O legado de “Nitio-abá”: memória da educadora beberibense Anna Facó que marcou a história da educação no Ceará entre os séculos XIX e XX

Abstract

Diving into the history of Ceará’s women educators at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, we find a woman who contributed significantly with her work and writings, breaking with the social paradigms of her time and leaving a strong legacy. Here we highlight Anna Facó, who stood out for her literary productions published in books and newspapers. As a teacher, she innovated teaching methods by creating didactic texts that emphasized the child’s holistic development. She also took on the leadership of the First Public School of Fortaleza, posítioning herself within a conservative society marked by patriarchy. The objective of this study is to discuss the legacy of Anna Facó, her works, and her professional trajectory, reflecting on her contribution to education in the pedagogical context of her time, in which she used writing as a tool to confront the social barriers imposed on women in the 19th century. Thus, we seek to preserve the memory of her life and work, which represent both the struggle of minorities and the pursuit of greater participation of women in society. This research adopts a qualitative, biographical, and documentary approach, drawing on hemerographic and visual sources, delving into historical facts, and using as reference for the proposed reflections the bibliography and historical documents collected at the Ana Facó Secondary School, in the municipality of Beberibe, Ceará. Anna Facó’s contribution to moral education, in the early 20th century, also stands out through short stories published in Jornal do Ceará, aimed at developing students’ moral values, coexistence, and ethical action. In our results and discussions, we point out that Anna Facó became an inspiration for many educators and that, throughout her professional trajectory, she contributed to an education that transcended the school walls, breaking through the barriers of her time by offering students a new way of learning, with literacy lessons and short stories aimed at shaping moral awareness, published in newspapers. In our conclusions, we highlight the importance of an education centered on ethical action, as a path toward building a better future for society. Anna Facó was an example of this educational model already in her time, overcoming the limits imposed on women. Finally, we emphasize the work and the paths taken by teacher Anna Facó, who, through her example in education and literature, left a legacy that, at the time, was quite revolutionary and still resonates today, materialized in the founding of the Ana Facó Public School in Beberibe, built in her honor and inaugurated in 1947.