Atratividade da profissão docente na educação básica1

The teaching profession has always been of great importance to the development of societies. However, this activity has been devalued over the course of our history, suffering unprecedented losses that it once had, through a gradual process of depreciation and proletarianization of the teaching profession, directly impacting on the attraction and retention of professionals, who decide to dedicate themselves to other activities considered more advantageous. In Brazil, this process has hit elementary school teachers hardest, and there are many factors that have contributed to this loss of prestige. The article aims to shed light on various factors that have had an impact on this process: low pay, inadequate training, reduced social prestige, challenging working conditions, work overload, among others.This profession needs to be given a new meaning in order to attract better-trained professionals, seeking to restore the prestige of this essential activity and, consequently, interest in practicing it.