Teacher Professionalism During the Pandemic

This is a book packed full of irresistibly powerful stories from teachers as they faced the consequences of the pandemic. We hear of doubts, fears and exhaustion but ultimately this is a book that emphasises hope and the power of teacher collegiality. A great reminder of all that our profession stands for. Dame Alison Peacock, Chief Executive Chartered College of Teaching, UK This insightful, scholarly book deserves full attention from anyone who cares deeply about improving the work and lives of teachers and enabling them to remain enthusiastic, dedicated and passionate about the difference that they strive to make in their daily classrooms. Using real stories from real teachers in real schools, the authors remind us how physically, intellectually and emotionally challenging the teaching profession is and how deeply and profoundly the unprecedented pandemic has tested the strengths of teachers’ professionalism and capacity to serve. However, and perhaps most importantly, these stories also give us hope and promise because, in many ways, they reinforce an old truth about teachers and teaching: although schools alone cannot address the structural disruptions caused by the pandemic, in such testing times, they represent an oasis of hope where many knowledgeable, committed and caring teachers have learned to give their best to inspire the learning and achievement of young minds. As such, this book represents a new landmark in the continuous building of knowledge space on why and how teachers matter. Qing Gu, Director, UCL Centre for Educational Leadership, UCL Institute of Education, UK This book is impressive and timely. It makes a compelling case of how teachers responded to one of the most difficult challenges of their lives. Based on rich longitudinal empirical evidence,: Teacher professionalism during the pandemic: resilience, courage, and care shows the complexity and multidimensionality of teaching and the significance of relationships in teachers’ work and wellbeing. It presents inspiring stories of courage, commitment and hope that clearly demonstrate who teachers are, what they do and why. This is a valuable contribution to the field and a must read book for all those who are interested in better understanding teachers’ work and lives. Maria Assunção Flores, Editor, European Journal of Teacher Education, University of Minho, Portugal Mostly, it seems, when addressing the effects of Covid-19 on education only bad news follows. Drawing on a two-year study involving journal writing and on-line interviews of 36 English primary and secondary teachers in 6 primary and 3 secondary schools, Teacher Professionalism During the Pandemic: Resilience, Courage, and Care complicates and repaints part of the picture. Not all news, it turns out, is bad news. In fact, following the initial “extreme turbulence” caused by the pandemic, as reported, many teachers rediscovered “what it means to be a committed professional in challenging times.” Speaking for themselves, many of the teachers report developing new skill sets, reemphasizing the place of relationships and relationship building with children and their families as central to the work of teaching, gaining greater appreciation of and respect for their colleagues and school-building administrators so that trust grew, and rediscovering the moral reasons so central to teacher identity that initially led them to becoming teachers. Despite the challenges that came with the pandemic and the herculean effort needed to protect the children and to care for their well-being in dangerous times, the story told is one of human resilience, courage and commitment and as such is inspiring and hopeful. Robert V. Bullough, Jr. Emeritus Professor of Teacher Education, Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling (CITES), Brigham Young University, USA and Emeritus Professor of Educational Studies, University of Utah, USA