“O tempo é o meu maior inimigo” : organização do tempo de trabalho de professoras de alfabetização de um município de Goiás.

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to understand and analyze how first- and second grade elementary school teachers from the city of Caldas Novas, who participate in the AlfaMais Program, organize their school work time. The specific objectives were: (1) to describe and analyze how teachers organize their time for planning school-related tasks; (2) to describe how they reconcile their school work time with domestic responsibilities; and (3) to describe and analyze how they allocate time for professional development. The research question guiding the study was: How do first- and second-grade elementary school teachers from the city of Caldas Novas who participate in the AlfaMais Program organize their school work time? The theoretical framework was grounded in contributions from the sociology of work and educational theory, particularly sociological studies on teaching, such as those by Tardif and Lessard, Dal Rosso, Kuenzer, and Hypolito, as well as relevant dissertations and theses on the subject. This qualitative study collected data through semi-structured interviews with five female teachers working in the first and second grades of elementary school within the municipal education system where the research was conducted. Data analysis was conducted using the content analysis method. The findings reveal that the participating teachers, like the majority of educators, experience significant work overload and intensification, which creates numerous challenges in organizing their professional activities. These challenges are exacerbated by the lack of planning and coordination in the AlfaMais Program's activities, which frequently disrupt the teachers' routines and force them to constantly replan their work. Also, like most teaching staff, the teachers in this study perform much of their schoolwork at home, having to relegate family life to a secondary role and sometimes involving family members in their schoolwork. Finally, the AlfaMais Program's training activities, lacking better organization, negatively impact the teachers' working time.