The Work and Well-Being of Saskatchewan's Educators During the Pandemic

• In Event: Leading in a Time of Crisis

Abstract

Research points to the increasingly complex nature of school-based leadership in Canada (ATA, 2014; 2019; Pollock, et al., 2015). While challenges around workloads and work-life balance are well documented (for example, OPC, 2017; Pollock, 2016; Pollock & Hauseman, 2015), issues relating to burnout (Markin & Wang, 2019) and wellbeing (Walker, 2019) are more recently gaining momentum. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these tensions as school principals across Canada take on unprecedented work and assume responsibility for health and safety policies they have had little input in creating. In this presentation, we outline the findings of a research project that sought to document the experiences of principals and vice-principals in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, as they attempted to lead schools through COVID-19. The study was qualitative and interpretive and generated six, 60-minute online focus groups with 41 school leaders across school divisions in the province. These focus groups were spread out during the 2020-2021 school year. A conceptual framework around work and wellbeing informed the analysis of the data and themes such as burnout, uncertainty, fear, and low self-efficacy were highlighted for scrutiny and discussion.
Findings suggest that old tensions around workload intensification, burnout, and professional expectations were being felt in new and more profound ways. Participants attempted to handle the ebb and flow of the constant churn of change and were largely successful in adapting for the short term but alluded to a lack of confidence in their actions and elevated mental and social strain. Female participants, particularly, were challenged in balancing their identities as parents and school leaders. Focus groups that took place later in the Spring and into June were rife with expressions of exhaustion, burnout, and fatigue. Contributing to the challenges participants faced during the pandemic was the increased workload associated with managing ‘fuzzy’ COVID protocols. Navigating public health risks sometimes overshadowed instructional leadership, causing a misalignment for some participants with their preferred manner of leading. Stelmach and O’Connor’s (2019) notion of ‘moral distress’ permeated many of the focus groups. The seeming paucity of access to ongoing and targeted support for school leaders is also troubling, particularly considering participants’ hesitance to ask for assistance for themselves. Hence, the notion of the stoic and unwavering school leader must be problematized. Rather, leaders must feel confident in demonstrating vulnerability, advocating for their own needs in addition to the needs of others. This proved to be particularly difficult for new administrators and some of the female administrators who participated in this study. Overall, many concerns remain around school leaders’ ability to continue to absorb the increased stress that accompanies leading schools during the pandemic.

Authors

• Pamela Janie Osmond-Johnson, University of Regina

• Donna Hazel Swapp, University of Regina