Freedom in the Classroom

by Nick Boden

A comic strip showing Mafalda, a six-year-old girl, talking to an even smaller child. 5 panels with text in Spanish.
Mafalda sees an even smaller child and goes over to speak to them. Mafalda: Hello! You’re really small!  What’s your name?

FREEDOM

… the child replies.

Mafalda doesn’t reply. After a beat, the child says …

Reached a conclusion yet stupid? The whole world reaches their own stupid conclusion when they meet me.

Mafalda ‘Freedom On the Beach’ Mafalda Digital, Quino (1970). Available at: https://x.com/MafaldaDigital/status/1769836759280468016?mx=2 [Accessed 24 Feb. 2025].

The Bristol Curriculum Framework (2025) highlights the importance of creating an intellectually stimulating environment that is multidisciplinary, creates a sense of belonging, contributes to personal development and inculcates a sense of global and civic engagement. These are ambitious goals for practitioners in a world saturated with information. Given this context, it is essential to consider how students engage with content as this can be beneficial to meet these challenges. (more…)