second Republic and the establishment of the Franco regime, Patricio Redondo managed to go into exile. He arrived in Mexico on 27 July 1940, together with a large group of exiled Spanish Republicans. After months of uncertainty, he landed in Coatzacoalcos (Veracruz), as his original destination was not Mexico. He only took a minimum of clothing and important documents with him; on the high seas he had to throw a school press and some materials for his teaching work into the water because the weight of the ship had to be reduced as a hurricane in the Caribbean almost capsized it. That is why Patricio Redondo liked to say that he was born in Coatzacoalcos in 1940.

On his way to Mexico City, he came across the town of San Andrés Tuxtla in Veracruz, where he stayed and lived. Patricio Redondo began to hold his classes under a tree in front of the house where he lived. This is how the Escuela Experimental Freinet came into being in November 1940. In the words of its founder, the aim of the school was "to get in touch with the children in order to learn about their free and spontaneous expression" and at the same time to introduce Freinet techniques, such as the use of the school printing press. In January 1941, he was invited to work at the secondary school in the same village, leading the Spanish and literature classes.

Patricio Redondo Moreno

With the modest income that Patricio Redondo earned from his work at the secondary school, he was able to rent a room, buy simple furniture and have a school printing press made. This is what he said about his emerging educational project: "...we continue to give our lessons; better still, we run our school by trying to interpret and apply the school programme of the Ministry of Public Education using the Freinet technique, giving lessons completely free of charge, preferably to children or older illiterate people and local people".

In 1941, Redondo applied for his school to be officially integrated into the state education system, which he received in 1944. Thanks to the interest and understanding of the school authorities, he was able to continue experimenting with new forms of pedagogical work. Ramón Costa Jou put it this way: "... with the name Freinet given to his school, we can say with certainty that this institution, which still exists, has a distinctly Sanandrésian, Veracruzian, Mexican character, because it is nourished by the juice of the place that gave it life, by the children, and by the people who received the educational influence of this unique teacher who knew how to adapt to the environment, to take root in it, to get the best out of it in order to produce the fruits he considered appropriate for the school. The Mexican roots are even recognisable in the names that characterise the school's work and life books: "Xóchitl, Nacú, Tona-tiuh, Mexicanitos".

The Escuela Experimental Freinet is gradually expanded. In 1944, it was housed in a rented building and had 60 pupils. A system of co-operation was also set up, whereby wealthy parents paid a fee and the children were taught free of charge by workers, teachers, soldiers and farmers. Patricio Redondo took care of the training of a group of teachers who began as his assistants and whom he helped to complete their studies at the Instituto Federal de Capacitación del Magisterio (Federal Institute for Teacher Training). Among them were the brothers Julio and Eulogio Chigo, who were among the first students to take lessons with him.

Between 1956 and 1962, he also took on scholarship holders who had graduated from the Escuela Normal de Jalapa (Jalapa Teacher Training College) in order to observe and practise the school work developed at the school with the aim of extending it to other schools in the region. In 1947, he made direct contact with Célestin Freinet and began an exchange of correspondence, documents and publications with the Institut Cooperatif de l'École Moderne ICEM and the Cooperative de l'Enseignement Laic CEL in France, which lasted several years. He also corresponded with Herminio Almendros and Ramón Costa Jou in Cuba. Since that time, the Escuela Experimental Freinet has been in dialogue with other schools in Mexico and abroad that know and apply Freinet's principles and techniques.

The Escuela Experimental Freinet
(Freinet Experimental School) today
(Foto: Andi Honegger)

In 1954, at the invitation of Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán, deputy director of the Instituto Nacional Indigenista (National Institute of Indigenous Affairs), Patricio Redondo went to an indigenous centre in the state of Chiapas to demonstrate the Freinet techniques to the caregivers and children. Tireless and eager to obtain an official Mexican document recognising his knowledge, Patricio Redondo "...in 1960, at the age of 75, enrolled as a student in the courses of the College of Education of the University of Veracruz in Jalapa! In this way he obtained the degree of Master of Pedagogy...". His thesis was entitled "Freinet Technique".

When Maestro Redondo's health deteriorated in 1966, the Asociación Civil Protectora de las Técnicas Freinet vii y Pro Construcción del edificio de la Escuela Experimental Freinet (Association for the Protection of Freinet Techniques and Pro Construction of the Freinet Experimental School Building) stepped up its efforts to raise funds to secure the construction of the school building itself. In addition to the state and the federal government, various popular organisations and many other small contributions were made, which shows the great affection of the population for Maestro Redondo.

The foundation stone for the new building was laid in November 1966. But just a few months later, on 31 March 1967, Patricio Redondo died. He was buried in the village cemetery, where he was bid a fond farewell. A gravestone created by Alberto Beltrán, an artist and close friend of Re-dondo, was placed on his grave, showing the teacher teaching some children under a tree. In October 1969, the new building of the Escuela Experimental Freinet was inaugurated, where the school is still housed today.

* Excerpt from The Freinet Experimental School. History and validity of pedagogical knowledge and practices.

https://www.mepamexico.org/2009/08/la-escuela-moderna-llega-mexico.html

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Andi Honegger