Between clocks and recess: memories and transformations of time at school model Benedito Leite.

Abstract

This article analyzes the transformations of school time at the Benedito Leite Model School, in São Luís-MA, between 1900 and 1920, a period marked by the consolidation of the republican political model and the educational modernization in Brazil. In this sense, we aim to analyze time as a constant element in the school culture of the Benedito Leite Model School, in São Luís-MA, from 1900 to 1920. Methodologically, a qualitative approach based on cultural history (Roger Chartier) and studies on the school time of António Viñao Frago was adopted. School regulations, reports and messages from the school board for the State Government were analyzed, with emphasis on the organization of school time and its cultural, pedagogical and social implications. The temporal cut (1900-1920) covers the founding of the school and the first phase of institutionalization of school groups in Maranhão. The results show that school time was rationalized through strict hours, intervals and civic-religious calendars, connecting the school to the ideals of progress and order. Solemnities, as graduations, reinforced education as an instrument of progress and civilization. However, challenges such as epidemics, school abandonment and tensions between imposed modernity and lived realities showed the limits of this process. It was concluded that the organization of school time at the Benedito Leite Model School showed the cultural and social transformations of modernity, promoting the disciplinarization and the idea of ​​citizenship. Despite the difficulties, the school consolidated practices that shaped habits, values ​​and identities, contributing to the formation of a society adjusted to republican ideals.