Not Remotely Familiar: How COVID-19 is Reshaping Teachers’ Work and the Implications for Teacher Education

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the teacher workforce into distance teaching essentially overnight. This educational migration, necessitated by the public health emergency, has dramatically altered and diversified the realities of teachers' working lives and the conditions in which they teach. This changing environment has important implications for teacher education. This paper presents five assumptions about teacher education and the uncertain work of preparing culturally responsive and social-justice oriented teachers for a rapidly evolving teaching environment. We seek to animate questions and concerns about teacher education in the context of COVID-19 and the implications for social justice teacher preparation. __________________________________________________________________ The COVID-19 pandemic forced the entire teacher workforce into distance teaching essentially overnight. This educational migration, while necessitated by the public health emergency, has dramatically altered and diversified the realities of teachers' working lives and the conditions in which they teach. In the spring of 2020, most teachers embraced the changes as necessary aspects of the emergency response and did all they could to ensure continued schooling for children. Yet, as plans began for the 2020-21 school year, it became clear that many of these changes will continue to shape schooling and, by extension, teachers' work. As K-12 public school districts return to school, none expect schooling to look as it did prior to mid-March 2020. Some plan to be in person but with socialdistancing measures that include six foot spacing, staggered schedules, plexiglass screens, and face masks. Others plan to stay remote either digitally (on-line

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