Gabriela Mistral's Poetic Influence on Education

Indianapolis, IN

Gabriela Mistral was a lifelong educator whose passion was supporting the students that needed her most. Initially Mistral could only impact the lives of those that she directly encountered; her students, fellow teachers, administrators, and many others, but over time her influence grew and grew. This growth in influence occurred primarily due to her poetry, for which she is most well-known. As the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize for literature in 1945, Mistral's excellence was finally on full display to the whole world. Mistral's two worlds of education and that of poetry were undoubtedly intertwined, as her poetry often served as a platform to deliver her educational influence all around the world. Mistral viewed each student as a work of art and stated that the teacher's job was to transform these works of art into masterpieces. Works such as "La Maestra Rural", "La Oración de la Maestra" serve as prime examples of Mistral's voice as an educator coming out in her poetry. Additionally, Mistral spent time in Mexico, where she was asked to take part in a plan to reform libraries and schools as well as to start a national education system. As part of this plan Mistral wrote an educational book intended for women, "Lecturas Para Mujeres", a compilation of various readings selected by Mistral. Overall, whether realized by most people or not, Gabriela Mistral influenced global education to a great extent through her work as a poet and an educator.(Presented in Spanish)