Today we visited Florida, a calm town of about 45,000 in the interior of the country. I really enjoyed meeting some great teachers, authorities, and future teachers.
We received a warm welcome at the CERP (Centro Regional de Profesores) where we also gave a presentation about the United States and took questions afterwards. I was impressed with the questions, I must say. Perhaps the best one asked was what would be the most important advice I could give to teachers based on my experience. I told them relating to your students and having an obvious passion for what you are teaching is the key to being an effective teacher. I really believe that too, and strive to live by those two principles myself!
The city of Florida is important to Uruguayan history because it is where the nation's independence was declared in 1825--hence the origin of the Oriental Republic's Declaration of Independence. There is plaza commemorating this site in the main plaza beside the historic cathedral overlooking the city. The country town atmosphere abounds in Florida, and I really really liked the people I met there.
