Teachers Survive Together: Teacher Collegial Support and Well-Being During the COVID Pandemic

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Thirteen
  In Roundtable Session: Teachers' Empowerment and Adaptations for Surviving COVID (Table 8)

Abstract

This mixed methods study investigates teacher collegial relationships during COVID. By analyzing data collected through surveys (N=186) and interviews (N=26) with US teachers in Spring 2021, we explore how teacher collegial relationships influenced teacher well-being and unpack how teachers collaborated and supported each other during the pandemic. We find that positive teacher relationships were associated with greater teacher well-being and that teachers described increasing depth of teacher relationships, as colleagues engaged in innovative and supportive pedagogical problem-solving and provided emotional support. While COVID has had deleterious effects on teaching and learning, we suggest that strengthened teacher relationships were a silver lining, showing the potential of teachers to organize, collaborate, engage in professional sensemaking, and support each other.

Authors

• Elizabeth E. Blair, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
  Presenting Author

• Sabina R. Neugebauer, Temple University
  Presenting Author

• Lia E. Sandilos, Lehigh University
  Presenting Author

• Emmaline Ellis, West Chester University of Pennsylvania
  Presenting Author