Teaching in the post-COVID classroom

Abstract

In 2023, teachers continue to experience reverberations from the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of schools across the United States required the adaptation of classrooms and a dynamic shift in the practices of teachers. As the pandemic subsided, this project sought to understand the ways that instructional practice, interactions with students and parents, and professional expectations had changed for classroom educators. Further, it attempted to understand ways that teacher preparation programs should adapt to meet the needs of preservice educators and to prepare them for the post-pandemic classroom environment. Subjects for the focus group were recruited on a volunteer basis from schools within one school district in north Louisiana. The topics discussed focused on shifts in teaching practices, interactions with students and parents, and professional expectations of teachers in the post-pandemic classroom. Participants identified changes related to student maturity levels and emotional stability, student behavioral issues, student accountability, student engagement and motivation, student absenteeism and expectations around makeup assignments, use of technology, and parental involvement. These changes impact teachers’ concerns professionally and personally. To train teachers to be successful in the post-pandemic classroom, teacher preparation programs must be aware of these changes and adept at addressing the new challenges.