Navigating (and Being Navigated by) a Pandemic: A Narrative Inquiry Into Teacher Parents' Experiences

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Effects of Navigating the Education System During a Pandemic (Table 10)

Abstract

This study is a year-long narrative inquiry alongside three Teacher Parents who are teachers and also mothers of school-aged children. Currently, there are few studies on the impact of COVID-19 on “Teacher Parents” as this demographic tends to be amalgamated into the general population of teachers. Yet there are disparities and considerations for this demographic that should be acknowledged and addressed. In this paper, the lived complexities of increased responsibilities and care during a pandemic, layered by the demands of being a mother and teaching classroom(s) of children in-person and/or remotely are explored. This narrative research makes spaces for inquiry with Teacher Parents to inform and shape more equitable practices and policies at schools, divisional, and government levels.

Author

• Simmee Chung, Concordia University - Edmonton