The Manual Labor in Schools: Reflections on the Challenges of Implementing and Maintaining Educational Projects from a Teaching Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20952/jrks6120209Abstract
The present article aims to reflect on the challenges faced by basic education teachers in the execution and maintenance of school projects involving practical and structural activities, commonly referred to as “manual labor.” The discussion emerges from the authors’ experience—teachers with over two decades of work in the public education system—and analyzes the role of teachers in the implementation, monitoring, and continuity of pedagogical actions that demand time, physical effort, planning, and specific material conditions. It is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Tardif (2012), Saviani (2008), and Freire (1996), as well as in practical contributions from the guide Horta Escolar – Clubes de Ciências do Campo (UFRGS, 2021), which support the understanding of teaching work, pedagogical practice, and the relevance of non-formal educational spaces in Science and Biology education. The study identifies obstacles such as lack of time, scarcity of materials, and absence of technical support staff—factors that hinder not only the execution but also the continuous maintenance of projects and their pedagogical spaces. These challenges highlight the need for participatory planning, collaborative management, and institutional recognition of maintenance as a pedagogical dimension of school work. It is concluded that “manual labor”—when understood in its entirety, including both execution and maintenance—constitutes an essential and formative dimension of teaching practice, as it connects action to reflection, physical space to the learning process, and teachers to the school community. Thus, it requires not only didactic planning but also institutional support, adequate infrastructure, and the appreciation of the practical, continuous, and collaborative dimensions of educational work.
Keywords: teaching work; school projects; science education; educational spaces; school maintenance.
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References
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