Faculty in Focus: Yone de Carvalho, High School BrSS Teacher

Each night, after a full day of teaching at Graded—and sometimes an evening at PUC-SP—Yone de Carvalho retreats to her Lapa apartment. On her balcony, surrounded by her plants, she looks toward the distant glow of the television inside, where, on the most perfect of nights, a volleyball game is unfolding. Satisfaction settles in as she thinks, “Another day is done, and I lived it to the fullest.”

To her Graded students, she is a passionate Brazilian social studies teacher. Beyond the classroom, Yone is also an accomplished historian; a mother to Fernanda, Rodrigo, and Gustavo; and a grandmother to Théo. She is, at her core, a proud Brazilian.

Yone obtained her BA in history from Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Moema, and has since dedicated her professional life to teaching and academic research. She earned a master’s and doctorate from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, where she is a professor and advisor to future history teachers.

In this issue of The Graded Gazette, Yone tells us about a high school experience that led to a Bienal prize in the 1970s, her experience growing up during the Brazilian military dictatorship, and what she loves to do in her downtime.
 

In high school at Instituto de Arte e Decoração (IADÊ), you were involved in an award-winning Bienal project. Tell us about that experience!

IADÊ was an innovative school in the 1970s. Most of the art teachers were active in international art movements. As part of an interdisciplinary project led by Professor Carlos Egídio Alonso, 150 students worked in teams to develop artistic interventions, each displayed for three days at the Bienal Internacional de São Paulo. 

With the theme Arqueologia do Urbano (Urban Archaeology), my group designed and presented a conceptual art intervention called Apreensão da favela (Apprehension of the Favela). Our project was a labyrinth of pipes and bricks, depicting the favela as a maze of Brazilian urban society. Amid the pipes, we placed cardboard panels—representing house walls—on which we displayed excerpts from song lyrics, photographs, drawings, and academic texts and quotes about the favela. At the end, people could take home a text I wrote about the favela as a social-urban phenomenon.

It was awesome! The audience loved walking through the maze, observing and interacting with our work. We learned a lot about sociology, history, architecture, and urbanism through the creation of the piece. It was one of my life's most important academic and artistic experiences, and our IADÊ group won the Cidade São Paulo prize! 

What led you to pursue a degree in history?

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by science. I loved observing the stars, discovering aspects of the Earth through biology and geography, and studying spatial geometry and physics. Reading was also a favorite pastime. Monteiro Lobato, Tesouro da Juventude, and Enciclopédia Barsa shaped my world. This blend of arts and sciences formed the foundation of my intellectual growth.  

In my senior year at IADÊ, I struggled to decide on my undergraduate studies. My initial idea was to take the vestibular for architecture and urbanism, but after attending a few university classes, I realized that being an architect would limit my interaction with people, which is important to me. After much thought, I took the vestibular for philosophy and history and was accepted into both programs. 

I chose history because it’s crucial for the formation of both social scientists and citizens. Researchers explore different cultures and societies across time and space, uncovering evidence, piecing together facts, and analyzing human relationships and their evolution. My work allows me to combine research and teaching, thinking and doing. 

As a history teacher, I educate students to become global citizens. This is how I contribute to my country’s future.
 

You grew up in São Paulo during the Brazilian military dictatorship. How do you translate those experiences into meaningful lessons for students?

I often share my family’s and my own experiences as a student and young adult living under a dictatorship, a time with limited freedom and civil rights.

My family rarely discussed politics due to differing views on the dictatorship and its impact. Teachers avoided discussing it, as it was a time of censorship and punishment for anyone who thought outside of a proud, “patriotic” ideology. But I was curious, so I followed MPB (Brazilian Popular Music), festivals, and theater. 

Although I was a student limited by censorship, I became an adult full of ideas on how to build a democratic country and a fraternal society, and I actively participated in Brazil's democratization or Political Opening.

For my students, the narration of my experiences reinforces the idea that we are all citizens and play various social roles. Investigating the present and understanding what is happening in our country and the world is essential for our formation. We discuss the importance of memory as a source of information and as an object of history. I explain to the students how the same events have had different meanings to me over time, offering opportunities for reflection.

My stories remind students to value their generation’s freedom to participate in politics and the responsibility that comes with Brazil’s achievement of a democratic government.
 

You've completed numerous research projects throughout your 30+-year academic career. What are your areas of focus?

For 10 years, I coordinated PIBID (Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação à Docência), which awards scholarships to university history students training to teach in Brazilian public elementary schools. My reports for the Ministry of Education detail the development of Brazilian elementary education, in which I suggested improvements to student learning and teacher training. 

Another area of focus stems from an interest in the role culture and emotions play in history, particularly European history. I studied the earliest written texts of the Tristan and Isolde medieval legend, exploring how manuscript writing transformed this mythological love story into a work filled with critical reflections on romantic relationships, feudal society, and the rise of European monarchical power. These texts, based on popular traditions, reveal social and political ideas and collective projections that have shaped Western culture. I have written articles, participated in conferences in Brazil and Europe, and taught university courses on this topic, reflecting on the Western perceptions of love and romantic relationships.


What historical period do you find most fascinating to teach?

I love teaching and studying Brazilian history—from the colonial era to the formation of the Estado Nacional and contemporary republican history. Every period is fascinating when we learn to understand academic research and different perspectives. I used to refuse to study Getúlio Vargas’ governments (1930-1945 and 1951-1954). My generation viewed him as a dictator who, in the name of protecting the workers, built a form of political power that resulted in a populist legacy. However, when I needed to dive deeper into Brazil’s modernization for IB BrSS, I became fascinated with the period. It’s not about liking or disliking the president and his political practices, but understanding how he shaped the country and how that fight still resonates today. I believe that the key to moving past history we “like or dislike” is to investigate to understand. We fall in love with history when we get to know it better.
 

Beyond the classroom, you've taken students on research-focused field trips. How do these immersive experiences transform students' understanding of Brazilian history and their role as citizens?

I am part of the Brazilian Social Studies (BrSS) Department, which designs research-focused field trips for middle and high school students. The Rio de Janeiro and Brasília trip is particularly impactful. Proposed by BrSS teacher Marcia Souza, it allows students to study the relocation of Brazil’s capital in the 1950s and 60s, analyzing the Brazilian modernization process (a key IB BrSS theme) through history and geography. 

We explore concepts and investigate problems related to the Vargas Era, and visit federal institutions to understand the structure and function of the Brazilian Republic’s three branches. We reflect on the relationships between the past and the present and the continuities and the disruptions that shape our country’s history, preparing students to be engaged, global citizens.
 

You also teach at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP). How has that enriched your Graded teaching experience?

As a textbook author and professor at PUC-SP, a renowned institution with a history of influential pedagogues like Paulo Freire, I stay informed on the latest research and network with authors and researchers. This allows me to bring academic depth and pedagogical purpose to my teaching, offering the best of the academic world to my Graded students.

At the same time, my work at Graded enhances my ability to train future history teachers. My university students analyze and learn from my middle and high school teaching experiences. PUC students hold virtual meetings with Graded students, and Graded students participate in my university classes, sharing their perspectives on learning Brazilian history. I feel privileged to be part of this meaningful dialogue.

What lessons do you hope to teach your students?

I want my students to critically engage with and learn to respect the experience and knowledge of my generation, which I bring to the classroom every day. Knowledge is social and historical, and the intergenerational exchange is fundamental.

I inspire them to learn concepts and methodologies and to think historically—beyond dates and names—so they can consciously participate in the country’s history.

Ultimately, I strive for students to continue exploring Brazilian history, participate in its construction, and find joy in their learning.
 

You're an avid traveler. What are some of your favorite trips, and what’s still on your bucket list?

Since childhood, I’ve traveled extensively throughout Brazil, but there are still many wonderful places I have yet to visit, such as the Amazon. Most of my travels are with family. I love exploring landscapes, learning about different cultures, and, most of all, bonding with my family.

My profession has also taken me to European countries, including Portugal, Spain, France, Austria, and Greece. Seeing the places where the historical events I study took place was amazing! 

For many years, I traveled to New York twice a year to research 1940s and 1950s Brazil-US relations at the Rockefeller Archive Center in Sleepy Hollow. My partner at the time and I studied Nelson Rockefeller’s involvement in Brazil, which led to the publication of two books. Of course, these trips offered more than just research. I interacted with countless people from around the world, learning from them every day!
 

Along with your academic pursuits, you enjoy cooking, hosting, and creative projects like crocheting and sewing. How do these activities add meaning to your life?

I love to cook for my grandson, Théo. He loves Brazilian food and always asks for my caldinho de feijão, feijoada with torresmo and couve, and more. 

I learned how to cook by watching my maternal grandmother and my mother in the kitchen, and also through school. Back then, women were predominantly housewives, so we had a Prendas Domésticas (home economics) course. I also learned how to knit, crochet, and sew. I made all of my children’s baby clothes myself—shirts, blouses, wool coats, hats, shoes, blankets… everything!

Nowadays, my greatest joy is hosting family and friends and cooking for them. I love experimenting in the kitchen and sharing my foods, from salmon to cheese pastéis, special salads, pork loin with wine sauce, and all kinds of pasta dishes.