The ongoing situation and school closures as result of Covid-19 have a number of different implications for the education sector. We want to dig deeper into these issues, with help from the experts. This week, Dr Beng Huat See, Associate Professor (Research) in the School of Education at Durham University, looks at teacher wellbeing during the lockdown period.
The Spring term of 2020 will always be remembered in the history of education as the time when normal teaching, as we know it, stopped. This period saw the biggest test on of the use of distance learning for mass education. But not all teachers have been trained or are familiar with the use of education technological tools designed for remote teaching. Working from home and away from the usual IT support that they will get in school, we wondered how teachers are coping.
In collaboration with Schoolzone, we surveyed under 3,500 teachers from all phases of education to find out about their experiences during the lockdown. When we did the survey we were not sure if we would get many responses given the pressure that teachers must be feeling. What surprised us was the overwhelming response we get. We received over 2,000 individual written responses to our open questions. There was an enormous outpouring of emotions, reflecting the depth of their feelings on this issue.
How does the school closure affect teachers’ workload?
Some teachers reported an increased in workload. Proportionately teachers were spending a lot of their time during the lockdown on administrative activities, an average of 13 hours per week on this.
Of the teachers who responded to the “Other” activities, a number mentioned marking. On average these teachers spent 15 hours a week marking during the lockdown.
The adaptation to the new ways of teaching has added to teachers’ workload.
Work-family balance with two young children very challenging Trying to be full-time teacher and educator […] is stressful at times and difficult balance to juggle, feel over connected with colleagues and pupils via video and impacts on home life, i.e. worrying children are occupied and looked after properly when attention is split between calls that go on for over an hour and their wellbeing.
My workload has increased 200%. There are no weekends or holidays just expected to keep working everyday. Blurry between work and home hours and no empathy or understanding from senior management. No thank you or positive comments from them just demands with no consideration of personal circumstances
I am exhausted though, working extra hours unpaid. Very steep learning curve & massive workload even compared to the usual massive workload!!
It is extremely stressful and takes more time to prepare/plan lessons as they have to be modified from what you would use in the classroom; students have had every kind of IT/internet/technical issue to contend with; students are accessing work at times that suit them so completed work constantly needs chasing – this generates a huge amount of additional work in contacting them and parents.
Impact on teachers’ wellbeing
Despite the reported heavier workload and challenges, teachers were generally positive and upbeat. Almost half of the teachers surveyed said they felt happy and cheerful very often and only 17% said they did not feel this way. Perhaps what kept their spirits up is the knowledge that their job is important. 58% of teachers felt that what they were doing was important and worthwhile most of the time.
School leaders appear to have the lowest levels of wellbeing, reporting feeling calm and happy less often than teaching staff and middle managers. They were the least likely to feel effective at their job and were least optimistic and hopeful. This is perhaps not surprising as they are the ones bearing the responsibility for ensuring that children are looked after and that communication and learning continues under such unprecedented situation.
How did teachers feel in the last few weeks before schools reopened?
Teachers expressed a mix of emotions. Overall, respondents to our survey gave very variable answers on wellbeing, which perhaps highlights the complexity of the situation they are in, and the complexity of mental health.
I have enjoyed spending more time at home
I have felt calmer generally. I have also felt less pressure, and my work load is easier to manage. I feel that this time is a good time for children to learn various life skills other than what they can learn in school.
Relaxed, valued by parents, manageable workload for first time in years, thoroughly enjoying time with my family
My stress levels have reduced.
Much less stressed, fitter and happier. Life is a slower pace, calmer and I have more time to read, enjoy my pets, go for walks in nature and spend time with my partner.
Although the workload is tremendous, with online teaching and marking, I feel close to my students and feel that the majority of them are benefitting from this kind of teaching.
I think it has greatly improved independent learning in my students yrs 4 to 8. improved researching and analysis of found information. vastly improved IT skills.
Some had mixed experiences.
A lot of fluctuation. We have had a fairly intensive work experience as we are using iPads to deliver live lessons. Looking at a screen all day has made me feel almost travel sick. I have however felt less stressed and have a lot more time for hobbies, cooking, spending time with my husband.
There have been ups and downs but working consistently in school has negated these ‘bumps in the road’ somewhat.
A number also expressed fear, anxiety, confusion and being overwhelmed. The inconsistent, unclear and constant changing government guidelines have added to teachers’ anxiety.
Confused bewildered oppressed
A form of grief, with a mix of anger, sadness and confusion at times
powerless and confused
I am feeling depressed and am having frequent panic attacks.”
Scared, guilty, tired, worried, frustrated
I dread schools reopening, fearful of the viral danger, but mostly fearful of how I will continue to maintain decent home learning
It’s like I’m going through the stages of grief or something! (Although they do say that sudden change can bring around the same psychological effects so that’s probably why.) I feel like I am being left behind and I feel increasingly overwhelmed by everything.
Overwhelmed with the sheer amount of guidance and help, hundreds of pages of it issued, reissued and updated on a daily basis on which we have to act, often without time to prepare, consider or consult and which is changed 24/48 hours later with no warning.
Overwhelmed, worried (about others), anxious (about others – mainly those I care for), disconnected but also connected, I feel in limbo, I feel not effective, i.e. like I am just surviving and doing the bare minimum at work.
Sadly, some teachers were feeling very despondent and the negative opinion from outside the profession did not help.
I’m really angry that the general public seem to think we’re sitting at home on full pay and doing nothing when most of us are working longer hours than normal.
Increasingly anxious due to government reflection on teaching and teachers. Undervalued due to media reflection.
I am working hard everyday but feel the press has labelled teachers as lazy. This is extremely demoralising. We do our best for the children.
I feel very concerned about the anti-teacher rhetoric in the press and the apparent lack of care about our safety by our government. I feel that we are being told it’s safe to go back simply to shame us back into the classroom. I don’t feel safe to say out loud that I am a teacher.
Frustrated at lack of clarity of what is expected of me from the government, local authority and school leadership
There is also the feeling among teachers that they have been overlooked and neglected.
Sometimes there has been new expectations on us without anyone checking if we are happy/capable of doing so.
I feel no-one understands fully. I feel there is no-one to talk to. I feel disconnected. I work in HE and have a full workload and constantly feel unable to cope. I have had to deal with a lot of mental health and wellbeing issues from pupils, staff and parents, and that has had a direct impact on my mood and wellbeing too.
This is actually the first survey I have received asking me how I am, I wish it could have come from my own school/academy trust first. Sometimes I look at my school work and wonder if I am really making a difference.
A sad, circular email to colleagues, a note of regret from my Head of College, and then nothing. there are no thanks for keeping our institution in business, keeping the morale of students and colleagues up – and I do that every single day. Yet no one, no one, checks in on me and asks me how I am doing.
Throughout the whole event despite the challenges they faced, a number of teachers also expressed concerns for the welfare and safety (both health and online) of pupils and colleagues.
Very uncertain about the ‘safeguarding’ of myself and students using face-to-face software. Conflicting advice from schools, government and unions.
Huge safeguarding concern. GDPR concern. Not reaching all children. All material has to be retaught.
Pastoral concerns over pupils’ mental health and eye health
Safeguarding, health and safety matters wellbeing for staff and students
I lost my mum to Covid and I couldn’t keep her safe so how will I keep my class and staff safe?
I am trying to ensure that we do not let our anxiety reach those levels despite the worry I have for staff wellbeing and how to keep them safe given that children are super carriers of the virus.
Some schools also took the extra effort to track and monitor children who needed extra care and support.
We have an excellent safeguarding team so staff understood immediately which students could not engage e.g. no laptop; moving homes; in care etc. We are at the stage where these students are now being hunted down, tracked and monitored.
Teachers have also gone out of their way to minimise disruption to children’s education. For example, teachers have told us how they personally delivered work packages to home.
Not all pupils have access to IT and internet so this causes problems, and we are asked for paperwork to be printed in school and delivered to pupils so they can continue to learn
Delivery of work packs to households with no internet access
Weekly visits and paperwork delivered [to homes]
Preparing paperwork packs and delivering them to students at home. Time includes the driving/walking between villages for delivery.
All in all, our teachers are coping remarkably well working under very challenging conditions. This perhaps is a tribute to the resilience and quality of our teachers, something we should be very proud of. Being in lockdown has created a barrier in understanding how teachers are doing and what they are doing. Our study has given us a glimpse into the lives of teachers in those difficult months. We are very grateful to all the teachers who have shared with us how they felt.
