O jardim de infância do Grupo Escolar Henrique Emílio Meyer de Caxias do Sul-RS(1946-1956)

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyze the schooling processes developed in the Kindergarten of the Henrique Emílio Meyer School Group (GEHEM) of Caxias do Sul, from 1946 to 1956, based on memories and documents comprising the meanings attributed to childhood in the city from Caxias do Sul, RS. The period adopted is from 1946, the date of creation of the kindergarten, to 1956, a date stipulated by the fact of finding subjects who agreed to be interviewed for this research. This is a qualitative research in the theoretical perspective of Cultural History, based on Roger Chartier (1988; 2001), Peter Burke (1992; 2008), as well as dialogues with the work of Bastos (2001; 2011; 2017), between others. We used the methodology of Oral History, with a script of questions, and of Historical Document Analysis, considering laws, decrees, newspapers, photographs accessed in different archives. Caxias do Sul, a municipality in Serra Gaúcha, had its formation from a Brazilian immigration policy that of populating vacant lands, with European labor, at the end of the 19th century. The European migratory process took place in the region from 1875 onwards, with the arrival of Italian immigrants. From 1930 onwards, there were changes in the level of industries in Caxias do Sul. Thus, with the development of industry, the urban population grew rapidly, as did the city, requiring an organization and changes in the urban area through infrastructure planning to meet the population's demands. It is in this context that the GEHEM building is built, with Art Déco characteristics, which reflected the modernization of the Getúlio Vargas government. In 1946, the GEHEM Kindergarten is created. The Monteiro Lobato Children's Park, the first children's park in Caxias do Sul, inaugurated in 1953. Its construction aimed to attract the population to outdoor leisure activities, with a focus on education, literature and interaction between neighbors and residents of the surrounding area. Regarding the analysis of the practices developed in the GEHEM Kindergarten, from 1946 to 1956, based on the memories of former students, it was possible to notice the presence of some structuring principles of Kindergarten in the garden practices: playing, educating and caring from the perspective of hygiene practices. The daily life of the garden permeated by the practices of nationalization of education, especially at times of parties, civic parades and celebrations of civic dates. In addition, the presence of Catholicism in the daily life of the garden, manifested in the time of prayer, in storytelling and in the commemorations of dates such as Easter and St. John. The rite of passage with the graduation party, transition to another stage of Education, symbolizing the authorization to move forward. The research made it possible to reflect on the history of Early Childhood Education in this location and the ways in which childhood, since the 1940s, has been part of the municipality's political projects and horizons. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]