The family-school relationship at the crossroads: union strategies of the collective of education workers abstrac

Abstract

The relationship between schools and families is a topic of study and reflection that has shaped the organizational history of the teaching sector at various historical junctures. A significant concern within this collective of workers today is the recurring instances of violence in public schools (especially at the early childhood level) stemming from accusations of child abuse against members of the teaching and/or auxiliary staff. This study aims to explore the perspectives and organizational strategies employed by certain sectors of the teaching collective in response to this complex issue, given the severity of the allegations underpinning these expressions of discontent. These incidents not only violate the rights to psycho-physical integrity of children but also cast suspicion on longstanding teaching practices and the ongoing struggles that some union groups identify as their own, particularly those advocating for kindergartens as "territories of childhood, care, tenderness, and education." Initially, we narrate specific episodes and outline the explanatory hypotheses formulated by the teaching collective regarding these situations. Subsequently, we focus on analyzing the union strategies emerging within the school environment as a workspace and the responses proposed by institutionalized union organizations.