«On July 6, Teacher’s Day was instituted in Peru, due to the creation of the first normal school for boys in 1822»
Every year the civic school calendar dresses up on the sixth day of July to commemorate the work of one of the most sacrificed and committed professions, that of being a teacher.
One year after Peru obtained the long-awaited independence, that is, in 1822; the liberator Don José de San Martín realizes that although the Spanish crown no longer ties the Peruvian people; an even more destructive master would not let them advance, ignorance. Thus, on July 6st of that same year, the general formed the first normal boys’ school. Later, during the Odría government; This date was instituted to commemorate all the teachers of Peru.
The school created by the liberator was initially directed by Diego Thompson, a former missionary and excellent teacher who promoted the Lancaster method, this method sought that the most outstanding students will teach the most backward. Thompson also planned to found the first school for women but did not receive the facilities of the case.
During pre-Hispanic times, the Incas also had their own teachers and they were called Amautas. However, these ancestors could only teach the children of the nobles and the Inca, since it was believed that only the upper class of their hierarchy had the right to education because they would come to power at any time.
Throughout history and to this day, several notable teachers have paraded through the thousands of Peruvian classrooms. But, two honorable mentions have allowed a legacy of excellent educators, they are:
- José María Arguedas (1911-1969), who not only had arduous and outstanding participation as a teacher and in the Ministry of Education, but his literary works based on folklore and pre-Hispanic cultures contributed significantly to popular education.
- Francisco Izquierdo Ríos (1910 –1981), he was a Peruvian writer and educator from the Amazon jungle, through his literary works composed of the simplicity and vigor of his prose, he became the forerunner of children’s literature. One of his best-known stories was «El Bagrecito»