Physically Distant but Emotionally Closer: Teacher-Student Relationships During Spring 2020

• In Event: Pandemic-Induced: COVID-19 Adaptations and the Implications for Teachers' Work

Abstract

The grammar of teacher-student relationships in high school was disrupted when schools shuttered their doors in spring 2020. Prior to COVID, focus on content coverage, emotional distance, and inflexibility shaped the grammar of teacher-student relationships although extant research has shown that students wished for greater opportunities to feel cared for by their teachers. COVID triggered a shift in these old structures. The present interview study that included 34 high school teachers examined the shifts that interrupted the grammar of teacher-student relationships when schools closed. Students’ emotional well-being and connection were prioritized over content coverage and testing. Preliminary findings suggest that the distance between teachers and students grew smaller when they were forced to be physically apart.

Authors

• Lina Darwich, Lewis & Clark College

• Alisun Thompson, Lewis & Clark College

• Riley Collins, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Lila Harte, University of California - Santa Cruz