this article focuses on the discourse of school managers in the political, administrative and pedagogical context of public elementary schools in brazil. therefore, we refer to clarice lispector's prose, especially to her now-instant concept and to michel foucault's propositions about the power relations and governmentality. using the metaphor of the mirror, this study aims to demonstrate, through a qualitative perspective, the multiplicity of images-speech of managers in the exercise of school managers in which they would be represented. the data collection was realized through semi-structured interviews with seventeen managers from schools of the first and the second segment of elementary education in a municipality of santa catarina. the ideas presented throughout the text subsidize new approaches and actions on school management in the scope of teaching and local government. the results show an alternative to rethink the school management from the perspective of foucault's theoretical framework.
school management; power; governmentality; now-instant.