As relações de cuidado e de gênero presentes nos relatos de homens professores nas Unidades Municipais de Educação Infantil de Belo Horizonte

Abstract

The following master thesis investigated the relations of care in the reports of male teachers in the public institutions of Infant Education of the Municipal City Hall of Belo Horizonte. The Infant Education, historically understood as a working place of the female gender has recently received the presence of male teachers in the practice of care and education of little children. In Belo Horizonte city, after the first public examination for Infant Education teachers held in 2003 it was possible to observe the presence of male teachers in this career. This recent change has been punctuated by discussions, awkwardness and a certain veiled resistance. Nowadays we are 20 men acting at the Infant Education working as teachers (at the most part), coordinators and Assistant Principals at the Umeis (Infant Education Municipal Institutes in Belo Horizonte City). In this sense, it was my attempt to understand, through the reports of teachers and principals of the Umeis, the teaching practice of those professionals in relation to care, which is also part of my own work as a teacher of the Infant Education. Some questions and inquiries were raised in this study: to understand how these male teachers and the school direction perceive the social relations of care, as well as their significance and sense; what are the difficulties faced in day-by-day in relation to the expectations referring to care and education. The methodology of qualitative research was the principal feature for the completion of this study. It was also used a standardized questionnaire with the intention of raising some data about the teachers who were working in this kind of job; and according to these results we were capable of selecting three professionals to take part of the interviews. As one part of the product of this master thesis, it was held a survey through the internet with the aim of knowing more about the web users points of view in relation to the presence of male teachers at the Infant Education. It was held three interviews with male teachers, two with the Assistant Principals and one with a coordinator of the investigated schools. The present research enabled us to comprehend the theme of care that has been held by those professionals at the Infant Education upon the look of the own male teachers and the school board. We perceived that the relations of care need to be re-analyzed or re-thought into society taking into consideration gender relations. Therefore, it is an ultimate need to establish some changes in our teaching formation system, and in the interactions among Umeis, teachers and the school community.