The "Now Normal": Mid- and Late-Career Educators’ Emotional Experiences in Post-Pandemic Teaching
Location
Preston 2
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
It has been widely reported that, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, and attrition have increased. While attrition has leveled off somewhat since U.S. schools reopened, teachers’ mental health and wellbeing have not recovered in kind. For this qualitative study, in-depth interviews with 10 mid- and late-career teachers from two states in the southeastern United States were analyzed to understand their emotional experiences within the post-pandemic educational context as well as how they make meaning of the changes they perceive in their work. Preliminary findings speak to a troubling dynamic in most (but not all) districts. Specifically, findings reveal increased teacher accountability regarding student achievement despite substantial student learning and skills gaps resulting from pandemic school closures, along with reduced teacher autonomy (particularly related to restrictive state-level education laws) and a pervasive lack of support and resources. Teachers attribute increased feelings of frustration and exhaustion to these and other changes they see as part of the “now normal.” Additional findings point to specific ways mid- and late-career teachers regulate their emotions and cope with demands in order to finish out their careers on their own terms. Implications for supporting teachers in this “now normal” are discussed.
Keywords
teacher emotions, stress and coping, emotion regulation
Professional Bio
Dr. Rachel E. Gaines is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology in Kennesaw State University’s Department of Secondary and Middle Grades Education. She studies teacher stress, coping, burnout, emotions, and emotion regulation. She is particularly interested in how teachers’ background and prior experiences inform their perceptions of their occupational contexts and their feelings about work. Prior to earning her Ph.D. in educational psychology, Dr. Gaines taught 6th and 8th grade English/language arts.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Gaines, Rachel E.; Chang, Mei-Lin; Palmer, Melinda; and Mosley, Kristen C., "The "Now Normal": Mid- and Late-Career Educators’ Emotional Experiences in Post-Pandemic Teaching" (2024). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 26.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2024/2024/26
The "Now Normal": Mid- and Late-Career Educators’ Emotional Experiences in Post-Pandemic Teaching
Preston 2
It has been widely reported that, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, and attrition have increased. While attrition has leveled off somewhat since U.S. schools reopened, teachers’ mental health and wellbeing have not recovered in kind. For this qualitative study, in-depth interviews with 10 mid- and late-career teachers from two states in the southeastern United States were analyzed to understand their emotional experiences within the post-pandemic educational context as well as how they make meaning of the changes they perceive in their work. Preliminary findings speak to a troubling dynamic in most (but not all) districts. Specifically, findings reveal increased teacher accountability regarding student achievement despite substantial student learning and skills gaps resulting from pandemic school closures, along with reduced teacher autonomy (particularly related to restrictive state-level education laws) and a pervasive lack of support and resources. Teachers attribute increased feelings of frustration and exhaustion to these and other changes they see as part of the “now normal.” Additional findings point to specific ways mid- and late-career teachers regulate their emotions and cope with demands in order to finish out their careers on their own terms. Implications for supporting teachers in this “now normal” are discussed.
