Bolivian schoolteacher gives virtual classes as superhero
Art teacher Jorge Manolo Villarroel, wearing a Captain America costume, teaches an online class from his home, amid the new coronavirus pandemic in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, June 9, 2020. His classes have become so popular that siblings fight for computer time to learn from this costumed teacher. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — From a small room in Bolivia’s capital, a schoolteacher lives out his childhood dreams while transforming the lockdown-limited lives of his students with the virtual classes he gives dressed up as superheroes like Spiderman, Flash or Green Lantern.
His classes have become so popular that siblings fight for the laptop screen to see their superhero arts teacher who they in turn often help with operating the newer apps.
At 33, Jorge Manolo Villarroel speaks with the passion of a child and his room is filled with the masks and costumes of his characters, along with images of Christ, several Roman Catholic saints and revolutionary Che Guevara.