Teaching through Turmoil: Special Education Teachers’ Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pei-Ying Lin

Abstract


Conducting a study on COVID-19 is essential to understand its impacts on student and teacher wellbeing, identify effective strategies for remote learning, and develop support systems to enhance resilience and mental health in inclusive school settings. While recent educational studies on COVID-19 are increasing, the research to date has tended to focus on children with special needs rather than special education teachers, particularly in the Canadian context. To narrow this gap, the current study explored eleven special education teachers’ mental health during school closures due to COVID-19 in a province of Canada. The study highlights significant concerns among teachers regarding the safety of students with special needs, particularly those from high-risk home environments, during school closures. The study suggests a bidirectional relationship between teacher and student wellbeing, where each influences the other's mental health. Social distancing and home quarantine measures, while effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19, led to increased loneliness, anxiety, and depression among teachers. The dual demands of teaching and parenting from home caused significant emotional distress. The findings underscore the need for enhanced monitoring and support for high-risk families, professional development programs for teachers, and strategies to mitigate the negative effects of social isolation, thereby promoting better mental health and resilience among educators.


Keywords


Special education teachers; Mental health; Inclusion, COVID-19; Teacher education

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References


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ISSN: 2454-6623