Part I: Primary school today at EPAPU Nelson Mandela

We are three experienced teachers from the Nelson Mandela EPAPU School in A Lama prison, Susana, Javier, and Alejandro. Because of the pandemic, this academic year, 2020-2021, is being different with both pros and cons. Whereas in previous years, we worked only in the school building with a regular number of students per class, during this year, we have been going to their modules to bring education closer to them since the regulations prevent the students' mobility from the modules to the school. However, the activities have become more dynamic and fun, and therefore, more effective. Furthermore, the new situation required us to transport academic materials from the school to the modules, which wastes significant time. It also limits the use of many technical resources that are impossible to move, such as the copier, dictionaries, and other didactic equipment. We believe this course has been, and is, a learning experience in which adaptation has become an essential factor to benefit our students with personalized education.

Part II: Vocation job? Perhaps it is not the main reason to work hear

Teachers at the Nelson Mandela EPAPU School in A Lama prison have different reasons for choosing to work here; some do it out of obligation and others out of vocation. For instance, whereas Patricia has always wanted to work in a prison school teaching underprivileged people, Marta never considered the possibility because of her fear to teach in such an environment, but now, she loves her job. Despite these differences, we believe that the benefits and drawbacks of our work are worthwhile. We recognize as main advantages the motivation of our students and their appreciation for our daily efforts.  Unfortunately, with good comes the bad, such as the high flow of students and drug dependency, which is a determinant factor to take into account.   Another negative highlight is the fact that our students have limited rights as inmates. This implies that the Ministry of the Interior regulates the tools they may or may not use at school, limiting, in turn, our resources even though we belong to the Ministry of Education, such as access to the Internet and new technologies, among others. Besides all these difficulties, we are determined to keep teaching vulnerable people, who we believe deserve a high-quality education, and even more in our case, since it is notably positive for their social reinsertion.