Abstract
The aim of this study was to understand, along with teachers from the early years of elementary school, the meanings attributed to challenges in the teaching career. Twelve teachers participated in a focus group held in a public school. Their reports were recorded in audio and video and analyzed through core signification technique, using as theoretical reference the Historical-Cultural Psychology perspective. The data obtained showed that the teaching career is experienced with feelings of pleasure and anguish. The teachers feel unappreciated in the exercise of their profession, both for the low salary they receive and for the interactions they establish with the students, felt as very complex andchallenging. They say their health has been affected, leading them to increasingly seek help from specialists and medication in order to deal with work issues.
Keywords
teaching career; feelings; health; stress; medicalization