In Portuguese, “Colmeias” (the name of this joint group of schools) means “beehives”, the “man-made homes for bees”. In a strong sense, this image symbolizes the internal dynamics of the school staff. It is formed by a group of about 60 teachers who nourish a great sense of cooperation and frequently reflect on their praxis. Thus, they are able to take advantage of the individuality of each member to strengthen the sense of shared effort. In other words, day by day they get involved in a common mission: to prepare their students for a competitive and highly demanding society, where the values of responsibility, discipline and solidarity cannot be forgotten. 

 

Within this particular community, what is MY ROLE: the role of the single Librarian Teacher, responsible for running two school libraries and coordinating the work of a little, but highly motivated team? It’s definitely not an easy job, but it is also a highly rewarding experience, because in Colmeias the school library is, in fact, faced as a nuclear part of the school and of the students’ learning process. Engaging in new projects has been the solution found to give these school libraries a new impetus of modernization, renovation and reconceptualization. 

In this photo the "library monitors" (voluntary students who work at the library in their free time" are getting ready to the Carnival parade. I'm with them... at the low right corner.