FACE TO FACE WITH

Gregorio Luri Medrano, writer and educator

Gregorio Luri: “Those methodologies that succeed with the poor can benefit everyone”

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David Rabadà

I first met this Navarrese philosophy professor in 2011 when we invited him to the I Jornades de Secundària (First Secondary Education Conference), an event that will soon reach its twelfth edition this November 22nd and 23rd. From our very first conversation, it became clear to me that his breadth of knowledge, commitment, and humanity were remarkable. Subsequent meetings only deepened our shared concern about the declining state of education in our country. This doctor in philosophy from the University of Barcelona, also a graduate in Educational Sciences and recipient of an Outstanding Bachelor’s Degree Award, introduced me to the countless nuances affecting the entire educational system. His experience and insight are undeniable.

Gregorio Luri worked as a primary school teacher, a philosophy teacher at the secondary level, and eventually, as a university professor, his teaching career spanned all levels of education. Alongside teaching, he dedicated himself to writing, not just about what he taught and encountered in the classroom, but most notably, about the issues in education that deeply concerned him. His works in philosophy include La razón del mito, 2000; Proceso de Sócrates, 1998; Biografies d’un mite, 2001 and Guia per a no entendre Sòcrates, 2004. However, his teaching experience, coupled with the educational disaster he witnessed, led him to publish works like L’escola contra el món, 2008; Val més educar, 2014; Elogio de las familias sensatamente imperfectas, 2017 and most recently, Prohibido repetir, 2024, alongside his opinion articles in the daily ARA.

Gregorio, what is happening in our educational centres today?

A key issue is that as we lower academic standards and performance, we simultaneously inflate student results and grades. This has led to teaching becoming a less attractive profession, with students now viewed as consumers and teachers as service providers. We’re prioritising student well-being at the cost of unearned academic success, when it should be the reverse.

With all the specialists now hired by our educational system, what else is happening?

We’re seeing more pedagogues, psychopedagogues, and therapists per square metre than ever before. Yet, we still fail to guarantee the quality of our educational systems.

An educational system where the current LOMLOE almost entirely prohibits being held back…

Indeed, today, “being held back” or “retaking a year” evokes concerns of emotional harm for the student, while overlooking the long-term damage caused when they finish their compulsory education with serious difficulties, such as struggling to comprehend even moderately complex texts.

“Seeing more pedagogues, psychopedagogues, and therapists per square metre than ever before. Yet, we still fail to guarantee the quality of our educational systems”

Why did you decide to pursue teaching?

I became a teacher because I couldn’t afford any other option. I was born into a very humble family with only one book at home – and nobody read it.

My father was a shepherd and my mother a farmer. I understand what you are saying, so I’d like to ask, what drove you take on new challenges after completing your teaching degree?

After finishing, I realised that what I had unintentionally stumbled upon genuinely appealed to me. So, I moved to Barcelona to study pedagogy. I believe vocation isn’t a metaphysical light guiding you to your destiny, but rather the discovery that what you are doing isn’t just work—it has a sense of adventure or challenge.

How did you discover your passion for education?

Passion is not quite the right term. Passion is something I reserve for Shostakovich. I have, however, a growing interest in education, as it is, in my view, the most significant political issue.

Your latest book, Prohibido Repetir, addresses many educational shortcomings in our country. Could you summarise the key issues?

What intrigues me most, from a philosophical perspective rather than a pedagogical one, is the distinctiveness of what we might call, with a certain generous freedom, “pedagogical reason.” It holds the keys to understanding the deep-seated tension between philosophy and politics, a central concern for me.

What positive connections would you draw between your professional projects and the education you received?

Despite excelling academically in teaching and educational sciences, my early professional experience was deeply disheartening. Never have I felt a stronger drive to succeed, nor a greater sense of powerlessness in effectively managing my teaching practice.

“If I had been educated within today’s system, I am quite certain that I would now be working as a humble farmer in my village”

Would you say that, as an educator, you felt like a failure?

Yes, my failure as a teacher was complete. I even took all my pedagogy books to second-hand bookstores, viewing them as a burdensome and futile load. No one would take them, not even for free. That’s when I realised that philosophy books were still sought after. It was then that I shifted my focus to philosophy, navigating between it and pedagogy. This “in-between” has become my intellectual space.

Regarding the current educational system, if you had been educated within it, would that have improved or worsened your professional activity?

If I had been educated within today’s system, I am quite certain that I would now be working as a humble farmer in my village.

But that was not the case. Why?

Because the teachers I had, with a few exceptions, continually inspired me to focus on what I could realistically become. I owe a great deal to the Capuchin friars who offered me free boarding school.

Where was this?

In Alsasua, Navarra. It was a very austere place, but every fifteen days, they would show us a film in a small cinema they had. That’s where I discovered John Ford, Orson Welles, Alexander Korda… And also, Mozart, Stevenson, and many other references in my life.

After reading your book, Prohibido Repetir, how do you think the current educational system could be improved?

By taking a serious commitment to students from culturally disadvantaged backgrounds. The methodologies that work for the “culturally rich” do not always work for the poor, but those that succeed with the poor can benefit everyone.

From a utopian perspective, what is your wish for your personal environment?

To see my grandchildren grow, continue to deserve my wife’s love, and stay active… until my very last breath.

Source: educational EVIDENCE

Rights: Creative Commons