The Minister of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, Poli Suárez, visited the Lola Massieu-La Angostura Infant and Primary Education Center (CEIP) in Santa Brígida this Wednesday. He gained firsthand knowledge of the work students are doing with the project My First Dictionary of Canarianisms, an initiative promoted by his department in collaboration with the Canarian Academy of Language to foster the knowledge and appreciation of Canarian Spanish in island classrooms.
During the visit, Suárez, along with the president of the Canarian Academy of Language, Gonzalo Ortega, participated in an activity with fourth-grade primary students. The children had set up a corner dedicated to Canarianisms at the center, where they showcased their own glossaries and explained how they research the meaning of words and expressions from their daily lives, many discovered through conversations with family members.
“"Our boys and girls should know and feel proud of the words that are part of our way of speaking, because our history and identity are also in them. It is especially beautiful that the students themselves ask at home, discover words they may have never heard before, and incorporate them into their dictionaries. This way, we achieve learning that goes beyond the classroom and connects different generations."
The minister emphasized the importance of children knowing and being proud of Canarian words, highlighting that learning extends beyond the classroom and connects generations. He valued the practical nature of the proposal, which allows students to work on reading, writing, and research based on their immediate reality. He added, "Defending our linguistic heritage begins with knowing it, and school plays a fundamental role in ensuring new generations keep that legacy alive."
For his part, Gonzalo Ortega explained that the project aims for primary students to research words and expressions used by their parents and grandparents in their family environment. He warned that "a part of our vocabulary and phraseology is languishing" and stressed the school's role in recovering this linguistic heritage, noting the "enriching experience for both parties" that arises from intergenerational contact.
My First Dictionary of Canarianisms, originally launched in 2019 and with an updated second edition in 2026, has distributed three thousand copies to third-grade primary classrooms participating in the Viera Project and the PROA+ program. The initiative invites schoolchildren to identify words from their family and social environment, research their meanings, and determine which are specific to Canarian Spanish, encouraging the creation of personal or collective dictionaries.
The visit also provided an opportunity to learn about other educational projects at CEIP Lola Massieu-La Angostura, including the inauguration of the school radio station Radio Tejar, an educational robotics demonstration, the school garden, and the Bosquito project focused on environmental care and equality. The minister also discussed facility maintenance and improvement needs with the management team of the center, which has borne the name of the Gran Canarian artist Lola Massieu since 2022.
