Affection in teaching and care relationships in nursery schools: narratives of teachers in discussion

• Autor(a) principal: Carvalho, Rodrigo Saballa de
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; spa
• Título da fonte: Revista Ibero-Americana de Estudos em Educação (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.fclar.unesp.br/iberoamericana/article/view/10239
• topic: Early childhood education; Nursery school; Teaching; Care; Affection in teaching; Educación Infantil; Guardería; Docencia; Cuidado; Afectos docentes; Educação Infantil; Creche; Docência; Cuidado; Afetos docentes.

The paper presents results of a research whose analytical focus was the discussion of understandings of affection in teaching in nursery schools. The investigation’s discussion focused on the ways in which teachers signify the relations of affection that permeate the actions of care developed with the children. The research’s theoretical field was the Gender Studies, Early Childhood Pedagogy Studies, as well as research contributions from anthropology and sociology that discuss the theme of affection. Methodologically, a focus group was held with 20 infant teachers. For that, six meetings were proposed, in which the teachers discussed the theme of affection and its relationship with teaching in Early Childhood Education. The analysis of the teacher’s narratives evidenced the recurrence of two understandings of affection in the exercise of actions of care with infants: affection as an imperative, and the excess of affection as a reason for professional discredit. Although affection is understood by teachers as an imperative, it is seen, in parallel, as a reason for professional discredit when demonstrated in excess. For teachers, showing excessive affection for infants indicates a proximity to the maternal experience, a fact that generates a lack of professional recognition. Based on the research, it was concluded that the meanings of affections are cultural constructions that demand denaturation and reinvention in nursery schools in order to experiment with their own modes of teaching.