Happiness Makes History





Team:
Beatriz Alves Siqueira
Beatrizas500@gmail.com
Luisa Massi
Luisa.massi@hotmail.com

Socail Group:
Mariana Zadminas
mariana.zadminas@gmail

Rubem Braga Public School
Praça General Álcio Souto, 37 – Lagoa, RJ

Resumo:

We chose to work at Rubem Braga Public School on Humaitá with Mariana Zadminas, the teacher who’s responsible for the nursery class, which consiste of 3 and 4 year old students. The students arrive at school at eight in the morning and leave at three in the afternoon. Their schedule consists of two meals, nap time, recreational activities and didactic activities. Mariana and Selma, a social assistant, collaborate together in order to promote activities that vary from ludic to didactic. All of them, however, envisioning learning. During the time we observed the teacher’s work, we could follow up, among the class’s activities, one that happened every day when the children arrived after breakfast: the students would sit on the ground, sing and dance children’s songs, share personal experiences, participate in the attendance, which would always be done in a different way and, then, they would listen to a story told by the teacher. Based on the words the compose Mariana’s vocabulary universe, we recognised the project’s theme as: “Round was the story told by happy people.” The theme phrase relates perfectly with the activity observed since it happened in a circle. As the teacher picked this phrase, she told us what they used to on an everyday basis as they arrived at school: they would happily sit down in a circle and hear and tell stories. From the first experimentations, we defined as the project’s concept something that represented, as they call themselves, the “happy class”: a happy face that gathered the children’s names, the numbers, the costumes and informations which was considered by the teacher important on an only surface. As the final experiment, we made a huge and round happy face which filled up the circle, has two pockets that function as “envelopes”. The smaller pocket contains twenty-five plates (vary between two sizes) made up of a material that allows it to be both written on and erased so that it is used for the row call, writing students’ names, numbers and other activities. The larger pocket held twenty-five costumes, such as animal masks, fairy tale characters’ accessories so that children would be stimulated to create their own stories. The happy face and its pockets were made of black and yellow “brim”, sewn by a sewing machine and the finishing up was done black bias, while the other details were sewn by hand. The plates were made up of fibreboard and plastic polystyrene plates, which allowed that it could be written on and erased. The costumes were made up of felt and its details were also sewn by hand. The finishing up was made of wool and was done by hand as well. All of the costumes, except for the ballet tutus had a rubber strings and pink tulle so that it could be worn by the children. The object is being used at the beggining of the lesson for the row call. Mariana writes the names of the students on the plates, ask them to pick the one plate that has their name on it and place it on the happy face. The smaller plates were written numbers so that they can count how many students are present in class. After attendance and the counting, Mariana then gives out a costume for each student and creates a story with all of the characters inspired by the costumes and the children’s acting.

Beatriz Siqueira

Before the classes began, I was not sure if I would like to spend hours in an opened tent, without tables nor chairs. I thought that maybe I would not adapt to it and that I would not like it, but I defied myself and went ahead. At first, I had to write my gratitudes and I panicked. Then, I started asking all of my friends who had already been Ana’s students for help and they told me “Relax, because you will be writing your gratitudes even for the doorman. You’ll get used to it.” And I really did. One of Ana’s main teachings that I will carry on for life is thanks giving. I learned how to thank and be thankful for what comes from the heart without thinking about it so much (as she thought me). During this semester, I was getting used to it, loving and living in the tent with the green juice and all the love there is inside it. It is a space that brings people together, that counts up, since you sit besides people you know and people you don’t know, lay down on leaf pillows and steps with your bare foot on the sand… All of this inside a classroom. I learned how to plan myself and to work with a partner, things that I have never been good at and I am very thankful for that. Besides having a wonderful pair, I worked with a true partner who became a friend. Mariana is not only part of the project, but also someone I look up to and hope I become like her when I grow up: someone who has so much love for what she does and that treats her students as her children. I hope that I can carry on with these lessons for the rest of my living. I thank Mariana for all of her care, love and dedication that together with our engagement allowed us to get to this beautiful final prototype. I learned that when the pair and the partner treat each other with care, the work becomes easier. I thank Luisa for being since the beginning the best partner, felow worker and friend. I learned with her during this semester things I had never learned throughout the years of friendship we have together due to the challenges we faced together and grew out of it as individuals.

Luisa Massi

To accomplish the project 1002 with Ana and Vicente provoked me to have the will to learn, to grow, to dedicate and to absorb the maximum from this incredible experience. I learned from the process and from the deconstruction of a traditional class room and of the nowadays impersonal design a richer way of creating, in which not only something is created for someone but with someone, absorbing the experiences of the person and leaving a parte of me in everything I create. This is something I will carry with me for life and for my professional career. The coexistence with people that made part of the project, suck as Beatriz, the teacher, Mariana, Ana and Vicente and the friends from the tent was also a life lesson, because every one had great importance on the paths we take. The experience made me grow and mature not only academically, but as a person, as a human being. I thank Mariana for emanating joy and love to her work and for her committing herself with us during all the stages of the process. This was reflected on our final prototype. As we constructed the project with her help, I learned that the process becomes a lot easier when we dive into her universe and live this experience with her as a whole. I thank my partner Beatriz for her complicity during all of the process. Our union and commitment with one another allowed us to finish all of the project’s stages calmly and was essential so that we could deal with the difficulties we found on our way. I learned a lot with our conviviality and absorbed many of her good characteristics such as care, patience and total dedication to every detail done. Her fun at the same time serious and responsible personality made this experience with her very rich and maturing, because, despite being a lot different, we united for the same objctive.

Mariana Zadminas

Beatriz and Luisa arrived at school presenting a clear proposal for the work. It was of great importance for the class the moments they lived with them, because the children were anxious to experiment the experiments. The process was very well conduced by the both of them, who showed kindness with the children and adults of the class. They got envolved with the children, but without interfering on their routine and always with a lot of joy. They brought out wonderful ideas and stimulated by creativity as a teacher and the children’s imaginary. Their presence and the experiments were a great benefit for the class. This project is very rich and inspiring. Congratulations to PUC for the initiative and congratulations to Beatriz and Luisa for the marvellous work developed. You were incredible.

Discipline: DSG 1002
Class: 1AC
Professors: Ana Branco, Luis Vicente Barros, Luciana Grether, Maria do Socorro Calhau

e-mail: anabranc@puc-rio.br

Versão em Português