PURPOSE AND TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: BETWEEN CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES

Abstract

This article discusses what it means to be a teacher and how they have been trained in the last years in Brazil. We present the results of our survey investigating the values and purposes of 100 elementary school teachers from all country regions. Among the findings, we highlight that the teaching profession occupies a central place in most participants' thought dynamics regarding their purposes. Based on the findings, we discuss the importance of teacher training programs that provide the space for future teachers’ self-knowledge and help them understand the meanings they attribute to the profession, as well as the reasons why they chose it. Additionally, we discuss building a collaborative and cooperative culture among teachers of all generations, from beginners to the most experienced, as one of the proposals to make a teacher capable of adapting to the complex society we live in.