With a journey shaped by dreams, challenges, and a deep passion for education, Patricia Pavan and Analivia Lacerda, principals of be.Living, talk about the school’s history, their inspirations, and the principles behind this educational project in this interview. The conversation reveals how Patricia’s personal experience as a student and her desire to build a welcoming and meaningful school inspired the birth and essence of be.Living, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025.

be.Sides: Patricia, how did your journey with education begin?
Patricia Pavan: From an early age, I had many questions about school. I studied in a very traditional school. I enjoyed going because of my friends, but I didn’t understand the meaning of education. The subjects seemed disconnected. I performed poorly and failed sixth grade. It was a painful process.

After spending some time abroad, I returned and enrolled in an international school. That’s when a very powerful question arose: what lies behind education? I knew there had to be more, beyond my experience. This questioning led me to the field of education, not out of vocation, but out of necessity. And there I began to discover a new world that finally made sense.

be.Sides: Was that when you started your career as a teacher?
Patricia Pavan: Yes. In the first year of college, I started in a small, bilingual school. Later, I went to a larger, more recognized school, also bilingual. I worked all day, studied at night. I graduated in 1999. In 2000, I opened be.Living.

be.Sides: Everything happened so quickly!
Patricia Pavan: Like a meteor! But I was certain. I wanted a school that provided individualized, attentive, and caring education for children. We started in a house in Chácara Klabin.

be.Sides: And how was this early phase of be.Living at the first address?
Patricia Pavan: Challenging. At the time, bilingual education was not very well known. Each family needed a detailed explanation. And so we built a community, one family calling another to come over. And, together with them, I learned how to communicate our project. It is not enough to conceive it— you need to share it. After four years, the house became small. Since we couldn’t find another space in the area, we came here.

How much did the frustrations you experienced as a student influence what be.Living became as a school?
be.Sides: Patricia Pavan: I studied at a large, traditional school. be.Living was born with a different perspective: a smaller school for children, where acceptance and partnership are fundamental. What I lacked was meaning. The knowledge didn’t sink in. And that’s what childhood is all about: everything you experience leaves a mark on your body. We think about school considering what kind of mark we want to leave on children.

be.Sides: And when did you expand into an Elementary School? Analivia, could you talk a little bit about that?
Analivia Lacerda:  I joined the management team in 2009, when we only had Early Childhood Education. The families would ask for Elementary School. That year, preschool became Grade 1, and we had to decide: should we close one group or expand? The school was 10 years old and I had just joined as a partner, it was the right time. We decided to move forward before we had closed on a space. In 2013, we moved to Moema with 33 children, to a place that had already been a school, surrounded by trees.

Patricia Pavan: The families had great confidence in our project, but they began to look for large schools for the transition. They would ask us: “What’s going to happen now? Are we getting out of here and going to a huge place?”. We feel as if they were gently urging us. This played an important role in our decision to expand.

be.Sides: And how was the launch for you? The Elementary School launch?
Patricia Pavan: Until then, I’d only had experience in Early Childhood Education. Gabriela Fernandes, our current coordinator, had experience with the Elementary School level and encouraged us to expand. We sought support from the Vera Cruz Institute, which helped us build a project consistent with what we had already been doing. It didn’t make sense to create something trendy. It was a collaborative effort involving the staff and families, and it continues to evolve today. The advantage of being a small school is that we can make decisions more quickly and carefully.

be.Sides: How much do time and world events influence and change education?
Patricia Pavan: School is time itself. What happens outside reverberates inside, and vice versa. All of our pedagogical work stems from this historical time. Our Political-Pedagogical Project expresses ideals, but always in dialogue with the present. Children arrive with baggage, and we look at that from day one. They transform the environment, they’re producers of culture.

We are constantly listening, and that brings the project to life. What was said about sustainability in 2000 is very different from what we discuss today. Sometimes we provoke the children; other times, they bring us questions. The school is affected by this.

be.Sides: I would like you to talk a little about the importance of the training sessions held with the be.Living educational team.
Patricia Pavan: Training is ongoing. We evaluated the context, the educators, and identified where to invest. We have annual themes, but the training goes further, it is about teachers, individuals, school.

 Today, with two schools, our challenge is to remain cohesive. That is why we have created six training sessions throughout the year, to be attended by every team member. We start with a central theme and each group thinks about how it applies to different ages. This movement helps maintain the consistency of the project, respecting the specificities of each cycle.

 In addition, we hold educational meetings and individual meetings, because even those who arrive with a lot of experience need to learn about the culture at be.Living.

be.Sides: And how is the relationship between the school and the families?
Patricia Pavan:  It is essential. Child development happens naturally, but when school and family work together, everything makes more sense. Speaking the same language does not mean agreeing on everything, but sharing values.

School is a public space, designed for the common good. Each has its role: school does not replace the family, and vice versa. The presence of families is very powerful. Seeing parents nearby, watching, learning with their children, strengthens bonds and expands horizons.

Analivia Lacerda: We believe in proximity. That’s why we offer free parking, coffee at the entrance, and events on Saturdays. The families like it, so they stay and talk. We also involve those responsible in various projects throughout the year.  We create spaces for these meetings to take place.

be.Sides: It’s a 25 year history…Looking back, is there a remarkable moment which comes to your memory, to share with readers?

Analivia Lacerda: There are so many of them… Every time a family shares how be.Living impacted the life of the child and everyone around them, we feel a deep gratitude. These returns are a valuable recognition of what we have built together. And more than that: everyday life at school, with curious children exploring, playing, interacting, and investigating the world around them… that, for me, is a real gift.


Patricia Pavan: We welcome many former families and children who have been with us, who come to visit us and tell us that we made a difference, that be.Living was very important to them. It is very remarkable. And we are very happy with that.