Narrativas (auto)biográficas em cartas: percepções de acadêmicas sobre a formação no curso de Educação do Campo da UFT - Câmpus Arraias

Abstract

This aims to analyze (auto) biographical narratives produced by graduating students of the Rural Education Licentiate program at the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT) – Arraias Campus, seeking to understand perceptions, experiences, and meanings attributed to the formative process. To this end, letters written by eighth-semester students were used, invited through a message sent to the class group, with the intention of sharing their experiences, challenges, learnings, and advice for future students entering the program. The research is based on a qualitative approach, inspired by (auto) biographical studies and epistolary writing as a device for memory, formation, and reflection. The narratives reveal trajectories marked by the reconciliation between personal life, motherhood, work, and study, highlighting persistence, family support, and affective bonds as central elements for permanence and success at the university. The letters also highlight the transformative role of the course in promoting the recognition of the identities, knowledge, and practices of rural subjects, reinforcing the importance of contextualized, emancipatory education committed to rural communities. It is evident that the training in the course significantly contributed to the construction of the participants' teaching identity, strengthening their sense of belonging and valuing Rural Education as a space for resistance, dialogue, and knowledge production. It is concluded that the methodology based on letter writing allowed for the emergence of sensitive memories and experiences, becoming a powerful instrument for understanding formative paths and inspiring new generations of educators in/from rural areas