Narratives of Beginning Teachers

experiences, meanings and challenges of teaching

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the narratives of beginning teachers, graduates of the interdisciplinary undergraduate courses at the Federal University of Southern Bahia (UFSB), Paulo Freire Campus, in order to (re)understand the experiences, meanings and challenges of teaching lived by these individuals in multiple contexts of Basic Education, in the far south of Bahia. The research, using a qualitative approach, considers that the first years of teaching experience, in dialogue with studies by Huberman (1992), Marcelo García (1999), Imbérnon (1998) and Derisso (2020), represent an important period in the process of becoming a teacher, being fundamental in the construction of professional identity and for the continuity or discontinuity of teaching practice. The analysis of the narrative interviews of the eight participating teachers highlighted that their lived experiences were primarily marked by the presence or absence of a support network in educational institutions, adaptability, job precariousness and emotions such as fear, insecurity, disgust, satisfaction, happiness and fulfillment. The results point to the importance of welcoming beginning teachers and the need to provide formative support for these individuals.