O magistério à luz da atual configuração da divisão do trabalho na escola

by Michalovicz, Cátia Corrêa

The present master´s dissertation, developed in the research line Education, Culture and Power, starts with the following proposition, perceived in both teaching practice and thespecialized literature: the division of educational roles between family and school is currently entangled. The traditional responsibilities assignable to teachers and parents are not immediately perceptible. This lack of clearness has, generally speaking, led to confrontations and conflicts in the relations between family and school: on one hand families question the pedagogical work developed in the school; on the other hand, teachers have reservations about the family educative work modalities. Moreover, the very division of work in the school environment nowadays is difficult to perceive owing to the overlapping of functions between professionals whose specialties are not very clear. Why does this occur? The hypothesis adopted here suggests that the reasons must be sought in the current configuration of school work and the interdependence of the roles between teachers and parents, the result of the condensation of the material and symbolic exchanges in differentiated societies. As regards this, the aim of this research is to understand the current status of the division of work at school and the contemporary forms assumed by the interdependence of the educative rolesbetween family and school. The investigation was performed in schools of the municipal public network of Joinville, Santa Catarina, from interviews with professionals of the firstgrades of elementary education, as well as by collecting documents belonging to the functions exercised in school and also observing meetings of parents and teachers. The research data shows that the school is concerned about position adopted by families concerning the scholastic performance of their children and, as a result, seek to inculcate in these families modes of proceeding regarding the education of their children. For the teachers, this need to?educate? the family as well is what they find the most taxing. Another result is the perception of the overlapping of functions present in the school, owing to flexibility. It is necessary to be flexible daily in order to maintain the school functioning, even in the absence of certain professionals, which leads to a certain lack of distinction between the functions and increases the symbolic struggles occurring in the scholastic environment