I've always been an admirer of Francesco Tonucci "Frato" (1940) and his views on education. In fact, you might have read this recent article about another one of his ideas to foster independence among children. Other than his work as a psychopedagogist, he is renowned for his illustrations, compiled in books like Con ojos de maestro (1995) or Con ojos de niño (2013). I love to use this cartoon of his (see below) in my classes, along with Pink Floyd's song "Another Brick in the Wall" (1979) suggested by Javier Cerdeira some years ago, to work as a basis for a discussion of our school system and brainstorm possible changes and aspects that could be improved.
Therefore, I am really grateful to Patri Fernández for yet one other heartwarming discovery: a book of illustrations and cartoons by Xosé Tomás, from his book Manual de Escola (2016). Xosé Tomás, nicknamed "o Tonucci galego" is a teacher and illustrator who has produced this book of graphic humor which he stated was the result of "conversations, situations and turning points" in his teaching career.
The cartoons manage to vividly capture the essence of many feelings that we have as teachers: happiness when we are able to bring about positive changes in our students' lives, frustration when we are not able to motivate our pupils or fall short of their demands, or fail to receive adequate training. It also works as a presentation of the principles that can make the school a place of change and progress.
