By Jonathan Glazzard and Samuel Stones
This blog explores the transitions that teachers are experiencing during the Covid-19 lockdown. It explores the challenges that they are facing and provides practical guidance to support teachers during the current time.
We conceptualise transitions as a process of adaptation to different contexts and changes in interpersonal relationships. In line with Multiple and Multi-dimensional Transitions (MMT) Theory, we view transitions as multiple and synchronous rather than linear and sequential. In addition, transitions not only impact upon individuals, but also on their families, their friends and others that they are connected to. Teachers are currently experiencing a range of different transitions. They have had to adapt quickly to new ways of working and teaching. Many are now teaching lessons online and to facilitate this, teaching resources have had to be adapted rapidly. In addition, the current lockdown has re-conceptualised the role of the teacher. They are no longer teaching the curriculum to those children who must attend school. They are providing pastoral support. Some teachers are working out in the communities supporting families by delivering food and conducting home visits. Although teachers have always supported the holistic needs of their pupils, this has become more apparent in recent weeks. Effectively, the role of the teacher has been re-framed and this has resulted in identity transitions.
Teachers have also had to adapt to social transitions. Teaching has always been about people and human connection. As teachers adapt to a different way of working, many may be mourning the loss of human interaction with colleagues and students in schools. However, they are not solely teachers. They adopt multiple identities including, but not restricted to, friends, partners, parents and other identities within their immediate and extended families. Their social connections have been disrupted and, like everyone, teachers have been forced to find new ways of maintaining social connectivity.
These professional and social transitions will also, inevitably, have resulted in psychological transitions for some. Their psychological wellbeing may have been detrimentally affected by these changes to their personal and professional lives. The limited access to the outdoors and to social networks may have resulted in negative psychological transitions. In addition, teachers may be psychologically impacted by the fact that they may not see some pupils again and they may have been detrimentally impacted by the fact that their pupils will no longer take the national examinations that they have worked tirelessly to prepare them for.
Like everyone, teachers will inevitably be worried about their own health and the health of people who they are close to. This may be exacerbated if teachers have elderly relatives who they are not able to maintain contact with. Elderly parents, grandparents and other family members are particularly vulnerable during the pandemic and they may not use technology, therefore it may be impossible to maintain contact with them. This can result in negative psychological transitions.
Our conversations with teachers in recent weeks illustrate just how much teachers are mourning the loss of human interaction with their pupils. It is evident that many are missing the humour they share with their pupils. It is also apparent that many teachers are missing seeing their pupils actually learning. Some teachers have realised that, above everything else, the wellbeing of pupils is the most important thing in education. It has made them re-focus on what is important in education and what is not. Some teachers are worried about the impact of Covid-19 on children’s mental health and wellbeing and they are already considering how they will support pupils when they return to school. Some teachers recognise the importance of supporting children’s social, emotional and mental health needs and the need for schools to address trauma is now a priority for many teachers. For some, pastoral support for young people is now a greater priority than subject learning and this will continue to be their focus when schools return. Many teachers have told us that the current pandemic has emphasised to them that they are not just educators and that schools are not just places of learning. They are hubs which serve the needs of the pupils, parents and the wider community and they have recognised the importance of linking the school with the community. Some teachers have started to critically reflect on measures of accountability which have dominated education in recent decades. Although teachers have always questioned these to some extent, the teachers that we have spoken with have questioned whether school inspections, testing and national examinations are important and whether they should be abolished.
It is sad that teachers’ psychological wellbeing is currently being detrimentally affected by negative comments on social media which ask them to justify how they are currently spending their time. We find this to be abhorrent. Teachers are front-line professionals. They continue to place themselves at risk every day. They have adapted extremely well to their reconceptualised roles and they are working extremely hard to support pupils and families. At the same time, like everyone else, they are also supporting their own families. They do not need to justify to anyone how they are spending their time.
Given the multiple and multi-dimensional transitions that teachers are currently experiencing, it is critical that they use this time to reflect on their professional roles and to consider how to best support pupils when they return to school. What this situation has hopefully provided to teachers is an opportunity to develop a work-life balance that is more sustainable in the long-term. We want teachers to return to schools when they re-open refreshed and energised rather than feeling burnt-out. They should, where possible, take this opportunity to reflect on their priorities, to consider what is important both in their personal and professional lives and to re-charge. They should not feel guilty for engaging in self-care because this will make them more effective when they return. Maintaining connectivity with family, friends and colleagues throughout this pandemic will support their psychological wellbeing. It is important to share concerns with trusted others and doing so is not a sign of weakness. Teachers should focus on the things that they can control and remember that school closures are beyond this. Above all, teachers must ensure that they look after themselves so that they can continue to look after the young people in their care. Although many teachers are now working remotely, none should feel alone. Throughout this crisis, there are plenty of organisations offering further support and advice. One of these is Education Support, providing mental health and wellbeing support to all education staff, 24/7 and 365 days a year, no matter what they’re going through. They can be contacted by telephone on 08000 562 561 and by text on 07909 341 229. To find out more about their crucial work, visit www.educationsupport.org.uk.
Professor Jonathan Glazzard is Professor of Inclusive Education in the Carnegie School of Education. He is Director of the Centre for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Education and he is Principal Researcher in the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools, at Leeds Beckett University.
Samuel Stones is an Associate Leader and Head of Year 7 at a secondary school and sixth form college in North Yorkshire. He is also a lecturer and doctoral researcher in the Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University and he works in partnership with the Centre for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Education to explore and research the role of schools in advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Image copyright: Divya Jindal-Snape
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Thanks for opening up the idea of Multiple and Multi-dimensional Transitions Theory for me, as a someone new to it. It helps to close the possible gap between the expertise of educational theorists and that of school practitioners with open comments like “Some teachers have realised that, above everything else, the wellbeing of pupils is the most important thing in education.” Expanding this to the wellbeing of adults and pupils with the idea that “Above all, teachers must ensure that they look after themselves so that they can continue to look after the young people in their care” moves beyond the language of war-fighting and heroes, “wrestling (the virus) to the ground” in the Prime Minister’s words, to that of care, reciprocal kindness and compassion. In the current context school systems that promote the use performance-related ‘tough love’ through strict-discipline & zero-tolerance, can be seen as inappropriate responses to trauma and the need to promote wellbeing and mental health of the school community as a whole. It raises questions about how to actively reframe school policy and practice around children’s Behaviour towards the strengths-based approach advocated by Positive Psychology and the related Solutions Focused approach to ensure children’s inclusion and eliminate exclusion.