^{Originally published on March 3, 2013}

The Academy of Ignorance 1

The Academy of Ignorance or the art of deception.

A sad, real, and truthful story, told in a preface and three short episodes.

Ay pena penita, pena, pena.
Pena del mio cuore.
Che mi scorre nelle vene, pena,
con la forza di un ciclone.
È come un temporale
di tenebra e selce.
È un puledro imbizzarrito
che non sa dove va.
È un deserto di sabbia, pena,
è la mia gloria del dolore,
ay dolore, ay dolore,
ay pena penita pena.

Oh sorrow, my sorrow, sorrow,
sorrow deep in my heart.
Like a fire through my veins, sorrow,
tearing my soul apart.
Like a storm-cloud made of night,
a sky of steel and flame.
Like a runaway young colt
with no path, no name.
Like a wasteland made of pain, sorrow,
still the crown of all I am.
Oh sorrow, oh sorrow,
oh sorrow, my sorrow, sorrow.

from the copla “Ay pena penita pena” by A. Quintero, R. de León e M. Quiroga¹

Preface – The pain of realizing the truth

The goal of a preface is to explain the intention behind a work before it is published.
In this case, writing these lines is painful. I was part of this story—until I became aware of the deception. Without knowing it, I may have contributed to the illusion. For this reason, I ask for forgiveness.

Nevertheless, my conscience is clear. The moment I understood how the Academy of Ignorance operated, I left it. Then, I spoke up to help others see the truth.

Why I decided to speak out

I feel morally obligated to share the events that follow. In fact, I know this blog is reaching readers in Spain, across Latin America, and even in non-Spanish-speaking countries.

For two main reasons, I won’t mention the real name of the school. First, this is not an isolated case. I can only describe what I’ve seen personally, although I’ve heard similar stories. Second, I want students in fashion schools to ask themselves:
“Does my school work like the Academy of Ignorance? Am I learning anything real—or just illusions?”

Twenty years of misleading students

For over two decades, the Academy of Ignorance has operated in a district of a European city still proud of its fashion history. However, it has allowed the country’s most iconic fashion show to fade away.

During this time, the school has taught methods that are known to be wrong and useless. Surprisingly, the sole teacher and director is proud of this. Unlike the priest in San Manuel bueno y mártir², who fakes faith to comfort others, this teacher knowingly fills students’ minds with false knowledge.

How the deception works

He found a way to live by teaching things that seem useful but are not.
First, he prohibits sewing at the school. “Too risky,” he told me once. “If someone complains, it could damage our reputation.”
Second, he displays a handwritten sign on a small decorative chair. It says:
“The school is not responsible for garments sewn outside the Academy.”

Finally, he has students create half-finished garments for their final exams. They must present them in decorated boxes—often giving more importance to the box than to the contents.

A well-crafted illusion

To show that his “method” works, he hangs old garments he made himself on mannequins. He claims they were part of his personal collections.

Is this fair? Maybe some students attend these schools just to pass the time. However, many go there with hopes of building a real future in fashion.

When I once pointed out that something wasn’t working, the teacher responded:

“Yes, you’re right—but it doesn’t matter. This is just a neighborhood school.”

But that raises a bigger question:
Don’t students in working-class neighborhoods also deserve a proper education?

1. Ay pena penita pena: http://www.cancioneros.com/nc/1829/0/ay-pena-penita-pena-antonio-quintero-rafael-de-leon-manuel-quiroga ↩︎
2. San Manuel Bueno, mártir de Pío Baroja: http://ciervalengua.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/san-manuel-bueno-martir1.pdf ↩︎