EDUCATION, DISCIPLINE AND ENGAGEMENT IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND TEACHING STRATEGIES IN CONTEXTS OF SOCIAL VULNERABILITY

Abstract

This article presents a report of teaching experience at the Gustavo Kulmann State School, located on the outskirts of Cuiabá-MT, with classes of the 6th and 7th grades of Elementary School. From the experience in the classroom, the text analyzes challenges related to indiscipline and student disinterest, intensified by social, economic and cultural issues. Most students live in a situation of vulnerability, facing poverty, violence, family breakdown and lack of access to basic resources, which compromises their motivation and learning. In view of this, the article defends the need for pedagogical practices that consider local knowledge and dialogue with the peripheral reality, often devalued in traditional schools. The central proposal is the valorization of an active, critical and inclusive pedagogy, centered on student protagonism and sensitive listening to the educator. The text highlights the importance of continuing education, teacher reflection and the adoption of methodologies that promote student engagement, making teaching more meaningful. By articulating theory and practice, the study shows how the ethical and social commitment of the teacher can transform public education into a space of resistance and emancipation.