THE CHALLENGES OF BECOME A TEACHER: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TEACHER PROFESSIONALITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

The text is to discuss, based on a research with teachers of Early Childhood Education, the challenges of becoming a teacher, aiming at the teaching professionalism. Thus, this investigation examined sociodemographic factors related to age, employment status, and education. It was carried out with teachers who work in this stage of education, in two Reference Centers for Early Childhood Education (Centros de Referencia em Educacao Infantil-CREI), through semi-structured interviews. It counted with the participation of 20 teachers from the Municipal Public Education Network of Joao Pessoa - Paraiba. In the analysis of the data obtained, we used content analysis, with the thematic analysis technique. The results showed that the teachers are satisfied with their initial professional formation, and that one of the biggest challenges after graduation is to return to the academy to study and keep active in a process of permanent formation. With the results, it is possible to think about the expansion of vacancies offered in graduate courses in the area of education, as well as the encouragement to graduate students, in the sense of their permanence as professional researchers.