LOW WAGES, HIGH DREAMS: THE CONTRADICTION OF TEACHING IN AN UNEQUAL COUNTRY

Abstract

The present article analyzes the crisis of teacher appreciation in Brazil through the contradiction expressed in the binomial “low wages and high dreams,” seeking to understand how the precariousness of teaching reflects the structural inequalities of Brazilian society. Grounded in a qualitative and bibliographic approach, the study engages in dialogue with authors of critical pedagogy and the sociology of education, such as Paulo Freire (2019), Henry Giroux (2021), Maurice Tardif (2014), Miguel Arroyo (2020), António Nóvoa (2021), Dermeval Saviani (2019), and Claude Dubar (2012), articulating the historical, political, and ethical dimensions of the teaching profession. The research demonstrates that the devaluation of teachers goes beyond salary issues, reaching the symbolic and subjective spheres, and affecting the educator’s identity and dignity. It is evident that the discourse of vocation, often used to justify governmental neglect, sustains a logic of emotional exploitation that dehumanizes the act of teaching. The findings indicate that teachers’ resistance, even in the face of institutional indifference, reaffirms teaching as a political act and an expression of hope. It is concluded that valuing teachers is not merely a labor demand but a civilizational imperative, essential to the consolidation of quality public education and a truly democratic society.