Abstract
The article is the result of ongoing research and is based on a set of testimonies from teachers and principals working in public schools in Rio de Janeiro, located in territories conflagrated by armed conflicts. This study is divided into four topics. The first presents the universe researched and the second observes how young teachers perceive their professional role and behave in the face of the explosions of violence in which they often find themselves involved. The third topic analyzes the testimonies of teachers who held management positions, examining the ways of dealing with violence in their daily lives, and the fourth topic addresses the perceptions shared by teachers about the relevance of their work, indicating that the ideal of Republic public education still imposes itself inside the schools. The chosen focus was the tactics they articulate in situations of violence, in view of their past experiences and the expectations they have regarding their future. Therefore, two questions were chosen to guide the analyzes presented, namely: what reasons motivated the teachers to remain in schools located in conflicted territories, despite the risks? What arguments support such a decision? Through them, it is possible to perceive the processes by which these teachers produce their own professional culture, in the intersection between the narratives they build about their professional trajectory and the democratic construction project that, historically, has given meaning to public school.
History of education; Teaching profession; Democratic construction