O cravo brigou com a rosa: afetos e atos agressivos nas interações das professoras com as crianças em uma pré-escola pública

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating about of the interaction established among six teachers and children aged four and five years old from their classrooms in a public preschool, focusing on their emotions and aggressive acts that teachers could emerge in the process. The theoretical foundation consisted essentially of the psychogenic approach of the Whole person, Henri Wallon (1981, 1986, 1989). The rare queries related to aggressive acts of teachers in kindergarten made our work rely on fountains which research the relationship between violence and school. In addition to these perspectives, we relied on contributions of contemporary studies on children in various areas (history, philosophy, sociology, psychology and pedagogy), in order to rescue the transformation or maintenance of conceptions (child, childhood and Early Childhood Education) which permeate the evolution of the service dedicated to small children. The methodology consisted of observations, supported additionally by the Adult Engagement Scale, an interview with each teacher and two focus groups. The individual interviews were about aspects of graduation and professional lives of the female teachers, getting deeper into their views about of the interactions they have with the children. It was evident that the initial graduation of the teachers is poor and they cannot establish the acquired knowledge which favors the interactions with children. The teachers do not have much familiarity with the subject. The focus groups intended to encompass the conceptions of the teachers about aggressive acts, their affections and if they recognize them in their daily practice. The analyses showed that the teachers attribute greater value to the intellectual development of the children, without perceiving their affective, psychomotor and social needs. They point out their conceptions of child in preschool as a student, preschool as school and development as to learn how to read, write and count. They are unanimous in thinking that the children are not loved and educated by their families. The context of the interactions shelters a climate of tension, and the teachers see the children as their enemies. They believe that their illness (stress, voice problems and others) come from their daily routine with the kids. They point to attitudes and characteristics of the teacher as favorable and unfavorable to the interactions with children. The later should be avoided, much less for the respect that’s the children’s right, than by the concern not to have conflicts with their family. The teachers reveal situations in which "they lose their temper" and end up uttering rudeness, shouting, forcing children to do things they do not want to and tugging their arm. Overall, the teachers are insensitive towards the needs of the children, they adopt authoritarian and centralizing postures with emphasis on discipline and punishment of child’s movement, failing to deal with situations of constant opposition, their own preservation and seduction, typical behaviors of children in personalism. We found verticalized interactions and malpractice in relation to everyday conflicts among children and among teachers and children.