Echoes of 1968 in an elementary school of Genoa

Abstract

In the archive of a primary school in Genoa documents have been found that were about to be destroyed. They are 435 reports, written by 145 teachers (males and females) in compliance with the law 24.12.1957 n. 125 on the pupils’ failure to be admitted to the higher class. These reports date back to the period extending from 1960 to 1979, although none of them refers to the school years 1966-67, 1975-76, 1976-77. This period includes famous 1968 and the years when the Collegiate Bodies were established.In this paper I investigate whether the analysis of these documents shows how and to which extent the dramatic events of that time have influenced the way of teaching and the policies adopted by these elementary teachers on the selection of pupils, the recovery of difficult children, full-time schooling, and the involvement of families in school life. In some cases I am able to relate the reports on failed admission to the higher class to the activity of the Collegiate Bodies in the school.