Professional(ization of) Education: challenges to the teaching of Philosophy and Sociology in Minas Gerais

Abstract

The curricularization of certain school subjects in Brazilian Basic Education, such as Philosophy and Sociology, goes through difficulties, due to changes in the political and economic scenario, inevitably marked by ideological nuances. Reinserted in the curriculum in 2008, but depreciated by the current government, these disciplines contribute to the student’s training – as a person, as a professional and as a citizen –, regardless of the school path “chosen” in High School or university professional training. In a context of reduced interest in the teaching career, public policies such as the Institutional Program of  Grants for Incentive to Teaching (Pibid) and the Pedagogical Residence (RP) are importante strategies for improving initial and continuing teacher education. In this article, we will deal with partial results of an interinstitutional research (which brings together researchers from four universities in Minas Gerais / Brazil) focusing graduates of Pibid, currently working in different networks (public and private), and their reflections on the impacts of this Program as a way of minimizing the “reality shock”, when they immerged themselves in their careers and realized the complexities and ongoing demands of teaching. We conclude that professionalization takes place in a context of intersubjective relationships in which meanings are (re)constructed, negotiated and the subjects’ autonomy (as teachers and as students) is consolidated  based on the successes and joys, but also on the frustrations and mistakes made.