ABSTRACT
In 2011 Amanda Gurgel, a teacher in the state of Rio Grande de Norte, became, almost overnight, a YouTube celebrity. Her presentation to a state conference on education, a strongly worded critique of state policies towards teachers, had two million viewers within just a few weeks. She complained bitterly about the low salaries that forced teachers to take on more than one job, the poor, overcrowded classrooms, the lack of resources and, to much applause, her view that education and teachers needed to become a government priority (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xzfivgmlU0).
