Carmen Delia Macías: ‘In Betancuria, we teach values and our results are excellent’

A different kind of education: knowledge and values

Carmen Delia Macías, headteacher of CEIP Alcaldesa Amparo Torres, shared her experience of teaching at a rural school on La Voz de Fuerteventura, a programme broadcast by Radio Insular from Betancuria. She has spent ten years leading a mixed-age classroom with pupils from early years to their sixth year of primary school. ‘I have every level, from hyperactive children to children with high abilities,’ Macías said, adding that ‘a great deal of organisation’ is key to meeting their diverse needs.

The teacher, who moved to Fuerteventura from Gran Canaria 24 years ago, recalls her early days with humour. ‘I had a little van and came with a pillow, a blanket and clothes to work in the next day, without knowing where I was going to sleep.’ After working in Morro Jable and Puerto del Rosario, she chose Betancuria, where she recently made her home and says she is living ‘very peacefully and wonderfully’.

Macías explained how she approaches teaching in such a distinctive setting. ‘I organise a shared topic for all year groups and then adapt the activities to suit the children’s ages. So, in the same class, while the younger ones learn numbers, the older pupils work on powers and fractions.’

Asked about academic results, she stressed that the figures show her pupils standing out at education meetings compared with those at many larger schools, thanks to the individual attention they receive and the routines they develop from an early age.

In a municipality grappling with depopulation, she said pupil numbers had remained stable, going from 15 to 12 over a decade. She also highlighted the vital role played by families and the support of visiting specialists, such as English, French and physical education teachers who work at the school.

The headteacher passionately defended rural one-teacher schools. ‘My daughter was three when she was at a large school, and I moved her to a one-teacher school because children mature differently here and learn in an incredible way.’

She recommends rural life ‘to everyone’, citing its quality of life and the personal enrichment it brings.

Macías ended the interview with an emotional reflection on her vocation. ‘I want my pupils to remember me as someone who taught them how to be people.’