‘Stretched very thin’: the impact of COVID-19 on teachers’ work lives and well-being

Abstract

ABSTRACT The spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the globe has had a significant impact on teachers and teaching with countries around the world closing schools in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Such a mass cessation of traditional face-to-face teaching has required schools and teachers to move rapidly to remote and, primarily, online learning and teaching. In this paper, we draw on a study conducted in Australia during the period of June–July 2020 to examine the impact of this shift to remote teaching on teachers’ work lives and well-being. Using an ecological framework to guide the study, we collected data from 137 Australian teachers via an online questionnaire. The findings reveal the multiple challenges teachers faced as they sought to implement quality teaching and learning for their students. The challenges facing teachers included an intensification of work; managing caregiving responsibilities while teaching remotely; being the subject of media debate; and learning new technologies and ways of working. We argue that given both the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the skills developed by teachers, there exist opportunities to enact change at both an individual and systemic level to support more equitable practices and foster teacher well-being.