Ser professor homem nas Escolas Municipais de Educação Infantil (EMEIS) de Belo Horizonte: desafios, possibilidades e a relação com a comunidade escolar a partir da percepção de professores

Abstract

The general goal of this dissertation was to analyze how male teachers understand their practices as Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) teachers and their relationships with the school community at the Early Childhood Education Municipal Schools (EMEI) in Belo Horizonte. To achieve this general goal, this research is framed around the following specific goals: 1) understand the reasons that first led these men to apply to and stay on teaching positions at the ECEC; 2) identify and analyze the main challenges found by male teachers in their teaching practices at the ECEC; 3) analyze how teachers evaluate the interactions between them, their fellow teachers and the ECEC management nucleus; 4) identify and analyze how teachers assess their interaction with the children; 5) identify and analyze how teachers assess their interaction with the children’s families. This research has a predominantly qualitative nature, and we decided to divide it into two stages by applying questionaries filled out by all teachers at the EMEIs and through interviews with three selected teachers; therefore, departing from a comprehensive view to the analysis of researched teachers’ idiosyncrasies. The results of this research show that the main challenge male teachers face is the lack of trust from families and fellow female teachers. Regarding their relationship with the schools’ managerial staff, especially with female principals, it became evident that their support is indispensable for the permanence of male teachers at schools and for their acceptance by children’s families. The direction acts in the mediation of conflicts, responding to criticisms that generalize them as possible abusers, reinforcing the professionalism and legitimacy of their presence in schools. We noticed thatcare actions performed by male teachers generated tensions and suspicions that they could be child abusers. Regarding their relationship with families, it was observed from the teachers' perception that after a period of coexistence, tiés were narrowed and distrust was deconstructed. The presence of men in Early Childhood Education proved to be important as a male reference for children, to ensure diversity in Early Childhood Education Institutions and to deconstruct the gender norms that define the area as exclusive to women.