Julia Fernández Zabaleta
Julia Fernánez Zabaleta
Pamplona, 9th August 1898 - Pamplona, 16th February 1961
Julia Fernandez Zabaleta, was born the 9th of October of 1898, and died, on 16th of February of 1961, in Pamplona, Navarre. She finished her teaching career in Iruña, and after this, she received a scholarship to study in Barcelona, she went to a course that Maria Montessori gave.
She was a nationalist teacher that promoted the montessori method, the Basque culture and also promoted the figure of women. She was the head of the “Emakume Abertzale Batza” , the part of women of the Basque Nationalist Party. She learned basque when she was 24, thanks to her, the first basque school opened in Pamplona. Also, she started doing more dynamic classes instead of doing the traditional “normal or standard lessons”. Due to her being a nationalist when the Spanish Civil War started her bosses reduced her salary. When the war ended and Franco’s block won, she was removed from her job, because of political reasons, she was accused of being against the regime.
After she was dismissed from her job she moved to Bayona (France). Then she moved to Bilbao, where she helped create the Basque university, with the request of the Basque government. During her time in the exile in France and she gave lessons to other exiled people. Some years later, she returned to Pamplona, however she couldn't work as a teacher because she was banned for being a basque nationalist and there was a francoist dictatorship in the country. In1958, she regained the right to teach in Pamplona, nevertheless she died 3 years later, in 1961.
SOURCES:
https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/52116/julia-fernandez-zabaleta
https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Fernandez
https://aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/en/fernandez-zabaleta-julia/ar-65388/
https://animaeuskera.eus/julia-fernandez-zabaleta/