Have you heard about how school used to be in the Azores? The school used to be very different from what happens today!
During the “Estado Novo”, known to many as the time of Salazar, teachers had a different attitude in the classrooms. The figure of the teacher was an authoritarian figure that demanded immense respect from the students! In order to obtain this respect, it was customary to apply various punishments to the students, especially physical and violent punishments, among which they were beaten in the hands with a school rule as well as being kneeled on top of dry corn for long periods of time! Students received this type of punishment not only in cases of bad behavior but also for ignorance about the subject given in the classroom!
Classrooms were generally segregated, some for boys and others for girls, as well there were school uniforms and in the classrooms some symbols such as the crucifix were common, due to the importance of religion for the country, as well as singing the national anthem. There was the presence of pictures of political leaders such as Oliveira Salazar and Américo Tomás, a little like other dictatorships such as the ones from Mussolini and Hitler, in Italy and Germany, respectively!
Last modified: 16 de December, 2021
