The main hall of the Portimão City Council was the stage this morning, May 17, for the recognition ceremony for the pedagogical work carried out in the community by Carlos Café, a teacher at the Manuel Teixeira Gomes Secondary School and one of the ten finalists for the distinction Global Teacher Prize Portugal 2023, aimed at teachers at all levels of education.
“I already feel like a winner, regardless of the final result, because the greatest achievement of a teacher is to fight boredom and the routine of his students”, said Carlos Café, who considers himself “a smuggler who establishes channels between the theories of philosophers and the experiences and perplexities of the students, in a kind of effect boomerang".
According to the president of the host municipality, Isilda Gomes, “it is encouraging to have a teacher like Carlos Café among us, who leaves a very positive mark on his students, which will last throughout their lives.”
In the presence of students of the honored teacher, the mayor highlighted “the honor that constitutes the appointment of Carlos Café, who properly represents Portimão”, before thanking the director of the Manuel Teixeira Gomes School Grouping, Rui Vassalo de Figueiredo, “all the work developed so that there is a good school environment, without which it will not be possible to motivate the teaching staff and students.”
On the occasion, the president of the jury of the Global Teacher Prize Portugal 2023, Afonso Mendonça Reis, stated that this project aimed at the educational community “aims to combat apathy, trigger proactivity and move from good ideas to effective execution”.
Philosophy in favor of citizenship
From the educational work of Carlos Carlos Alberto Garrinho Gonçalves, it is worth highlighting the awareness of students towards actions in favor of citizenship, namely the elaboration of a petition in homage to the figure and work of the landscape architect Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles, which culminated in the creation of the National Day of Gardens , to be celebrated for the first time on the 25th of May, as well as the construction of a space at the Manuel Teixeira Gomes School, which symbolizes free thinking and encourages freedom of expression, entitled “Our Speakers Corner”.
Another of the initiatives that the teacher promotes is the Philosophy Spring Festival, held in May, jointly with the Clube dos Filósofos Vivos at the educational establishment where he teaches.
Author of two books, he also created the blog “A Psicologia vai ao Cinema”, as a space for sharing and critical reflection for students and teachers, currently replaced by a Facebook page and a YouTube channel.
Recognize and celebrate the role of teachers
The final award ceremony of the Global Teacher Prize Portugal is scheduled for next Friday, May 19, and will take place in the large auditorium of the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon.
This is the national version of the world prize Global Teacher Prize, also called the Nobel Prize in Education, an initiative present in more than 120 countries, with the aim of celebrating and recognizing the role of teachers around the world.
The national edition elects, each year, the teacher who, in Portugal, has been distinguished by the solution found to any problem related to school and teaching, with 119 applications having been received in this edition.
The winner will receive 30 euros, funds sponsored by the Santander Foundation, part of which will be used to replicate or amplify the impact of the proposed solution, and another part for the winner's personal use.
The national prize also has a special partnership with the Plano Nacional das Artes, a project of the Ministries of Culture and Education.
Building developed and just societies
By betting on the recognition of the central role that teachers have in the formation of more developed, more prosperous and fair societies, the distinction focuses on three main objectives: sharing good practices of evolution and change that are more adapted to new needs; promote a constructive debate on the future of education and the new challenges; underline the importance of the role of teachers in the development of education and the country.
A team of independent auditors validates the candidacies and a multidisciplinary and multinational jury (composed of teachers, education specialists, journalists, businessmen, managers, scientists) evaluates the candidacies and elects the winner, being new in this year's edition an honorable mention dedicated to kindergarten teachers, which has the support of UNICEF Portugal.
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