Planting surprises to discover life.
Team:
Jéssica Benevides Gonzalez de Almeida
jessicabga@hotmail.com
João Victor Ramos Melhorance
joaomelhorance@gmail.com
Social Group:
Selma Delocco Alves
selminha.alves@globo.com
Escola Municipal Tristão de Athayde
Rua Bráulio Eugênio Müller, 405
Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro
22793-530
We did our project at a municipal school called Tristão de Thayde, in Barra da Tijuca, with the primary teacher Selma Delocco Alves, that teaches a class with an average age of 3 years old. During the meetings, we listened and wrote down everything Selma spoke while we were also observing the activities proposed by her, many of them nature-based, like stories about spring flowers or a experience of planting beans, always really attentive and concerned about her student’s character formation.
From the set of words that compose Selma’s vocabulary universe, we recognized as theme to our project: “Planting light to make people grow and taking care of people is seeing the sunrise.” Based on this sentence, we made experiments and took them for Selma to test them with her students. After these tests, we defined our “adopted party”, which is to give the students knowledge about the stages and ways of life, and then they will be able to choose which way to go. But to do so, we must surprise them, because life is surprising as well.
After that, using felt we made two carpets, measuring 85x70cm each. They were made in order to represent a sequence, representing with poplin-made elements, the life of plants (on the first carpet), the seasons and the phases of a modern human life (on the second carpet), hidden inside many compartments, so they could surprise the kids. Our carpets are now used by teacher Selma as a way to train her students’ observation and stimulate reflection and debate about the stages of life in a playful way.
Jessica’s Gratitude:
I’m thankful to Selma for honoring the title of “partner”, because it was how she presented herself since the first meeting, disposed to take a time of her class plans to test our experiments, variations and prototypes and for being always in contact with us. Even when we couldn’t be there in her classes, she cared about us, asking us how our project was going on and always writing us texts when we asked for a feedback, which ended up making our job much easier, because through these texts we could see our project with her point of view. I’m also thankful to her for learning to value light and radiate it the same way she does. This partnership we built with Selma was extremely important for our project’s good performance.
I’m thankful to João for being this companion he was during all this process. I’m thankful to the way he stimulates me to reach the best of me and the maximum of my dedication, by the simple fact that he is exactly like that and if I need his help to go on, he is there, always disposed to give me a hand, to learn with me (for example, how to sew), to better share the tasks we needed to do, to not travel to his town during a weekend just to work on our project and even staying awake at night because we were working. And he did all of that with a smile on his face, a smile that always improved my mood, it didn’t matter how tired I was. João showed me that it is possible to work, effectively, in pair, with both sides having the same workload without weighing more to one than another. Our relationship, based on respect, dedication and friendship, showed me how the teamwork was extremely important to our project’s success, not only concerning the share of tasks, but also the process of creating ideas – that are originated from the fusion of different sources, which only enriches each other – and the sharing of the same experience with someone that is by your side, also living it, which only turns everything even more delightful. I know that, certainly, without João, all this process in project wouldn’t have been the same.
João’s Gratitude:
I’m thankful to Selma for being this person full of light! I’m thankful to her knowledge about how to pass it to all those around her, with her easy laughter and great creativity! I have been guided by this light during all the process of project and finally I discovered that it lives inside me too and that I can pass it to others, through a story, a song or even a carpet! It’s funny to think that, before I met her, Jessica was already saying “You will want to do our project in Barra da Tijuca, because Selma is incredible!” and this was confirmed day after day. I’m also thankful for her care with us of always wanting to write texts for our reports, and with them I learned how easy it is to pass affection through words.
I’m thankful to Jessica for being much more than my partner, but a teacher, a student and a sister. A teacher, because she knew how to pass me her knowledge (especially with sewing abilities, I should say) with clearance and patience. A student, for being always disposed to learn and listen. And a sister, the most important of all titles, because she welcomed me as part of her family, whether in a Sunday lunch or just a ride, today I feel part of the “Benevides de Almeida” Family. Without these three roles she played (with more than mastery), I would have never been able to reach the end of this project with such determination and joy.
INTERCESSOR:
“We are delighted to collaborate with you, but I can’t see how me and my students could contribute with your project”. With this sentence I started my contact with Jéssica and João. Actually, it was the beginning of a history that became a very nice project!
Gradually, these two new partners of mine showed me what they wanted and, surprisingly, I got involved in this great project. Each day, they brought something new, a new proposal! Several materials that provoked my curiosity and encouraged me to create different proposals for experiments with my students.
Jéssica and João have came to be expected every day with great affection and curiosity by me and the children. We were amazed by such new and creative ways of working about the transformations of LIFE. My students already knew that light, heat and water are essential elements for us to survive. But, these little kids were able to certify that LIGHT, in all it meanings, is essential for people. And that TAKING CARE is paramount for us to be and grow happy. Participating of this project was feeding the logical and simple in a different and creative way.
The project was called “Planting light to make people grow and taking care of people is seeing the sunrise”. To plant LIGHT, to grow PEOPLE, to take care of PEOPLE, to see the RISE, to see the SUN… all of these can be so easy in our everyday. I read somewhere that the term ‘designer’ “refers to the individual who is connected to some creative project activity”. So here will be registered my project of life, fortified by this experience shared with you and especially with my beloved Jessica and João: a simple life, but original, with challenges and joys, jokes and truths and mainly, lot of Light, so I can become a real PERSON. It was REALLY GOOD to be with you.
Disciplina: DSG 1002
Turma: 1AC
Professores: Ana Branco e Luis Vicente