EDITORIAL - CHALLENGING TIMES FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY FACING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF LAW 13.935/19 AND THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY

Tomorrow It will be a beautiful day Of the craziest joy that can be imagined Tomorrow Redoubled the force Up, that doesn't stop must avenge (Guilherme Arantes, 1996).

After four such difficult and turbulent years, the country breathes more relieved and it is preparing to live in more hopeful times, with the resumption of the appreciation of science, education, culture, the environment and other fundamental fields for human (r)existence. On the other hand, there will also be difficult times; the democratically elected president will find a divided country, involved in ideological discussions that supported actions completely disconnected from reality, as we could see in the days that followed the result of the second round of elections.

In the educational field, we witness racist, homophobic, intimidating and violent acts against students in schools; increase in school complaints, notably related to emotional issues; children who could not be literate because they did not have access to school, either remotely or face-to-face; exhausted and hopeless teachers; teachers denounced by students and/or families when referring to the current situation or for teaching content already legitimized by Science. In this context, with the implementation of Law 13.935/19, psychologists have entered the municipal education departments throughout Brazil and they have faced these demands, among others.

It is also worth noting that, in the post-pandemic scenario, according to data collected by the House and Senate¹ budget consultancies, Basic Education obtained the lowest budget forecast in the last 11 years, which generates an immeasurable impact on the children and adolescents’ schooling process and in the pedagogical routine of schools and reflects the neglect with which education has been chronically treated in the country, notably in the last four years.

Given this scenario, what is up to School and Educational Psychology? Let us remember, as Meira (2003) writes, “[...] the object of study and performance of School Psychology is the encounter between the human subject and education” (p. 55, author's emphasis). In this sense, if the schooling process aims at the humanization of the subject, as Saviani (1991) so well puts it, it will be necessary for the school also teaches children, adolescents and adults to deal with the diversity that characterizes society. Teachers, in turn, need to remember that their gestures and actions in the classroom sometimes play an important role in terms of attitudes towards the diversity and heterogeneity that constitute the school.

About morality in current times, Sartini (2021) states, based on Vygotsky, that,

In the same way as other higher psychological functions, such as self-awareness and will, we can say that morality follows the same path of development, having its genesis in social relations (interpsychic category) and developing until it assumes a more internalized aspect (intrapsychic category). [...] The social character of morality becomes determinant for its existence and, thus, the process of appropriation of moral values, ethical norms and principles are important aspects for the personality formation of (pp. 89-90).

This understanding of the moral values development as a psychological function needs to take care of the contradiction “between a school that organizes itself and produces life and education in a different way and what happens outside the walls of the school” (Sartini, 2021, p. 104). The values set by capitalism, such as individualism and selfishness, for example, encourage us to think about how to overcome this contradiction considering the possibilities offered by a school that values respect, care and appreciation of human life.

The articles published in this journal will certainly support reflections about the process of learning and human development. The themes studied, pertinent to Psychology and Education, will contribute to the analysis of the theory and practice relationship that moves the production of knowledge in the field of school education.

Finally, for our part, as editors of the School and Educational Psychology Journal, we believe that sharing studies, research and coherent practices in this field contribute to strengthening works and expanding understanding of the educational phenomenon, so that our children and adolescents can learn and develop in a future of a beautiful day. As Gal Costa sang so well, “It is necessary to be attentive and strong”!²

Referências

• Arantes, G. (1996). Amanhã https://guilhermearantes.com.br/site/album-1996-amanha/
  » https://guilhermearantes.com.br/site/album-1996-amanha/
• Meira, M. E. M. (2003). Construindo uma concepção crítica de Psicologia Escolar: Contribuições da Pedagogia Histórico-Crítica e da Psicologia Sócio-Histórica. In: Meira, M. E. M.; Antunes, M. A. M. (Eds.), Psicologia Escolar: Teorias Críticas São Paulo: Casa do Psicólogo.
• Sartini, B. C. (2021). Da ética marxista à psicologia vigotskiana: apontamentos para uma síntese (Dissertação de Mestrado, Programa de Pós-graduação em Psicologia, Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia). Recuperado de https://repositorio.ufu.br/bitstream/123456789/31708/3/EticaMarxistaPsicologia.pdf
  » https://repositorio.ufu.br/bitstream/123456789/31708/3/EticaMarxistaPsicologia.pdf
• Saviani, D. (1991). Pedagogia Histórico-crítica - primeiras aproximações São Paulo: Cortez: Autores Associados.

• 1
  Report published by G1 - https://g1.globo.com/economia/de-olho-no-orcamento/noticia/2022/11/03/recuperacao-do-ensino-pos-pandemia-educacao-basica-tem-menor-previsao-orcamentaria-em-11-anos.ghtml
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  Song composed by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  19 Dec 2022
• Date of issue
  2022