Universidad Pedagógica Nacional: A Source of Pride

A few weeks ago, at a ceremony held by the Special Assets Society, an official from the institution took the microphone and began his speech with a phrase familiar to many of us: “I am a graduate of the glorious Universidad Pedagógica Nacional.” Whenever I hear that adjective used in reference to the UPN, I am reminded of the deep affection its graduates have for their alma mater. 

Some speech patterns are formed through repetition. Gradually, linguistic habits emerge that alter the correctness of expressions. For our university community, the constant reference to our university as glorious is neither an accident nor a whim of the moment. It is a way of reaffirming our belonging to the collective “We.” It is a way of redefining who we are as teachers. In Democracy and Education, John Dewey notes that philosophy “emphasizes the influence of the intellectual environment on the spirit, but overlooks the fact that environment implies personal participation in shared experiences.” For the UPN university community, education is possible only through shared learning experiences, which enable encounters with others and constant reevaluation of our identities as teachers.

Somehow, by some strange twist of fate, this year’s Teachers’ Day has coincided with a deliberate campaign by shadowy groups that view the public university as a threat. Some of our students have been attacked by public and private officials, and our university has been stigmatized on social media and in certain news outlets. In addition, we received grave threats just a few days ago. Despite these difficulties and stigmatization, however, we have unequivocally supported the UPN students. Our teachers-in-training matter most, and it is our duty as faculty, administrators, and leaders to care for them. We must forge the shared experience that takes shape at the university. 

The optimal way to commemorate Teachers’ Day in 2026 is to emphasize to students the profound value of becoming a teacher, our collective pride in our profession, and the indisputable link between an educated populace and a thriving democracy. As John Dewey reminds us, education liberates the widest range of personal capacities, highlighting the leading role of teachers in shaping an active society that reimagines its institutional and vital possibilities. Teachers’ active involvement is crucial for realizing genuine democracy, which can only be achieved through liberating the possibilities of human experience.

In 2025, our university celebrated its seventieth anniversary. Over the past seven decades, inequalities have persisted, political conflicts have continued, and the university has borne the weight of a nation that preached one thing but practiced another. Yet, amid that tension, the classroom was always a space of resistance. Teachers created alternative realities there when the real world seemed to shut every door. 

We have all been shaped by that complex lineage. We bear the marks of our educators and the generations we have accompanied. We have called what we do every day by many names: struggle, craft, art, vocation, dream, and science. Keeping all this in mind, and each of us considering our own circumstances, we have dedicated ourselves to building a more dignified country and fostering the growth of more fulfilled human beings. That defines us; it honors us. 

Dear colleagues, today we are witnessing new wars, unprecedented technological advances, and subjective and collective transitions that challenge us. There are also obvious signs of a profound crisis in our civilization. The models of thought that provided us with certainties for decades are being questioned. Against this uncertain backdrop, the role of teachers is expanding, not diminishing. You have the responsibility –and the privilege– of guiding new generations as they ask new questions.

This underscores the pressing need for a symbiotic alliance between sensitivity and knowledge. Dialogue, empathy, equality, and equity are the tools we must use to educate, both within and outside our institutions. No matter what kind of discipline, approach, or field of knowledge we are in, if we do that, we will have done our part in the era we are living in.

Sometimes, we step out of the classroom and walk alongside our students. We walk during field trips, visits to laboratories, and museums. On other occasions, we march and demonstrate in defense of public education. Then, society as a collective becomes a classroom that allows us to reflect on the many dimensions of education. As rector and teacher, I am proud to walk alongside students and colleagues in the classroom, on campus, and beyond.