Apprentice pupils, renegade pupils. The special case of the Noto camminanti

Abstract

This contribution presents a critical analysis of the experience of the schooling of camminanti children in the ‘don Milani’ primary school in Noto. It highlights how the school, instead of being a place of learning and growth, becomes a space of marginality in which the camminanti children are perceived as disadvantaged, maladjusted and unsuitable for teaching. It also criticises the separatist model that leads to the isolation of camminanti children in special schools, arguing that this practice instead of promoting social inclusion, contributes to exclusion and discrimination. The analysis also focuses on the interpersonal relationships and power dynamics present within the classroom, emphasising how teachers are the bearers of an educational culture that does not recognise diversity and tends to homologate camminanti children to a normative standard.