Introduction

In order to analyze the formative trajectories of three retired Physical Education teachers - Antônio Carlos Ferraz de Andrade (in memory), Romilda Augusta dos Santos Ribeiro and Dinalva Aparecida Dantas Pardo - in order to present reflections supported by their life stories, this article is based on a section of a Doctoral Thesis (^{Costa, 2017}).

The thesis, developed between 2014 and 2017 in the Graduate Program in Education at the Federal University of São Carlos, analyzed the life stories of these teachers in the construction of teaching knowledge in the context of the early years of elementary school at the São Paulo State Department of Education (Seduc) in the 1980s and 1990s.

In the thesis, the methodological choice was life stories as qualitative research (^{Bogdan & Biklen, 1994}). The fundamental role of life stories, according to ^{Cruz Neto (1994}, p. 58), is to "[...] portray the experiences lived, as well as the definitions provided by people, groups or organizations [...]", and they can be written down or told orally. The life stories of the PhD research participants were captured through in-depth interviews (out-of-school, school, training and professional trajectories) and documentary analysis (iconographic data, legislation and documents) in April and May 2015. According to the author, interviews represent the possibility of an intense dialog between the researcher and the researched, who can develop the suggested subject freely. "[...] documents are used to contextualize the phenomenon, explain its deeper links and complete the information collected through other sources" (^{André, 1998}, p. 28).

Being a retired teacher and having taught in the early years in the 1980s and 1990s were some of the criteria used by ^{Costa (2017}) to search for and select the participants, which represented the focus on performance at this level of education at the first moment in the history of Physical Education in the state of São Paulo, when classes were taught by a teacher with professional training in the area.

The process of constructing the themes of analysis - referring to the teaching knowledge that emerged from the different trajectories - was also based on the data itself and made it possible to grasp several trajectories in the same life story (^{Costa, 2017}). The teachers' narratives were analyzed using these themes.

According to ^{Monteiro (2006}), research that makes use of teachers' life trajectories reveals many of the representations that underpin their practices, making it possible to define the pedagogical reasoning and actions that influence professional training and, at the same time, contribute to this process.

In ^{Costa's (2014}) study, which focused on the practices of a novice Physical Education teacher, with considerations for the process of building her knowledge during her career, it became evident that she drew on knowledge from different sources, especially from her own life trajectory in the practice of gymnastics as an athlete and as a student in proposing and developing this content with students in the early years.

One of the sets of characteristics of a 'good teacher' presented by ^{Cunha (2014}), for example, refers to the fundamental influences recognized by 'good teachers', alluding to their own personalities: of the school trajectory, the teacher-student relationship and the reproduction of teaching attitudes evaluated in a positive way and/or the repulsion of attitudes evaluated in a negative way; of the knowledge built up in the exercise of the profession through exchanges with peers and students, reflection on practice and the reformulation of what they do and are; of professional training, especially when it corresponds to the demands of practice and triggers a process of reflection on that practice; and of social practice, when they present clarity regarding the choices made for the purposes of social transformation and understand the teaching role beyond the classroom.

Thus, we present important aspects of the life stories of retired Physical Education teachers (^{Costa, 2017}) in order to understand their training processes. In order to analyse the formative trajectories, which is the aim of this article, we organized the results into the following topics: 'Formative processes in non-school life'; 'Formative processes in school life' and 'Professional formative processes: opting for teaching'.

As we are recovering the personal and formative trajectories of these teachers, we consider the time and space of training in the analysis of their life stories and teaching knowledge. This consideration elucidates our way of looking at them, since our perspective is based on a study that places teachers in their historical and social context.

Formative processes in out-of-school life

In the narratives of teachers Antônio Carlos, Romilda Augusta and Dinalva Aparecida (^{Costa, 2017}), we can see the influences of various people (parents, siblings, teachers, cousins, uncles, mothers, maternal grandparents, stepfathers, etc.) on their education and the choices they made. These influences are elucidated by ^{Monteiro (2019}), ^{Reali and Reyes (2009}) and ^{Tancredi (2009}), according to whom learning to teach is a lifelong process.

For example, the strong and constant presence of Antônio's father at events (sporting or otherwise) illustrates the paternal perspective and values in relation to these practices, explaining how, according to ^{Tardif (2008}), the influences of family life occur. Among these influences, the reference to the "[...] 'favorite teacher' who significantly influenced the person as a young student" (^{Goodson, 1995}, p. 72, emphasis added) also stands out. In Antônio's accounts, we see the 'favorite teacher' in the person of Professor 'Sodré' in the practice of basketball. This teacher's influences correspond to his out-of-school and in-school trajectories. However, according to ^{Goodson (1995}), this reference is only one of the possible influences.

Based on his intense experiences with soccer and dance, we can confirm the influences of the knowledge that comes from extra-curricular experiences in the practice of basketball on his choice to become a teacher and, consequently, on the constitution of his teaching personality in Physical Education.

According to ^{Goodson (1995}), these trajectories - of life and the socio-cultural environment - influence the constitution of the person who is the teacher. Thus, the elements present in the life histories of teachers Antônio, Romilda and Dinalva indicate the influences of the family, social and political context, as well as explaining the process of building their personalities through their out-of-school trajectories.

In Romilda's trajectories, we also identified elements alluding to Physical Education right from the start of the interview, highlighting the bodily practices experienced by her mother in her school career, as well as references to her father (despite the short time they spent together), the various professions he held and his excellent relationship with the community.

Unlike Antônio, Romilda and Dinalva referred a lot to their mothers in the interviews because of the premature death of their fathers. The influences of their mother's attitudes and the values inherent in these attitudes (rigidity, respect, friendship, cooperation, charity, correct postures, rules of etiquette and dialog) are evident, for example, in Romilda's narratives, as well as her feeling of admiration for her mother.

It should be noted that "[...] the cultural knowledge inherited from their life trajectory and their belonging to a particular culture, which they share to a greater or lesser degree with the students [...]" (^{Tardif, 2008}, p. 297) includes, for example, the following influences: parental values - morals, respect, etc. - which Antônio considers to be preponderant in his upbringing; maternal values - honesty, valuing studies and teachers, etc. - considered beneficial by Romilda in her life; and values from living with her mother and maternal grandparents - love, respect, etc. - recognized by Dinalva.

The lives and training of these teachers are thus characterized by a strict, religious family upbringing and an emphasis on studies. This characterization produced a nostalgic feeling during the interviews, as the teachers made comparisons between the educational principles at different times in their lives.

Likewise, the nostalgic appreciation of the time was also expressed in Dinalva's description of the respect she showed for the educational principles imposed by her mother, as well as in the comparisons she made between her attitudes and those of her son today:

[...] my mother used to buy ... for example ... a piece of fruit ... and say ... 'Dina ... yours, Dei’s ... Mom's ... then danone do nono' ... everyone ate their own’s [...] not here at home ... sometimes there was a lot of chocolate there ... 'Paulo' always loved it ... everything ... whoever goes ... whoever goes first eats everything (laughs) ... and if he doesn't hide it for the other ... that's how it is... life is different today ... so different (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 94, emphasis added).

In the life stories of teachers Antônio, Romilda and Dinalva, we identified possibilities of openness to dialog promoted, respectively, by their father, mother and maternal grandparents and uncles, which contributed to the construction of the teacher-student relationship, through the integration of the affective dimension in teaching (^{Betti & Mizukami, 1997}; ^{Tardif & Raymond, 2000}; ^{Freire, 2002}; ^{Tardif, 2008}; ^{Cunha, 2014}).

The following fragment, in which Romilda refers to her mother, is representative of this construction: "[...] she was a talker [...] so much so that 'with my students ... I also talked a lot'" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 81, emphasis added).

The valuing of affectivity is also evident in the perspective of the teachers participating in the research by ^{Tardif and Raymond (2000}) and ^{Tardif (2008}), among other elements they value - work, personal characteristics, disposition and the social nature of teaching knowledge.

The affective dimension is pointed out by ^{Betti and Mizukami (1997}) as one of the points extrinsic to the person and which can be a reference for future Physical Education teachers. The authors conjectured investigative possibilities with a retired teacher, with the aim of studying how her knowledge of the profession was constructed. They presented points intrinsic and extrinsic to the person of the research participant and affirmed the need to debate these points in professional training in Physical Education.

We understand the affective dimension as one of the pieces of knowledge built up in the teachers' life stories, and we also point to the need to reflect on affectivity in the initial and continuing education of Physical Education teachers.

In teacher Dinalva's narratives, it was also possible to identify influences from living with her maternal grandparents and uncles, as well as their unconditional support, the initial difficulties faced by her mother after her father's death, her excellent relationship with her sister and stepfather (whom she referred to as 'dad' throughout the interviews), her experience of music during leisure time, her grandparents' and uncles' good relationship with the community, among other events.

According to Dinalva, the initial difficulties experienced by her mother could have been minimized if she had studied, but her grandparents' prohibition ruled out this possibility. The fact that she learned to write her own name with one of her brothers so that she could later sign it at her wedding represents, for Dinalva's mother, the social function of writing for women at the time.

Valuing the stories about her maternal grandparents is justified by the importance that Dinalva attributed to them, since she lived with them and considers them to be like her parents. Among the events reported by teachers Romilda and Dinalva, the loss of their fathers - at the age of four and two respectively - was experienced by both.

The excerpts from Romilda's and Dinalva's narratives, in the order they are presented, illustrate these events: "[...] my mother was widowed with seven children and then took on three more nephews [...] and ... I know that my mother fought to ... to take care of us [...]" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 99); "[...] I've had ... a very [teacher gets emotional at this point] [...] 'truncated' life [...] because I lost my father very early" (Costa, 2017, p. 99, emphasis added).

Teachers Antônio, Romilda and Dinalva's accounts of the intensity of their relationships with their fathers, mothers and maternal grandparents, among other elements, reveal the first lessons they learned and their first understandings of their own lives. According to ^{Josso (2004}, p. 43), "[...] the tales and stories of our childhood are the first elements of an apprenticeship that signal that to be human is also to create the stories that symbolize our understanding of the things in life".

We also observed in the teachers' narratives the nature of some of the practices they experienced in their out-of-school lives, such as soccer, somersaults, acrobatics, ring toss, juggernaut, catch-and-release, nursery rhymes, “burning game”, “cordless telephone”, “tin foot”, “coffin swing”, tic-tac-toe, hopscotch, hide-and-seek, skipping rope, religious and school activities, among others. We also noticed the recurrence of the following activities: listening to the radio and experiences with basketball, music and dance in the family, social and school contexts. In this way, we can see that bodily practices are learned through these activities and understand the type of child formed in this context.

The elements identified in the life stories also indicate the social and political influences of the time. These elements make up the teachers' personal and professional training and also explain how these processes took place through their out-of-school trajectories - summarized in this subtopic - and school trajectories, explained in the next subtopic.

Formative processes in school life

When interviewing Physical Education teachers based on oral history, ^{Corrêa (2009}, p. 23) stated that "[...] when asked to talk about their experiences at school, all the interviewees, without exception, did so with a twinkle in their eyes and an open smile, reflecting the joy of recalling their childhood stories".

These expressions representing feelings demonstrated through words, laughter and tears were also noted in Antônio Carlos, Romilda Augusta and Dinalva Aparecida (^{Costa, 2017}), given that their school careers revealed the liveliness of family influences. Parents' involvement in their children's schooling reflects religious values and shows that they value school and studying for a better future.

In the fragments of the teachers' narratives, we see the presence of a technical conception of Physical Education as the basis for the practices they experienced in their school careers, especially from the old 5th grade onwards - with a focus on games and sport in Antônio's career, gymnastics and games in Romilda's career, and dance and games in Dinalva's career.

In the competitive trend, based on the result of an amalgamation of the other trends, especially the hygienist and militarist trends, ^{Ghiraldelli Jr. (1997}, p. 20) states that Physical Education, having been reduced to high-performance sport through the subordination of its contents, has become an accessory of this sport, whose purpose has been to improve sports technique, based especially on physiological and biomechanical research, since "[...] Physical Education is synonymous with sport, and sport is synonymous with verifying performance".

In this scenario, the competitive trend influenced the Physical Education classes experienced by retired teachers. As an example of the technicalization of Physical Education at school, ^{Soares et al. (1992}, p. 54) mention "[...] the division of classes by gender, supported by specific legislation, ^{Decree 69.450/71}".

The technicalization of Physical Education, supported by the ideology spread by the 1964 coup, was based on the objective of "[...] in the area of Physical Education, promoting representative sport capable of bringing Olympic medals to the country" (^{Ghiraldelli Jr., 1997}, p. 30). In Antônio's trajectory, this influence can be seen, for example, in the fragment of his narrative referring to the profile of the successful Physical Education teacher of the time as the one who "[...] 'brought more cups home ...'. more medals for the school ... right?" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 110, emphasis added).

In Romilda's career, the passage "[...] 'everyone wanted to join my team'" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 120, emphasis added) elucidates a selection process that possibly included the most skilled students and, consequently, excluded those less developed for the chosen practice. Likewise, Dinalva's accounts show her initiatives in the dance activities she experienced as a student: "[...] 'I was very much into ... of doing ... for example, during the June season, a dance or a quadrille ... I was the ... I was the coordinator'" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 126, emphasis added). The ease with which they could demonstrate gymnastics and dance was also noted in their narratives, a factor that may have contributed to the success they described in Physical Education classes at the time.

The accounts of teachers Romilda and Dinalva simultaneously reveal their different perspectives on these classes, whose focus, according to them, was not on physical skills and training, but on good teacher-student relations, appreciation for bodily practices and the playful characteristics of the activities developed. In a contradictory way, Dinalva confirmed that she experienced classes of a competitive nature and that Physical Education teachers considered the development of the student in all its aspects.

We bring up these reflections because the Physical Education teachers who taught in the 1950s and 1960s, in which Antônio, Romilda and Dinalva were students, were trained in the context presented by ^{Ghiraldelli Jr. (1997}), with hygienist, militaristic and competitive Physical Education trends, a dictatorial regime with the 1964 coup and the technization of Physical Education, etc., the effects of which were reflected in the purpose of school teaching at the time, according to the narratives of the retired teachers.

The school careers of the retired teachers were also marked by the absence of Physical Education classes with a specialist teacher in primary school and, from the time they entered the gymnasium, by the development of Physical Education classes at different times from the other curricular components, as well as the separation of students by gender.

Despite her mother's influence and the fact that teaching was an option at the time, Romilda mentioned her interest in studying theater in Rio de Janeiro, which was put aside due to her family's financial conditions, the completion of her teaching degree and her later professional career in teaching. Romilda's situation brings us back to the accounts of one of the teachers who took part in ^{Corrêa's research (2009}). Teacher Maria Cleide Patrizi, whose schooling process in Basic Education took place in the 1940s and 1950s, also in the state of São Paulo, recounted the options available to women at the time and her lack of interest in these options.

Unlike Romilda, Dinalva was convinced by the teaching course, which she also said was a common option at the time. Despite initially failing the entrance exam, the idea of becoming a teacher always stayed with her. The passage "[...] I wanted to be a teacher so much ... because I've been dating for a long time ... I've already ... sure I'm going to get married [...]" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 131) illustrates this relationship between teaching as a career option for 'married' women (^{Corrêa, 2009}). However, for Dinalva, this option was related to her enchantment with the profession due to the teachers she had during her schooling process in Basic Education.

In the same way, Antônio's narratives identified his appreciation of teacher 'Sodré' and teacher 'Darli'. The importance attributed to the supervised internship practice by teacher 'Darli', in particular to the teaching activity, is in line with some studies (^{Tardif & Raymond, 2000}; ^{Tardif, 2008}) which present a perspective of valuing the knowledge acquired through teaching practice.

Corroborating Antônio's accounts, we consider the friendship with their teachers in Basic Education reported by Romilda and Dinalva as influences explained by ^{Goodson (1995}) regarding the 'favorite teacher' and visualized in the teachers' narratives referring to their out-of-school and school trajectories.

Thus, these elements reveal the relationship between knowledge and the identity of teachers and their life stories, their development through their accounts, the process of building their teaching personalities through the identification of these influences and the contributions of this type of study with regard to teaching identity.

Professional training processes: opting for teaching

In order to contemplate a multiplicity of relationships between the knowledge and trajectories of retired Physical Education teachers, we understand, based on ^{Moita (1995}, p. 115), that no training takes place in a vacuum, since this process involves "[...] exchange, experience, social interactions, learning, an endless [sic] of relationships. To have access to the way in which each person is formed is to take into account the uniqueness of their history and, above all, the unique way in which they act, react and interact with their contexts".

The retired teachers' vision of professional training contains signs of Physical Education centered on the integral formation of the human being, as explained by ^{Betti (1991}) and ^{São Paulo (1990}).

This concern, present in the teachers' narratives, is based, according to Antônio, on the use of Physical Education "[...] as an instrument for personal development" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 154), in a criticism of the conception of Physical Education focused on the physical development of the individual present in Romilda's initial training, as well as in the possibilities mentioned by Dinalva of "[...] working with these children as a whole, you know? like them" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 162).

Romilda's account corroborates Antônio's criticism of the characteristics of the initial training at the time which, according to him, "[...] was to form an athletics team ... was to form a basketball team ... was to form a volleyball team ... was to form a swimming team [...]" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 153). In addition to the emphasis on physical development and sport mentioned by Antônio and Romilda, Dinalva denounced the absence of practices aimed at 'pre-school' and 'primary' students: "[...] I was talking about 5th grade ... from 5th grade onwards ... now I had to study a lot about [...] children [...] I didn't have anything in college [...] I had to study a lot [...]" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 169).

These narratives indicate, among other issues, a professional education in Physical Education based on a 'traditional-sports' curricular model, according to ^{Rangel-Betti and Betti (1996}). By characterizing the curricula used in Physical Education teacher training based on the perspective attributed to the relationship between theory and practice, the authors presented and discussed the essential criticisms and limits of the 'traditional-sports' curriculum. According to ^{Betti (1991}), this curricular model, which began at the end of the 1960s, was materialized in the following decade, along with the expansion of courses in Physical Education.

For teacher Antônio,

[...] training sportspeople is easy ... it's more tangible [...] you select ... you set up the team ... now ... if I make the citizen... that's subjective ... and we didn't know how to apply that ... That's it, professor... this is one of the flaws in our ... or in our training ... or in the curriculum itself ... not providing the conditions to properly characterize the role of Physical Education as citizenship ... not training athletes ... because training athletes is easy (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 169).

In addition, the reports suggest a cult of the formation of a teacher profile whose classes should be developed based on a technization of Physical Education (^{Soares et al., 1992}; ^{Ghiraldelli Jr., 1997}; ^{Borges, 2001}).

At the same time, teachers Romilda and Dinalva reported having taken various technical courses throughout their training, due to the need for a greater understanding of some sports which, in the practices they experienced during their initial training, were more playful than sport-specific.

By highlighting this concern with sports technique, we are also affirming an inclination towards didactic transposition, a skill that, according to Romilda's narratives, should be developed in teaching. We understand the criticisms made by Physical Education teachers of initial training based on an analysis of events at the time, especially Decree 69.450/1971, which regulated Physical Education as an 'activity' with a focus on 'physical fitness' (^{Brasil, 1971}; ^{Betti, 1991}).

According to ^{Betti (1991}, p. 100), the period from 1969 to 1979 "[...] marked the rise of sport as a reason for the state and the inclusion of the Physical Education/Sport binomial in the government's strategic planning". This fact, as well as contributing to the subordination of the area to sport (^{Betti, 1991}; ^{Ghiraldelli Jr., 1997}; ^{Borges, 2001}), with effects on educational and professional training policies, represented a perspective of education as an element that contributes to the development of the nation's economy and a transfer of attention, until then dedicated to secondary education, to Higher Education. Between 1964 and 1968, this type of education came under pressure from the middle classes, which led to the so-called 'university crisis' and the resulting 'MEC-Usaid Agreements⁷' between the government and the Agency for International Development (AID), as well as Law No. 5,540⁸ of November 28, 1968 (^{Betti, 1991}).

The period mentioned above by ^{Betti (1991}) represented an expansion and consequent popularization of Higher Education by private institutions, which included Physical Education. It's worth mentioning that the three participants in the doctoral research studied for a full degree in Physical Education between 1969 and 1973 at private higher education institutions which, at the time, had a satisfactory amount of materials and spaces available to carry out the practices proposed and developed by their teachers.

Reflecting on professional training and the model of 'technical rationality⁹' that has sustained it, ^{Souza Neto (1999}) adds that, in addition to the interests of the state in the process of the origin and constitution of universities, these institutions have always manifested (and still manifest), in their training actions, the social and economic interests of certain times and places. He also states that it was in this context - initially European and North American - that Brazilian institutions developed and also promoted the rise of training and professional practice in Physical Education in the 20th century.

According to the author, the period from 1969 to 1973, in which retired Physical Education teachers studied for their degree, follows the questioning that demanded, by means of Law No. 4.024/1961 (^{Brazil, 1961}), the need for a core of subjects - the 'minimum curriculum' - and a 'complementary part' (determined by the institution itself and with consideration for local characteristics) that corresponded to "[...] adequate cultural and professional training" (^{Souza Neto, 1999}, p. 61).

With the intention of strengthening teacher training, the author also stated that the same law required a 'pedagogical part' in the curriculum of the course, a characteristic that already made up the other courses in the faculties of philosophy. Thus, some changes were established by the Federal Education Council (CFE) in the context of teacher training by means of Opinions No. 292 and No. 298 of 1962, which selected subjects of an educational nature, introduced internship practice into the degree curricula and required 'high school' as a prerequisite for Physical Education and Sports Technique courses, respectively (^{Souza Neto, 1999}). "The implementation of the opinions issued in 1962, however, did not come to fruition in practice, and training in Physical Education continued to be different from other degrees" (^{Borges, 2001}, p. 27).

The educational subjects selected by Opinion No. 292/1962 were established seven years later (including internship practice), through CFE Resolution No. 9, of October 6, 1969, which established "[...] the minimum content and duration to be allocated to pedagogical training in undergraduate courses" (^{Souza Neto, 1999}, p. 63). That same year, according to the author, the discussions regarding the 'minimum curriculum' in professional training in Physical Education were revived by CFE Opinion No. 894, of December 2 (which fostered CFE Resolution No. 69/1969).

We can see the inclusion of these educational subjects in the transcripts of teachers Romilda and Dinalva: Pedagogy; Psychology, Applied Psychology and/or Educational Psychology; General Theory and Philosophy of Education; Sociology; History and Methodology of Physical Education and General and Physical Education Didactics. Both studied Physical Education in the same institution, city and period, just one year apart from each other: Romilda took the course between 1969 and 1971, and Dinalva between 1970 and 1972. The two teachers also took technical courses in basketball and volleyball, which lasted one year and were offered by the same institution.

Despite the similarities, the subjects Biology, Physiology, Sociology, History and Methodology of Physical Education, General Didactics and Physical Education, Recreation, Structure and Functioning of High School Teaching, Basketball and Volleyball (present in Dinalva's transcript), made up the curriculum of Romilda's class in adaptation for the purpose of the Sports Technician course. This data corresponds to the aforementioned CFE Opinion No. 298/1962 which, according to ^{Souza Neto (1999}), proposed, among other measures, in addition to the 'minimum curriculum', the 'complementary part' and the 'pedagogical part', the specialization in two more sports in the Sports Technique courses. However, the author added that "[...] CFE Opinion No. 298/62 was not transformed into a resolution and was taken up by CFE Opinion No. 894/69" (^{Souza Neto, 1999}, p. 63).

For ^{Souza Neto (1999}, p. 64), the efforts of the initial training in Physical Education consisted of "[...] preparing professionals to work both in school (primary and secondary education) and outside school (sports training in clubs, sports schools, gyms), since teaching was understood in a broad sense".

Coincidentally, the three participants in the doctoral research studied teaching, physical education and pedagogy. The Pedagogy course was undertaken by them with different interests. For Antônio, it represented a solid basis for working in teaching, regardless of the area in which he worked, as well as opening up other possibilities for professional work - management and/or coordination. For Romilda, it was a necessity in terms of her professional performance as a generalist teacher¹⁰. And for Dinalva, the course represented an evolution in her teaching career; however, she claimed that the training did not add anything financially.

Among these training paths, it is worth mentioning that only teachers Antônio and Dinalva completed specializations in Teaching Methodology and Didactics and Volleyball, respectively.

The narratives of teachers Antônio, Romilda and Dinalva reveal, among many elements, some personal characteristics such as observation, the ability to take initiative (participation in the Academic Directory, investing in courses, helping teachers during their initial training, etc.), the desire for new learning, dedication and commitment to professional training and a willingness to change.

The following fragment, taken from one of Romilda's reports, elucidates one of these characteristics - the constant desire for perfection in the actions undertaken: "[...] I wanted to do ... everything perfect [...]" (^{Costa, 2017}, p. 177). This assertion signals the presence and influence of personal characteristics in teachers' professional training.

Confirming Antônio, Romilda and Dinalva's vision of their professional future was related to teaching. The teachers' involvement in courses aimed at school physical education - recreation, athletics, educational methodology, sports and leisure seminars, cultural expansion, children's physical education, training in curriculum guides, etc. - can be identified as a characteristic that permeated their careers. However, in the teachers' initial training, we observed that it was not compulsory for Antônio to do an internship, Romilda characterized it as a successful situation and, for Dinalva, it was limited to school games.

In the same way, the analyses in this subtopic reveal the multiple relationships between the teachers' knowledge and training processes through the confirmation/development of certain values in teacher training (teaching and physical education), the interaction of elements from out-of-school and school life in initial training, the successes and failures perceived as future teachers, the development of interpersonal relationships, among others. Based on these life stories, the last topic presents the knowledge that emerged from their different training processes.

Final considerations

Based on the aim of this article, we have analyzed the formative trajectories of three retired Physical Education teachers and presented reflections supported by their life stories. The reconstitution of these trajectories portrays the situations they experienced and defined, as well as contributing to an understanding of the reality of teaching through the analysis of their life stories.

By understanding these trajectories, we have identified elements that also elucidate them as formative processes and illustrate the process of teacher identity formation. These elements are manifested through their out-of-school, school and formative lives, which are fundamental in guiding their narratives and, at the same time, reveal the knowledge that has been built up based on their life stories.

From the out-of-school trajectories, knowledge emerged from family and contextual influences, as well as the marks of these influences on their own lives. Reflections on the choice of teaching and Physical Education, the influences of other teachers - on the choice of teaching - and the work done in the family context also make up the participants' knowledge.

From the school trajectories, the knowledge emerged from reflections on the schooling process itself during Basic Education and the relationship developed with this process in the public school system, influences and family ties in the school activities and relationships developed and in the personal and formative trajectory itself, the evaluation of the school's material conditions and conjectures regarding traditional teaching practices experienced as a student. Knowledge also emerged based on reflections on bodily practices experienced in school and non-school environments and various school practices, on the influences of the characteristics of the Physical Education teacher considered successful at different times and in different contexts, on the influences of teaching practices of different kinds, on the recognition of some characteristics as marks of personality and on reflections on gaps in the schooling process itself, based on the practices experienced in the school trajectory.

From the professional training trajectories, the knowledge that emerged corresponds to the Physical Education, Pedagogy and other continuing training courses taken by the participants. This knowledge comes from a variety of influences: bodily practices aimed at the initial levels of schooling, working as a teacher concurrently with initial training, personal characteristics during training, intense interactions and learning with course colleagues, as well as elements of out-of-school and school life and training itself. Other knowledge emerged from reflections on traditional teaching practices experienced at university, the educational aims of Physical Education in the student's education and the perspective that underpins the practices developed. Analyses relating to their own investment in continuing education, their own successes and failures as undergraduates, the material conditions at university and the gaps in their own education also make up the knowledge of retired teachers.

Thus, the elements identified in the life stories of Antônio Carlos, Romilda Augusta and Dinalva Aparecida crossed time and manifested themselves in their personal and training trajectories (to a lesser or greater extent), especially in the knowledge they built up. The analysis of their training processes showed that their knowledge and identities were built up over the course of their lives and training. Based on the interviews conducted with these teachers, it was possible to see how their knowledge was built up amid the successes and difficulties experienced in their personal and formative journeys.

We believe that the knowledge emerging from these trajectories can constitute content for teacher training and should therefore be addressed in initial training courses and in continuing training programs and actions, so that it underpins/guides teachers in their professional work, with solutions to the challenges present in basic education in the public school system. Among this knowledge, the following stand out: the choice to become a teacher, the influences of 'good teachers', reflections on their own schooling and professional training processes and the bodily practices they have experienced, the recognition of personal traits, interactions and learning with peers in their training paths and an understanding of the aims of Physical Education in students' education.

Corroborating ^{Borges (2001}), we affirm that the elements identified contribute to reflecting on the knowledge that emerged from the different trajectories of retired teachers. This knowledge should be considered in professional training courses in Physical Education, with a focus on professional practice in the early years. Likewise, they favor public policies for teacher training, since they were elucidated based on the contributions of life stories and Physical Education.

Although we have analyzed the training processes of these teachers, we are aware of the impossibility of grasping and recording all the trajectories that make up the life history of each one of them. It is therefore necessary to develop further studies on the life stories and training processes of Physical Education teachers in the context of the early years.