EDITORIAL - Challenging times for School Psychology in the face of the implementation of Law 13,935/19 and the democracy defense.

FOR JOY AT SCHOOL IN SUCH TURBULENT TIMES

Há um menino, há um moleque Morando sempre no meu coração Toda vez que o adulto balança ele vem pra me dar a mão Há um passado no meu presente¹ (Milton Nascimento & Fernando Brant, 1988)

This poetry in the form of a song refers to the boys’ experiences that the authors once were, but also to the childhood toys and games that were part of the lives of many of us. Rescuing this and so many other artistic or other works, so many facts and deeds that bring to mind playful, simple moments - or not so much, but always loaded with affection - constitutes a survival strategy for our humanity and humanity in general.

This recovery of what has already been experienced is necessary to understand who we are and how we came to be, at the risk of losing the dimension of our sociability and our formative process. Attention to this becomes even more important in the face of emblematic times like those of recent years. In them, for example, we have celebrated how artificial intelligence and high technology as a whole can make life more agile and challenging, producing previously unimaginable knowledge. On the other hand, the technologically based “brave new world” leads to or imposes situations that test the course of Humanity.

After the critical phase of the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2021), we began to deal with so much physical and emotional suffering that remained and to “follow” in real time the suffering imposed by the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, by coups and political persecution (in/in Gabon, Niger, Sudan and other countries), racial, religious and gender persecution and intolerance, due to increasingly frequent attacks on schools, groups and people for many other - unjustifiable - reasons.

For what is in process, we need to educate in such a way that schools are resumed or maintained as spaces for meetings, among people, with knowledge, with the formulation of collective/social purposes.

When everything seems to be the opposite, we reaffirm how much the Basic and Higher Education school needs to be purposeful, as it is committed to the production/objectification of knowledge, with teaching that instigates its appropriation by all students. In this direction, it is also worth recovering the work of Georges Snyders² (1974, (1988, 1993, 1995, 1997), who problematizes how school could be joyful, teaching the joys of music, literature, and ultimately culture. Snyders was Jewish and the French Resistance’s member in World War II, he was arrested in 1944 and sent to Auschwitz. As a university professor and researcher, he took up a dear topic about his own life.

Between the 1970s and 1990s, Snyders wrote about the role of culture and the arts in achieving the formative education purposes after such dramatic periods. Highlighting that joy should be part of the fight for the transformation of schools and society, he discussed different themes aiming at a progressive pedagogy and pointing to the need to renew the school, its relations with knowledge and culture for the student’s transformation.

He understood that the rigor of scientific studies should be crossed by contact with music, literary books, biographies, etc., making Basic and Higher education a pleasurable period - and not at all impactful, largely due to contrary.

After a few decades, and more specifically in the 2020s, when structural violence is expanding, affecting everyone, we have the possibility of following its schemes in real time, of seeing how we can annihilate people, groups, peoples, nations. This reveals the human capacity to create all types of strategies and instruments that can be used for the most diverse purposes.

Although the feeling of impotence may be aroused in the midst of barbarism, we continue to defend democracy, in the uncompromising fight for life with dignity, for a good school for all people, and therefore inclusive, in the commitment to ensure that in it and in society the human rights are observed.

To this end, we reaffirm our commitment not to forget who we were, who we are and to think about who we can become. In this direction, educational-training work can recover what Milton Nascimento and Fernando Brant (1988, emphasis added) wrote and sing:

Toda vez que a bruxa me assombra O menino me dá a mão E me fala de coisas bonitas Que eu acredito que não deixarão de existir Amizade, palavra, respeito, caráter, bondade, alegria e amor Pois não posso, não devo Não quero viver como toda essa gente insiste em viver Não posso aceitar sossegado Qualquer sacanagem ser coisa normal Há um menino, há um moleque Morando sempre no meu coração Toda vez que o adulto balança ele vem pra me dar a mão.³

We understand that only when the school fulfills its purpose of teaching (uncompromising) curricular content, making use of different resources and strategies already possible in this third decade of the 21st century, and in accordance with public policies that ensure accessibility to what has already been prepared and achieved by humanity, is that the constitution of genericity in all subjects can be glimpsed.

With these defenses of the school link with democratic commitments in favor of the children and young people’s education who pass through it, we can think about how much the biography and work of so many people, like Snyders, inspire us to continue. We hope that the articles in this issue of the Revista Psicologia Escolar e Educacional inspire everyone to defend “joy at school”.

Good reading.

REFERÊNCIAS

• Nascimento, M., & Brant, F. (1988). Bola de meia, bola de gude. In: Nascimento, M. Álbum: Miltons Formato: LP. Gravadora: CBS.
• Snyders, G. (1974). Para onde vão as pedagogias não-diretivas?Lisboa: Moraes.
• Snyders, G. (1988). A Alegria na Escola São Paulo: Editora Manole.
• Snyders, G. (1993). Alunos Felizes, reflexão sobre a alegria na escola a partir de textos literários. São Paulo: Paz e Terra
• Snyders, G. (1995). Feliz na Universidade, estudos a partir de algumas biografias São Paulo: Paz e Terra .
• Snyders, G. (1997). A escola pode ensinar as alegrias da música?São Paulo: Cortez.

• 1
  There's a boy, there's a kid, Always living in my heart, Every time the adult shakes he comes to hold my hand, There's a past in my present
• 2
  Born in Paris, in 1917 and also died in Paris, in 2011.
• 3
  Every time the witch haunts me; The boy gives me his hand; And he tells me about beautiful things; That I believe will not cease to exist; Friendship, word, respect, character, kindness, joy and love; Well I can't, I shouldn't, I don't want to live like all these people insist on living; I can't accept it calmly, Any mess is normal; There's a boy, there's a kid; Always living in my heart; Every time the adult swings he comes over to hold my hand.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  08 Dec 2023
• Date of issue
  2023