Sergio Arango, a life dedicated to teaching

Sergio Arango Esquivel became a teacher by chance, but he fell in love with this profession that guides, enamors and inspires him at the age of 66.

In statements to ACN, this native of Havana said that he felt attached to teaching at the age of 12 when he happened to visit a Teacher Training School. Since then, he became involved in education as a student and a teacher.

His graduation as one of the renowned Makarenko teachers, he held, gave him the opportunity to educate several generations as good citizens at primary, secondary and, mostly, pre-university level.

“I particularly enjoyed my time at some of the Pre-University Institutes in the Countryside (IPUEC) in the municipality of Güira de Melena, because it gave me the chance to help educate young students from both Havana and nearby towns enrolled there,” he stressed. “I have spent almost my whole life here, a reason for joy because many of my former students are grateful and always remember me.”

His professional career, Sergio said, has included other tasks related to education as a general instructor in the merchant navy and in schools in the countryside as head of production, one of the tasks he remembers most for the opportunity he had to interact more with students while doing productive work.

As holder of a degree in Education specialized in Mathematics, he has always been committed to personal improvement to be a better professional for the benefit of his students, which is what he preaches to them so that they can reach their professional and personal goals.

After more than 50 years of uninterrupted work, he points out that it was his vocation for teaching what drove him to keep improving himself and what saved his life when he had a serious case of COVID-19 in September, of course, together with the excellent work of his doctors.
The desire to return to his class at the beginning of the school year and the fact that the medical staff called him ‘Professor’, he remarked, made him all the more willing to overcome death and contributed a great deal to his recovery.

A faithful defender of the Cuban Revolution and its educational system, Sergio reaffirmed his commitment to keep working until his strength allows him to do so, the reason that on Teachers’ Day he was awarded the José Tey Medal, granted by the President of the Republic of Cuba by Presidential Decree.

“Like this teacher of generations, other local educators were recognized for their continued dedication to the academic preparation of their students from afar and for their great courage when faced with the hard job of fighting the epidemic,” said María de los Ángeles Fuentes Barbán, Municipal Director of Education.

The principals and workers of every center also received commendations for their contribution to this fight and their help during the vaccination campaign and other tasks.

On the occasion of the celebrations in honor of Cuban teachers, the Rafael María de Mendive Medal was also awarded by the National Union of Education, Science and Sports Workers (SNTECD) for 25 years of uninterrupted work, and a special mention was given to residents of the town of Güira de Melena who went to far-off places in Cuba to teach the peasants to read and write 60 years ago, an effort leading up to Cuba being declared a country free of illiteracy on December 22, 1961.