Pedagogical tutor as facilitator of the existential orientation processes. The experience realized in a lower secondary school

Abstract

Students attending the lower secondary school find themselves at a particular crossroad, where they must manage both internal and external tensions. They are trying to create their own identity and looking for their future role. Moreover, the social and family context presents expectations projected onto the students that may not always be linear. Such dynamics influence both the school system and the didactic methods. The risk is that the school becomes a place of intergenerational misunderstandings, losing its main aim of orienting students. The pedagogical tutor is an external figure who is included in the education system as a "net weaver"; he supports the students by helping them understand their aspirations and the teachers by underlying the importance of keeping their educational role. He also supports the parents when there are difficulties in the parent-child relationship.