{"id":71523,"date":"2022-08-24T09:14:39","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T12:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=71523"},"modified":"2023-09-20T09:27:18","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T12:27:18","slug":"self-esteem-as-a-structural-problem-the-mental-marathon-of-favela-students-who-make-it-to-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=71523","title":{"rendered":"Self-Esteem as a Structural Problem: The Mental Marathon of Favela Students Who Make It to University"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click here for Portuguese<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This is our latest article in<\/em>\u00a0a\u00a0series<\/a>\u00a0created in partnership with the\u00a0Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies<\/a>\u00a0at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the\u00a0Digital Brazil Project<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0<\/em>climate impacts and affirmative action in the favelas for RioOnWatch.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

August 11 is Student\u2019s Day in Brazil. However, while the enrollment of young <\/span>favela<\/span> residents in university breaks through a significant barrier to social equality, it also exposes numerous other difficulties. These include a lack of study time, the complexity of course content, their own expectations for themselves and their future, and even their own self-esteem.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lucas Feitoza, a resident of Vila do Pinheiro<\/a>, one of the favelas that make up Complexo da Mar\u00e9<\/a>, admits he\u2019s had a hard time staying in college. He has felt the effects of these difficulties on his self-esteem: at 23 years old, the journalism student at Unigranrio says that \u201cstaying in school is just as difficult as getting in.\u201d He also thinks universities should address this issue and concern themselves with how to keep students from marginalized areas in college up to graduation. \u201cHow can we make this space more welcoming and not just scientific?\u201d questions Feitoza.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lucas Feitoza at the Lima Barreto Library in Nova Holanda, Mar\u00e9.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mar\u00e9 has 140,000 residents but only 1%, 1400 people, have graduated from university, according to the Mar\u00e9 Population Census<\/a> organized by the local organizations Redes da Mar\u00e9<\/a> and Observat\u00f3rio de Favelas<\/a>. And only 0.032% of Mar\u00e9 residents have some form of graduate degree. The study <\/span>Academic Satisfaction in Brazilian Higher Education<\/span><\/i><\/a> points out that, \u201cdespite the increase in university spaces in Brazil during the 2000s, this expansion was not accompanied by an integrated project, with policies that took into account the complexities that higher education demands from young students. Not to mention that it failed to consult their point of view on the subject.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The article <\/span>The Difficulties of Teaching and Learning in Elementary School<\/span><\/i><\/a> points out that academic failure may be influenced by several factors<\/a>, including social inequality<\/a>, the cultural distance between the school<\/a> and its surroundings, teachers who are not always well-prepared<\/a> for the classroom, and inefficient methodologies. \u201cDifficulties in learning may result from problems such as domestic violence, emotional factors, overcrowded or poorly structured schools<\/a>, multigrade classes, a lack of educational material, and poorly prepared, demotivated teachers,\u201d said Flavimilton dos Santos Leal in the article.<\/span><\/p>\n

Barriers to learning arise in this context, resulting in difficulties in basic academic activities such as writing, reading, expressing oneself, interpreting texts, and solving mathematical problems, among others. These situations may be related to the student\u2019s self-perception, as well as the approach of the school, the teachers, or the student\u2019s wider external context (social, familial, or cultural). When left unaddressed, these difficulties can lead to students doubting themselves, bringing about disinterest and distancing them from school and university.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAcademic failure affects a student\u2019s learning and self-expression, not to mention the limiting effect on their intellectual development. It often stems from a clash between the learner and the educational institution, which works to segregate them. To understand and address barriers to learning, we must examine the situation that promotes them,\u201d Santos Leal adds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tiago C\u00edcero, 29, was raised in Vila do Pinheiro, in Mar\u00e9. He is a graffiti artist and graphic design instructor and wants to pursue a degree in Fine Arts but describes developing an emotional block towards writing in the fifth<\/span>\u00a0grade. \u201cI wrote an essay that the whole class liked and it made them laugh. But when the teacher gave her feedback, she was extremely critical of my irreverence and spelling. I felt awful and didn\u2019t want to write again after that.\u201d <\/span>Students don\u2019t become unprepared because they are incapable of learning but rather when they are discouraged to learn: this has effects throughout their academic lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

A teacher at the public secondary school CIEP C\u00e9sar Pernetta in Mar\u00e9, 62-year-old Maria do Socorro studied math and physics and has a graduate degree in Math Education. Socorro describes how she \u201calways tells [students] about the importance of studying in our lives. Disinterest in school also reduces the range of their professional opportunities. Investment in technical schools and full-time study could be one way to address things, as well as improvements in teachers’ wages.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to these issues, students have to face the Enem<\/a>, the admission exam for enrollment in many Brazilian universities and where students\u2019 endurance for university study begins to be tested. The exam, which is also used to evaluate high schools throughout the country, covers content that is not usually taught in the public school curriculum given its numerous limitations. It imposes a mental marathon on students from the favelas<\/a>: coming from a demotivating educational background, they are forced to study hard while dealing with a deadline fit for Olympic athletes.<\/span><\/p>\n

For students from the peripheries, one way to prepare for the Enem is through community college preparatory exam courses<\/a> (CPV in Portuguese), such as the UniFavela<\/a> prep course, the Redes da Mar\u00e9 CPV<\/a>, and the Ceasm CPV<\/a>, all of which are in Mar\u00e9, and the Marielle Franco CPV<\/a>, in Morro da Provid\u00eancia<\/a>, among many other programs. Feitoza says that he took the Enem four times. \u201cBy my fourth attempt, I felt more prepared.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gisele Reinaldo is a 35-year-old psychoanalyst-in-training through the Brazilian Institute of Psychoanalysis, as well as the <\/span>Universidad Nacional del Saber<\/span><\/i> in Spain. Reinaldo says emotional support in the academic environment is fundamental to deconstructing preconceptions surrounding emotions, since the various types of intelligence are connected to them: \u201cLearning happens in the emotional part of the brain. Neglecting this reflects in our performance and the people we become.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This disparity exposes a dramatic but decisive barrier to addressing the low rate of favela residents attending university: low academic self-esteem generated by the elementary school system<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

We can\u2019t talk about good academic performance without building a system that encourages academic self-esteem, in both elementary and higher education. Feitoza says that he compared himself to other students and noticed that each one had a rhythm. \u201cI\u2019m not behind. I\u2019m working at my own pace. This helped me stop comparing myself to others and feeling guilty. It improved my self-esteem. Everyone has their own path. If I can respect other people\u2019s paths, why can\u2019t I respect my own?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Reinaldo, in turn, says that in order to build an environment of esteem, we must start by encouraging students through dialogue. \u201cWe need to unlearn the old way of thinking to learn how to learn. We must apply self-esteem at all levels, respect the students\u2019 worldview and their prior knowledge, and listen to them, starting with new stimuli.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Reinaldo, academia remains distant from students because professors aren\u2019t likely to have received socio-emotional education during their training. \u201cIt\u2019s a very recent awareness. In universities, the reasoning is still very hierarchical, with very little communication between students and professors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he enrollment of students from marginalized areas<\/a>, in relation to the demanding pace of university education, can be made less traumatic. It requires <\/span>motivated teachers, a system that stimulates the self-determination and intellectual growth of students, a horizontal approach to education between the school and the student, and close monitoring of the most challenging cases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feitoza proposes that, in order for universities to become more inclusive, there should be support groups and exchanges with students who share a similar reality. \u201cThis might be a way to help favela residents adapt to the frenzied pace of academic life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Danielle Figueiredo, 27, from the Rubens Vaz<\/a> favela in Mar\u00e9, studies History at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). Figueiredo says people who want to attend university shouldn\u2019t put too much pressure on themselves. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of pressure to follow a socially-imposed timeline, and sometimes people keep changing their major because they got into university too early. It\u2019s important to be there to get some kind of professional training, to reduce inequality, because it\u2019s a public space and because it\u2019s beneficial for our personal evolution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Danielle Figueiredo at the Lima Barreto Library, in Nova Holanda, Mar\u00e9.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite so many challenges, the students shared some of the positive aspects of this process. University helped Figueiredo realize she wanted to become a teacher and led her to found the UniFavela University Prep Course<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s my passion project,\u201d as she excitedly describes it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feitoza has already become more aware of his leadership and communication skills: \u201cIt’s improved my performance in the work environment, as well as my relationship with my colleagues and performance in my job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike a marathon, where there\u2019s only one winner, improving self-esteem is a collective victory: society wins as a whole. Both Feitoza and Figueirido are close to the finish line of this race and encourage those who intend to follow the same path. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to make an effort every day, even in the face of tiredness and adversity\u2026 Getting in is already a huge victory. Staying there, even with this daily effort, is even better,\u201d says Feitoza.<\/span><\/p>\n

To Figueiredo, students who live in the favela should not give up. \u201cStick to your goal. You will face adversity but keep going. There will be bad people and bad circumstances, but also very good ones that you can take with you for the rest of your life. The classroom is where ideas are born,\u201d the future historian advised.<\/span><\/p>\n

About the author: <\/span>Amanda Baroni Lopes<\/span><\/a> is a journalism student at Unicarioca and part of the 1st Journalism Laboratory of Mar\u00e9 community newspaper <\/span>Mar\u00e9 de Not\u00edcias<\/span><\/a>. She has two blogs: <\/span>AhManda Not\u00edcias<\/span><\/a>, where she covers all kinds of content, and <\/span>Hip Hop Docs<\/span><\/a> about breakdancing<\/a> in Brazil. She is the author of the <\/span>Anti-<\/span>Harassment Guide on Breaking<\/span><\/a>, a handbook that explains what is and isn’t harassment to the Hip Hop audience and provides guidance on what to do in these situations. Lopes is from Morro do Timbau and currently lives in Nova Holanda, both favelas within the larger Mar\u00e9 favela complex.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Support <\/span><\/span><\/b>RioOnWatch<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b>\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas <\/span><\/span><\/b>by clicking here.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click here for Portuguese This is our latest article in\u00a0a\u00a0series\u00a0created in partnership with the\u00a0Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies\u00a0at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the\u00a0Digital Brazil Project\u00a0on\u00a0climate impacts and affirmative action in […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":234,"featured_media":71524,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1668,1288,1328,328],"tags":[399,1261,1114,280,504,397,203,1862,1143,37,281,523,2890,144,1555,1019,1952,2558,3011,1321],"writer":[3501],"translator":[3475],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-71523","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-participationwatch","8":"category-highlight","9":"category-by-community-contributors","10":"category-understanding-rio","11":"tag-access-to-higher-education","12":"tag-central-rio","13":"tag-ciep","14":"tag-complexo-da-mare","15":"tag-culture","16":"tag-education","17":"tag-inequality","18":"tag-mental-health","19":"tag-morro-do-timbau","20":"tag-north-zone","21":"tag-nova-holanda","22":"tag-observatorio-de-favelas","23":"tag-popular-college-prep-course","24":"tag-morro-da-providencia","25":"tag-redes-de-desenvolvimento-da-mare","26":"tag-right-to-education","27":"tag-rubens-vaz","28":"tag-self-esteem","29":"tag-series-human-rights-with-support-from-the-behner-stiefel-center-at-sdsu","30":"tag-vila-do-pinheiro","31":"writer-amanda-baroni-lopes","32":"translator-ethan-kaimana"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/234"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/71524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71523"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=71523"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=71523"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=71523"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=71523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}