The being of a teacher: teacher pedagogical well-being and teacher self-care

ABSTRACT

This article adopts a phenomenological-oriented approach to explore the perceptions of a small cohort of teachers about teacher pedagogical well-being (TPWB), the experience of which is intimately connected with a teacher’s sense of self-care. Existing Finnish research on this topic informed the design of semi-structured interviews across two schools. The findings were analysed initially with reference to the existing research. It identified management and collegial support, as well as student engagement as cornerstones for TPWB. In order to extend the analysis beyond the existing research, the Foucaudian optic of governmentality was introduced, in particular, Stephen Ball’s application of it for education. This highlighted the extent to which the experience of TPWB, of teachers’ sense of self-care, can be impacted by the culture of performativity. Significantly, it also emerged that a teacher’s capacity for self-definition, for reflexivity, can offer a mantle of resistance for the being of a teacher, especially at a time when they are being subjected to governance by performativity.

KEYWORDS:

• Teacher pedagogical well-being
• teacher self-care
• neoliberalism
• governmentality
• teacher reflection

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Standing on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS).

Notes on contributors

Timothy R. N. Murphy

Dr. Timothy R. N. Murphy is a Lecturer in Educational Research and Policy in the School of Education at the University of Limerick.  His research interests include education policy and reform, equity and disadvantage in education, active learning methodologies and teacher well-being.  He obtained his doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York.

Mary Masterson

Dr. Mary Masterson is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Limerick. She is Director of the Professional Master of Education (Languages) programme. She is interested in cultural and linguistic dimensions of teaching and learning. Her most recent work has been in the area of teacher well-being and blended learning

Patricia Mannix-McNamara

Professor Patricia Mannix-McNamara is Head of the School of Education in the University of Limerick. Research interests currently include leadership, organizational wellbeing, workplace bullying, doctoral supervision.

Paddy Tally

Paddy Tallyis a Senior Lecturer in the PE Department at St. Mary’s College, Belfast.  His current research interests include teacher’s Pedagogical Well-being, performance profiling and group cohesion in sports teams and reading Levels and fitness in the primary school.

Elaine McLaughlin

Dr. Elaine McLaughlin is a Senior Lecturer and course team leader for Physical Education B.Ed. at St. Mary’s College, Belfast.  Her research interests include children’s physical activity levels, trends and preferences and the subsequent impact on health, teacher well-being and performance analysis in sport.