Professoras que ensinaram matemática: memórias de Maria da Glória, Botyra e Felicidade

Abstract

This article explores the memoirs of three Brazilian teachers who taught mathematics in the early school years during the first half of the 20th century: Maria da Glória d'Ávila Arreguy, Botyra Camorim, and Felicidade Arroyo Nucci. We discuss the theoretical and methodological perspectives of the research using autobiographical writings and then present the memorial works of the three teachers. Later, we discuss what the memoirs bring about the teaching of mathematics developed by the teachers in the context of the dissemination of pedagogical proposals generally known under the name of Escola Nova. Finally, we focus, in the teachers' memories, on other important components of their professional trajectory: the simultaneous roles of mother and teacher, their performance beyond teaching in the communities where they worked, and the role of the Catholic religion.