Through two life histories of riverine teachers, this article reflects on teaching that happens in the context of Guajará Archipelago, in Belém of Pará, Brazil. It points out common features between those life histories as sexual violence during childhood, poverty, and schooling in order to demonstrate that teaching cannot be thought out of a wider context of women's constitution. It argues that the women status in this region has historically performed singular possibilities that explain how and why girls who were excluded from the school world for a long period turned into teachers. It demonstrates how being a teacher joins to the social processes of the riverine space, ensuring a whole interrelation process.
women's history; life histories of teachers; teaching