Ser e fazer-se professora no Piauí no século XX : a história de vida de Nevinha Santos

Abstract

This thesis is a study in History of Education, whose goal is to investigate how to be a teacher in Piauí in the twentieth century, by means the life history of the teacher Nevinha Santos, who wrote her memories in notebooks and published in the form of articles in Meio Norte newspaper, Teresina-PI. Fifteen texts that address issues related to education, politics and writings of her. Other sources were used and combined with the memories of Nevinha, such as interviews former students, family and contemporaries, as well as government messages and speeches of the press, in order to know the possibilities of historical, social and cultural factors that led to understand the meaning of function of being a twentieth century teacher in Piauí. From the life history of the teacher Nevinha Santos was defined the clipping and the chronological structure of the thesis, which consists of three phases, starting with the following questions: Why did she like to be a primary school teacher? Why, in the end of her life, she was surprised by the way the State in dealing with teachers? Why was she so indignant when reading news stories about teachers with wage arrears and the struggle to improve them? Given the questions we defined the following stages: the first from 1922 to 1928, is the period in which the teacher has studied and graduated from the Normal School of Teresina, the second from 1929 to 1957, relates her experience in teaching as professor and director of the School Coelho Rodrigues, and their role as first lady of the city of Picos, PI during the New State and the third from 1957 to 1999, is the final season of her career and dedication to the writing of memories. The analysis of these periods allowed us to understand that, at first, being a teacher had meaning associated with the mission, vocation, priesthood, and she was as a symbol of a competent professional whose primary task was to save the people of illiteracy.In the second, the teacher is seen as representative of the discipline, good citizenship and love the country, becoming a disseminator of ideas of the new period of a government that clings to ideas of sacrifice and love for the profession to keep teachers in classrooms with poor working conditions. In the third phase, the proletarianization of the profession promoted the formation of trade unions and the struggle for professionalism, which would ensure a respectful status, better income and professional autonomy. The analysis of the research is mainly as a theoretical and methodological New History, by enabling this daily knowledge, focusing attention on the perceptions of life history, oral history and memory, with the theoretical Halbwachs, Le Goff, Certeau, Perrot, Mignot, Goodson, Nóvoa, Ricoeur, Ansart, Josso, Meihy, among others, allowing multiple dialogues. To experiment design discussed in the work, also contributed theoretically Kant and Thompson. The thesis has relevance to the teaching profession by creating opportunity and sharing the experiences of a teacher and thus promotes ideas that will increase the degree of importance, competence and respect for teachers.