Sí, se hace camino al andar

Abstract

This article aims to discuss Spanish teaching in Brazilian elementary and secondary schools and, at the same time, Spanish teachers’ education, taking the last few decades as a reference. We have chosen as a starting point the moment when we entered as a student in Spanish Graduate Course (in 80s and 90s). The axis or line of thinking is our own history as students, professors, and researchers, because we believe in this strategy as a way to show that if the present moment leads us to pessimism, we have something real to underpin and use as a stimulus: everything that has been done so far, the way we helped to build it while walking. If we look at the future, influenced by the Secondary Education Reform, by the National Curriculum Common Basis and, mainly by the political scene that has been set in recent times and the lack of an educational project for the country, we can notice that there are hazy perspectives, without a horizon ahead. This way, to review the road taken until now can help us to adopt a different point of view, since Spanish teaching/learning in the Brazilian educational context has never navigated in calm waters but has always moved on. In addition, we must consider that, at this moment, more than thinking in specific cases, such as the Spanish teaching, we should consider that history is made of progresses and setbacks. Therefore, look back to the past allows to have a clearer dimension of what the current context represents and, at the same time, to have some ideas of directions to follow.