A Narrative Inquiry Investigating Teacher Burnout at a Bronx New York Middle School in 2020

Abstract

At the virus' US epicenter, New York City, teachers experienced the impact of the pandemic firsthand in real time. Consistent with intensification (Apple, 1986), as school struggles to adapt to a rapidly changing social and educational landscape, socioemotional stressors and occupational responsibilities increase. Through the metaphoric (Craig, 2018) image of a candle, and using the tools of narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990) – broadening, burrowing, storying, and restorying – we surface four teachers' lived experiences in a year filled with incredible grief and loss, socio-political-cultural trauma, racial strife, and personal-professional challenges to show their resolve and resiliency to persevere through and beyond burning out.

Citation

Scaramuzzo, P., Calabrese, J.E. and Craig, C.J. (2023), "A Narrative Inquiry Investigating Teacher Burnout at a Bronx New York Middle School in 2020", Singer, E.A., Etchells, M.J. and Craig, C.J. (Ed.) Drawn to the Flame (Advances in Research on Teaching, Vol. 45), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 27-46. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-368720230000045003