Antoni Benaiges: The Teacher Who Promised the Sea

This event focuses on the life and work of Antoni Benaiges, the Catalan teacher who, in 1934, was assigned to the rural school community of Bañuelos de Bureba. He implemented innovative, participatory pedagogical practices, leaving behind a rare educational archive and a moving legacy.

“The Portraitist” (El Retratista, 2013) - Screening of the documentary that illuminates Benaiges’ experience and his educational utopia in 1930s Spain. Following the screening, there will be a discussion with members of the Freinet Pedagogical Group “To Skasiarcheio” and the Collaborative Network of Teachers of Ilia.

Presentation of the rare small books of the Bañuelos School (1935–1936) – The famous cuadernillos, thirteen small booklets created by the teacher and his students between 1935–36, will be presented. These unique documents showcase student writing, collective memory, and free expression through the school printing press.

Hands-on demonstration of the school printing press – Central to Freinet’s pedagogy, the school printing press was a symbol of participatory learning, freedom of expression, and collaboration. Today, its philosophy can inspire creative applications in modern classrooms, encouraging collaborative writing, idea exchange, group content production, and active student engagement in learning — with or without ink and metal type, but always in the same spirit of democracy and creation.

The event is curated by the Freinet Pedagogical Group “To Skasiarcheio” and the Collaborative Network of Teachers of Ilia.