Revista Mendive, enero-marzo 2019; 17(1): 155-158

Sarah Cordoneda García: an illustrious teacher from San Luis

Sarah Cordoneda García: una ilustre maestra sanluiseña

Faustino José Pérez Fernández¹, Pablo Joaquín Padrón Ruiz², Melba De La Torres Abad³

¹San Luis Municipal University Center, Pinar del Río, Cuba. Correo electrónico: faustino.perez@upr.edu.cu
²San Luis Municipal University Center, Pinar del Río, Cuba. Correo electrónico: pablo.padrón@upr.edu.cu
³University of Pinar del Río «Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca». Cuba. E-mail: melba.torres@upr.ed.cu

On January 19, 1887, in San Luis, Pinar del Río, was born Sarah Cordoneda García, daughter of José Cordoneda Stolt (Spanish, first president of the Board of Education in San Luis, appointed on February 11, 1899) and Amalia García Iglesias natural of San Luis, Pinar del Río .

As a child she was inclined to practice teaching. Of humble origin, he attended his primary studies at the public school for girls in the town of San Luis. In 1911 she became a qualified teacher and began her working life at the school where she had completed her primary studies, until the "González Arocha" Instruction Palace is inaugurated, with girls from 3^rd and 4^th grades.

On July 8, 1915, he married José de Jesús Amalio López y Zayas. The fruit of that marriage was born a girl who died early, which made her motherly love concentrate on helping the needy, who took even home, looked after and educated them, regardless of their origin, sex and race.

Her life was dedicated to the work of teaching, she was an educator who never forgot her pedagogical work. For the work he displayed in his homeland in favor of cultivating the learning of his students and those around him, it was a true example, which allowed him to gain recognition and prestige among renowned educators of his time.

A profound student and promoter of the knowledge of the life and work of José Martí Pérez, she was a source of inspiration for her extensive poetic work dedicated to the Apostle, among her literary creation is "Ode to Martí", tenths, poems, comedies, zarzuelas and many dramatizations and historical performances.

In his work the sweetness predominates, the love for the place where he lives and people, humanism, patriotism, in addition to displaying good taste and an exquisite general culture. People who knew her describe her as a tall, rather thick, light-eyed woman; almost always impressed all his students for his character, his voice was strong, but sweet.

About the quality of their classes, they talk about who their students were and then they followed their example exercising the teaching, among them: Elsa Fuego Amor, Redenta Royero, Nora Montielo, who take pride in saying that they were Sarah's students.

In the testimonies, the interviewees talk about how they performed activities, games, walks, plays, dramatizations of historical events, etc. in their classes. In many cases he used poetry to motivate and form values ??in his students.

Teacher Sarah was never alone in school, nor in civic activities, she was always surrounded by her students, was able to capture her interest and understood them. His mastery was innate, based on a series of skills and aptitudes necessary to practice the profession, and, above all, educate his disciples. It is part of those fruitful lives that become seeds that later open up in many branches. His creative force as a trainer and poetic, transcended the narrow framework of the classroom or its students to leave traces beyond their time in the development of education.

Creator to the fullest, of thought and action, instilled in her students the collectivism, to achieve this she did plays, zarzuelas, beautification in the school, entrusted community tasks, combined personal and social interests. He taught his students how to weave, embroider, paint, socially, prepare them for life.

We must highlight his social work and his concern to achieve, through entertainment, the enrichment of the cultural life of his people through the use of the stage of the municipal cinema to present plays and other activities that allowed him to sponsor, together with other San Luis residents, the "José Martí" Municipal Park, the first children's playground for recreation and recreation for children and young people and maintain the name and structure of the "Juana Romero" Avenue.

San Luis owes these works to the cooperation of such a selfless woman who, with her talent, love for her work and towards her students, knew how to look for ways and means to bring them knowledge and, whenever possible, used the benefits of the environment as motivation, achieving feelings of belonging in their students and in people who maintained links with their social occupations, contributing to the well-being of their people. She became a woman of extraordinary capacity and gestures, a great educator and defender of the education of all children.

It is necessary to know that he always did his teaching work in a public school, so he felt in his own flesh the evils of the republic and shared the problems of his students. Hence the importance of recognizing and preserving the pedagogical and cultural work of this Sanluiseña admired by the legacy he left as the result of his work.

The theoretical bases that supported his pedagogical work, according to the study, show the use of the most representative of the national teaching, always having as essential element the line of Cuban pedagogical thinking of the nineteenth century.

The teacher Sarah, Martiana par excellence, was a continuator of the historical ideology of Cuban pedagogical theory since school practice, becoming the leading figure of the teaching profession in San Luis de Vueltabajo in the first half of the twentieth century. The fulfillment of his social order was a source of inspiration for many of his students to be renowned teachers in this town.

Sarah Cordoneda García dies on April 12, 1947 at the age of 60. In the municipality of San Luis, Pinar del Río, there is a school that bears his name in recognition of his work. He is reminded every day, being a source of inspiration for young educators.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

Amor Fuego, Elsa. Entrevista (1998).

Archivo Museo Municipal San Luis. Colección «Sara Cordoneda».

Entrevistas a alumnas y personas que la conocieron. Fondos de información del Museo Municipal San Luis.

González Duro, C. y Hernández Abascal, R. Algunas consideraciones acerca de la historia de la educación en América Latina, Cuba y Pinar del Río. Pinar del Río (1994).

González Duro, C. Estudio de la concepción pedagógica del educador pinareño doctor José Elpidio Pérez Somossa en el período comprendido entre 1920 y1953. Tesis de Doctorado en Ciencias Pedagógicas. Pinar del Río. 2006.

Montielo, Nora. Entrevista (2008).

Solanes Valdés, María Matilde. Entrevista (2008).

Sánchez-Toledo, M.E. (1998). La obra pedagógica de Alfredo Miguel Aguayo. Tesis de Doctorado. La Habana: ISP «Enrique J. Varona».

Valdés Solanes, Julio César. Entrevista (2016).

Esta obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
Copyright (c) Faustino José Pérez Fernández, Pablo Joaquín Padrón Ruiz, Melba de La Torres Abad