Navigating the Barriers Presented by the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reflections and Innovative Educational Solutions

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the opportunity to further define trauma and determine its implications, particularly for education. As Horesh and Brown (2020) and Bozkurt et al. (2020) have recognized, the pandemic has been global in scope, the impact has rippled into every aspect of society and the crisis has received unprecedented levels of documentation, like in social media. A thorough review of the experiences caused by the pandemic, the reactions to it, and the subsequent learnings can guide our future approaches. It has become even more apparent that educators need to use an empathetic approach, for example using trauma informed practices and self-care, during such uncertain times and ensure the focus is on supporting the learners (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020). It is also important that educators receive the support and resources necessary to ensure they are positioned to use the empathetic approach during such times of emergency remote teaching (Hodges et al., 2020).

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic many school systems in the United States had to pivot to online instruction, which is starkly different from the traditional, preplanned online approach (Hodges et al., 2020). It presented many challenges and highlighted gross inequities including resources such as technological access for our most vulnerable populations: those from low socio-economic households, Limited English Proficient Students, and students with learning differences. Many educators experienced frustrations and heartbreak over their perceived inability to reach and teach their students. Some teachers even experienced what is known as vicarious trauma (compassion fatigue) which creates emotional stress and concern with the stories/trauma experiences of their students. Thus, educators are expressing a desire to ensure equitable educational opportunities for all students in the event of continued or new interruptions of instruction and learning opportunities.

To examine the significant concerns and challenges around teaching and learning through a pandemic, the researchers developed and administered a survey, entitled The COVID-19 Educator Impact Survey. This instrument included 15 Likert scale questions, six open-ended narrative response questions and was administered to over 400 educators of two suburban school districts in southeast Pennsylvania, United States. The districts are composed of two vastly different student population demographics: socio-economic status, race and cultural diversity, limited English proficiency, as well as students identified with low and high incidence disabilities. The focus of this qualitative research study was to gather the educators’ perceptions of the barriers presented by COVID-19 and their experiences as they navigated this sudden and new learning environment and adjusted to educating their students in the context of a pandemic. The open-ended questions allowed for freedom of expression in regard to the participants’ experiences.

The information was collected and analyzed to inform the development of strategies and innovative practices for a more equitable education with the intentional inclusion of Trauma Informed Practices (TIP). Furthermore, these newly developed strategies can serve as recommendations for educational stakeholders with the ultimate goal of reimagining pedagogical practices and educational policies including trauma informed frameworks related to self-care for educators and equity, access, and social-emotional learning support skills for all students. The findings, conclusions, and identified solutions of the study are shared through the researcher developed Guideposts for Trauma Informed Strategies offering pedagogical practices that support equity and access for all students regardless of instructional modality.

As educators and students navigated the changes amid COVID-19 and the switch to on-line learning without a clear end in sight, there became a critical need to identify and address the challenges experienced by all. Immediate and relevant support is critical to mitigate difficulties as educators navigate the instructional and emotional challenges associated with educating their students in the context of an emergency such as a pandemic. Identifying the challenges and barriers experienced through the pandemic provided newfound information regarding the need to shift educational practices due to inherent inequities that currently exist. The data gathered supported the formation of suggested educational policies that support educators’ well-being and foster impactful, equitable educational opportunities for all students.