Among more than 2,500 nominations and nominees, María Francisca Elgueta (33) was the winner of this recognition. The history teacher works in the Metropolitan Region, where her students are young people who have been excluded from the education system and have returned to the classroom to finish their schooling in a 2×1 modality.
“This recognition has made me question how I challenge myself. In this award we are all reflected and all the people who are in the classroom,” thanked teacher María Francisca Elgueta, adding that she will continue working because her students “feel that they have the world at their fingertips, that there is nothing they cannot achieve, that they can access things that seemed impossible.”
Since 2016 Elige Educar has organized this contest, also known as the Nobel Prize for Teaching, which seeks to recognize the work and vocation of teachers, and their impact on the community in Chile.
“This award not only allows us to recognize outstanding professionals, but also to inspire other teachers who are in the classroom, ensuring that the testimonies of these finalists and winning teachers serve as an example with their pedagogical, transformative and innovative practices. In addition, we want them to serve as an inspiration to people who today are thinking about their future and are considering the teaching profession as a career”, celebrates Joaquín Walker, Executive Director of Elige Educar.
The ceremony also highlighted the teacher Manuel Puebla from the CREE School in Cerro Navia in the Music category.
Francisca Villegas: from Calle Larga to finalist of the Global Teacher Prize
Also a History and Geography teacher, Francisca Villegas was one of the five finalists for the Global Teacher Prize 2022. Since 2014 she has been working at the Pascual Baburizza Agricultural Institute, supported by the Luksic Educational Foundation, where the entire community recognizes her contribution to the educational project.
“I feel honored and with an enormous responsibility. This has been a new impulse for me. It motivates me to think about building a better world. I faithfully believe that education can make better people, where we listen to each other despite our differences, where we learn to work collaboratively and think for ourselves with autonomy,” said the teacher.
Learn more about Francisca Villegas at this link.
