COVID-19 School Closure: Reflections of Teachers in Rural Alaska and Reimagining Education

• In Event: Rural Teachers and Rural Teacher Preparation: Intersections With Place

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic shut down public schools in the spring of 2020 resulting in the abrupt transition to remote learning. This transition resulted in stress and trauma for students, teachers, and families, and magnified the long-standing inequalities especially in rural areas. This paper documents the experiences of rural teachers in Alaska during the switch to "emergency" online learning, which can support the education of many students but needs to be carefully designed and individualized to not deepen the social divides.

Authors

• Ute Kaden, The University of Alaska - Fairbanks

• Karen Martin, University of Alaska Fairbanks