Between acceptance and resistance: challenges faced by an untrained public elementary school teacher in the school and the city — Ituiutaba, MG, 1893–1925

Abstract

This study examines the life trajectory of teacher Alzira Vilela (1893 to 1925), who taught in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. She became a public elementary school teacher at the age of seventeen, without having completed formal teacher training. Raised with a degree of freedom within her family, she was able to envision a teaching career from an early age, one that materialized through her qualifications and intense dedication. In this regard, the study focuses on Alzira Vilela’s educational background and professional practice, as well as her role as a protagonist in her own educational journey. The research aimed to position this teacher within the broader history of primary school educators in Brazil, to outline her life path, to characterize her actions, reactions, and outcomes within public and private spheres of social engagement, and to map her material contributions to school education. The study is grounded in documentary research, drawing on sources such as handwritten texts, newspaper clippings, etc. The adopted methodology is (auto)biographical, combined with principles of discourse analysis for examining historical sources. The findings show that Alzira Vilela’s status as an unlicensed teacher did not hinder her work, either individually or collectively; she demonstrated the autonomy and relational skills necessary to at times act outside established norms. Moreover, the absence of formal training did not prevent her from developing a critical perspective on the educational practices of her time, practices she herself helped to shape.