COVID Conversations: A Collaborative Self-Study of Four Teacher Educators

Abstract

This collective self-study chronicles the experiences and reflections of four women teacher educators living and working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collected between March 2020 and December 2021 centered on the following question: what were we, as teacher educators, experiencing professionally and personally as a result of the pandemic? The COVID-19 context presented a unique set of challenges and an additional layer of complexity highlighting intersections of policy, teacher education, and societal expectations. Findings connected to our professional identities as teacher educators included the need to reframe professional expectations and the impacts to historical narratives in teacher education. Personally, the complexity of mixing the personal and professional spheres and increased personal responsibilities emerged. Findings from this study reaffirm that when we have opportunities to access and learn from the lived experiences of others, we are better positioned to understand ourselves and the personal and professional roles we take on.