TENSION IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY OF COLOMBIAN RURAL TEACHERS

Abstract

The identity of the rural teacher is configured in close relationship with the territory, the community and sociocultural dynamics. More than a transmitter of content, the rural teacher is a mediator between knowledge and a companion of community processes. As an approach to the problem, it is denoted that the professional identity of the Colombian rural teacher is configured in a complex scenario, marked by various cultural and pedagogical tensions. Unlike urban teachers, rural teachers face challenges such as geographical isolation, institutional precariousness, invisibilization of local knowledge, and a constant struggle for recognition. The above challenges the urban-centric model of teacher training, which often ignores the particularities of the rural environment. Therefore, the article refers to the importance of recognizing the identity of the rural teacher. Justifying its development in the historical invisibilization of teaching work in rural contexts from a fragmented identity, marked by stigma. From this appreciation, a methodology based on the qualitative approach was referred, relying on the interpretative paradigm, so it assumed a hermeneutical method. Generating as a contribution a proposal and some final reflections which emphasize that the teacher in rural contexts requires a transformation that involves the transmission of academic content, but that he also considers indispensable in the training process from the recognition of the cultural, historical and social wealth that inhabits the territories, allowing the teacher to become an active subject in the construction of contextualized knowledge.