The Challenges Of Teaching In Pandemic Times

The COVID-19 pandemic has shuttered schools across the world, upending traditional approaches to education. The sudden shift to remote teaching and added caretaking responsibilities at home have created a uniquely stressful and demanding context for teachers"™ work. Major concerns exist about teachers"™ wellbeing during the pandemic and their ability to successfully deliver instruction remotely. Teachers have also expressed apprehension about their willingness to return to the classroom when schools are able to reopen. Even more troubling are projections of substantial student learning loss and the likelihood that differential access to technology and learning supports at home are exacerbating longstanding achievement gaps along racial and socio-economic lines. The present paper outlines the substantial challenges created by the sudden move to remote teaching, the difficulties encountered by teachers in their work and the limited degree to which students can engage in learning. We have also tried to discover the supportive working conditions which have been far more successful at helping teachers maintain a sense of success during the pandemic.