Shifting Pedagogies, Philosophies, and Priorities: The Experiences of First Year Teachers Beginning a Career during a Pandemic

Abstract

This study uses an interpretive, qualitative research design to highlight beginning teacher perspectives of their experiences teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we share the experiences of 15 K-12 educators who began their teaching careers in the 2019–2020 school year, whose first two years of teaching were marred by frequent changes and a constant unknown. Despite this, and perhaps because of this, they changed as educators—their own beliefs, their expectations for families and students, their pedagogy, and philosophy for the future. Findings from this study help highlight the strengths of beginning teachers (particularly during a pandemic) and ways a pandemic can affect the beliefs and practices of beginning teachers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).