On 13 June, the Faculty of Education celebrated the graduation ceremony of the students from the class of 2018-2019. Responsibility for the official opening of the celebration fell to the Dean of Faculty, Esther Jiménez, who thanked the students, teaching staff and family members for being there.

Following the welcome speech, there was a contribution from Pepi Boada, head of the Pedagogical Resource Centre of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, who gave a master class.

The patron of the class year drew parallels in her speech with the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea”, in which the queen sets a test involving a pea to ascertain if the young girl in the story is a true princess. Thus, Boada spoke about what it takes to be not just a teacher but a true teacher. She went on to speak about some of the essential qualities needed to become a good teacher, such as a sound initial training, the desire to learn, the ability to communicate and to establish satisfactory interpersonal relationships, as well as the clear requirement for digital teaching skills.

Boada also underlined the importance of teamwork and to appreciate the cultural diversity and family circumstances of each student. She also highlighted the ethical dilemmas of the profession. Next, representatives of the class year spoke on behalf of their fellow students.

Finally, it fell to the Dean of Faculty to close the event. Jiménez encouraged the future teachers to “show, inspire, guide, demand, correct, understand, motivate and teach”, and to leave “a positive imprint that will open up people's horizons and change their lives”.

The dean also exhorted them “not to lose sight of a child's perspective, never stop pursuing your dreams: look at the world through different eyes in order to change it for the better”. The event ended with the singing of the hymn Gaudeamus Igitur.