DIVERSITY: RELATING EDUCATION AND THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY

Abstract

The school is a roominess made up of people, so we could say, of differences. However, these differences can be used to sustain power relations and create hierarchies between people. This being said, the article is the result of a dissertation that aimed to evaluate the perception of educators in the second segment of Elementary School in the public network of the city of Petrópolis concernig which diversities have been recognized in the school environment and understand how these educators whether or not they have worked with the differences in these roominess. For this chapter, the objective was to discuss the perception of educators about diversities at school, problematizing the power relations that create hierarchies and the role of Psychology in the fight to guarantee rights and confront prejudgement and discrimination. To this end, a focus group was held with educators from a municipal school in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. The results indicate that sexuality and gender are the most frequently identified themes and, although there are laws and resolutions that cover diversity, the school remains, at times, a scene of prejudgement. On the other hand, some advances can be seen, such as committed teachers, who are responsible for addressing diversity in classes, regardless of the discipline or position. In contrast, there are disagreements among educators themselves about whether or not they are considering diversity in school activities and projects. The participants demonstrated that they included some diversities (sexuality and culture) more naturally, in addition to highlighting the importance of representation and continued training.