Teacher Self-Care Practices to Support Well-Being during the Covid 19 Pandemic

Abstract

The history of the Covid 19 pandemic and its impact across the world is currently in writing. This chapter focuses on the impact of primary school closures in the Irish context on Principal and Teacher well-being, and specifically on self-care practices that participants engaged in during the extended period of school closures. Findings of a small-scale study undertaken with 12 primary school teachers and 10 principals are reported upon. A mixed-methods study with a qualitative research focus was undertaken. There were 2 phases to the study: Phase 1 was undertaken in June 2020 and phase 2 was completed in December 2020 when participants had returned to school. At each phase the participants completed a semi-structured interview via the online platform Zoom and they also completed 2 questionnaires; the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory adapted for teachers (CBI). The research findings in particular highlight how the pandemic provided an opportunity to very busy principals and teachers to address their well-being. The article highlights in particular how self-care is so important for a profession that is demanding and the challenges in finding the balance between the demands of the profession and sustaining personal well-being through self-care practices.

1. Introduction

In late December 2019, when international news reported on a virus that had apparently anecdotally been caused by bats; little did the world know how coronavirus disease would lead to so much social and economic disruption across the world. The impact on day-t0-day living was significant; including restrictions on travel and movement, social distancing, work practices that in many cases included working from home, and ‘lockdown’ in terms of normal social functioning, including the closure of school buildings. While there is no doubt that the pandemic, which at the time of writing, according to the United Nations has led to 15 million deaths worldwide and “disrupted the essential health services of 92% of countries” [1] (2022, page 10), the research reported in this chapter focuses on the perceived impacts experienced by a small sample of Irish primary school teachers and principals as they navigated their way through the pandemic supporting their students, schools and families in their local context. This chapter reports the findings of a mixed-methods study undertaken with Irish primary school principals and teachers. While the study involved a mixed-methods approach comprising self-reported questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, one of the interesting sub-themes identified in the qualitative data and focused on for this chapter, was ‘impacts and opportunities’. This theme that was identified within the larger well-being theme refers to how the participants described the opportunity the pandemic provided for them in some cases to address their own well-being and engage in self-care practices The overall aim of the study was to provide an opportunity for both principals and teachers to reflect on how the pandemic impacted on their well-being and by inference, emerging issues in the school community as a result of Covid 19. We begin this chapter with a background summary of the timeline of school closures in the Irish context, followed by a brief discussion of theoretical perspectives of well-being, and a brief review of relevant literature pertaining to the themes of social emotional well-being, care practices and more specifically self-care practices. We acknowledge the ongoing debate as to the meaning of the term “well-being”, and highlight the Irish Department of Education (DE) [2] definition as applied in Irish education contexts. The research methodology and findings related to the impacts and opportunities are then presented and discussed. A large portion of the findings section is devoted to the original narratives of the participants, but these serve to illuminate the narratives, resulting in rich data findings from then participants. Finally, the implications for supporting teacher and principal well-being are discussed with recommendations for future research.

2. Irish context: school closures as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic

It was in late February 2020 when it was first reported that the Coronavirus pandemic had reached the Republic of Ireland (Ireland). On February 29th, the first confirmed case of Covid 19 was announced in Ireland. On March 11th^, the first fatality of the virus was announced and on the next day, the then Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Dr. Leo Varadkar announced the closure of schools, colleges and childcare facilities until March 29th. The announcement was made mid-morning and schools were given until 6 pm that same day, to vacate the buildings. This was extremely short notice to take almost immediate effect. As schools were due to begin their Easter holidays from Friday April 3rd, many people anticipated that schools would re-open after the Easter break on April 20th. However, on March 24th, the announcement was made that schools would not re-open on March 29th as originally indicated and on May 1st the Taoiseach announced that it would be September 2020 when schools would re-open. Schools did re-open in September 2020, with a road-map issued from the Department of Education in relation to procedures for schools to adopt to support minimal risk and spread of Covid 19 [3, 4]. Although the number of cases of Covid was rising significantly in Ireland in September and October 2020, and a ‘second wave’ of the virus resulted in further lockdown restrictions from October 19th 2020, schools remained open during this time frame. By December 2020, a third wave of the virus was clearly underway in Ireland. Schools closed for their Christmas holidays and on January 6th 2021, it was announced that schools would remain closed until February 2021. An agreement between the Department of Education and teacher unions was reached that schools would re-open on a phased-in basis. In terms of primary schools in Ireland, classes from Junior Infants to second class returned to school on March 1st 2021, while classes from 3rd to 6th returned to school on March 15th. School buildings have remained open since. Since the 28th of February 2022, the wearing of masks by school staff or practices in relation to social distancing are no longer required.

The impact of the pandemic on education and indeed on well-being is considerable. Ghagte and Parasar [5] highlight that the education sector, which plays a crucial role in determining a nation’s economic future has been severely disrupted. Pravat [6] believes however that the pandemic has provided educational institutions with a variety of challenges and chances to improve their technology infrastructure and knowledge. The realities of engaging with education at the various different sectors from early childhood to third level and beyond from home brought numerous considerations into the mix: the availability of devices to engage with learning, the availability of space in the home, the availability of parental support in particular for younger students, parents’ own education levels and the competing demands of the home environment are but a few. Understandably, the pandemic impacted on the general population’s psychological well-being and level of physical activity. Kumpikaitė-Valiūnienė et al. [7] outline that the pandemic caused prolonged self-isolation with resulting psychological effects including post-traumatic stress disorder, despair, bewilderment and worry. Other aspects of the pandemic generated a very real sense of vulnerability among the public including; separation from loved ones, mobility restrictions, and a general feeling of lack of control over things. These impacts have also been noted globally.

The next section considers the concept of well-being and specifically teacher well-being.

3. Well-being

O’Brien and Guiney [8] argue that hard to define concepts are everywhere. Well-being can certainly be categorised as a hard to define concept and for numerous reasons: It is complicated by unclear spelling which depends on the author, it is a ‘wicked problem’, which according to [9], is a problem that lacks definition, it is defined in broad terms and encompasses multi-disciplinary concepts and many subsets and there is no satisfactory conceptual model of well-being in education. Indeed, ([8], P. 343) confirm that well-being is a ‘complex, fluid, slippery and contested concept and construct’.

Despite the complexity in its understanding, the idea of well-being has long been heralded as vital to the good life of all human subjects [10]. Historically, many concepts of well-being distinguish between hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being. Quite simply, hedonia represents the maximisation of pleasure and the minimisation of pain. A hedonic approach to well-being emphasises one’s feeling about life, including how ‘pleasant’ it is- an affective approach. Eudaimonia represents human flourishing and the ability to live up to one’s full potential (self-actualisation) [11]. Eudaimonic approaches extends past the notion of how the subjects feel and locate the idea of being happy or ‘happiness’ in relation to the ethics or practice of a good life. It also addresses a way of being part of and within communities [10]. Aside from these differences in approach, most researchers now accept that well-being is a multi-dimensional construct, complicated by the fact that it applies across the field of education, psychology, philosophy and politics, all of which take a different approach [12]. Well-being is also understood from many perspectives or domains including social, emotional, spiritual, physical, cultural, psychological, political, medical and psychological whereby well-being can vary across each domain.

There have been many influences of the conceptualisation of well-being in education. These include the field of medicine and initiatives such as the health promoting schools, the development of social and emotional learning programmes and in recent years in particular, a very strong focus on the area of mental health in children and young people [12]. In the field of education, both nationally and internationally there have been a number of offerings of definitions of well-being to enhance understanding of the concept at whole-school level.

In the Irish context, the definition of well-being that is presented in the Department of Education’s (DE) ‘Well-being Policy Statement and Framework for Practice’ draws on the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition of well-being as being “present when a person realises their potential, is resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of their life, takes care of their physical well-being and has a sense of purpose, connection and belonging to a wider community”, (WHO 2001, cited in DE, 2019, p. 10) [2]. It is a fluid way of being and needs nurturing throughout life [2]. This framework sets out an approach to well-being that schools should adopt in the coming years, which is based on self-evaluation of their own practices. This framework also collaborates with the Irish National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development ([13], p. 53) resonating with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDG 3 “Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 4 “Quality Education” [1]. In line with these global and national perspectives, the approach to well-being for this present research is focused more on social emotional well-being, rather than physical health and illness variables. Of relevance and interest to the present study, although the Policy statement from the DEES takes a whole-school approach to the development of well-being practices, there is very little attention paid to the concept of teacher well-being.

4. Teacher well-being

One of the references to the issue of teacher well-being that is found in the DE, is in the context of pupil well-being, citing the OECD’s (2017, cited in DE, 2019, p. 15) [2] finding that the teacher’s role is “paramount” and the relationship between teacher and pupil is key to pupil well-being. Thereafter, the policy document notes that support for the well-being of staff is essential and crucial to sustaining staff engagement, enthusiasm and ability to model resilience [2]. This can hardly be considered a meaningful approach to or a considered understanding of teacher well-being. Indeed, as with well-being, teacher well-being is hard to define. Roffey [14] considers that teacher well-being is often described in deficit terms in the literature, detailing how stress is impacting on teachers’ burnout and problems with retention. Acton and Glasgow [15] have synthesised literature on the topic of teacher well-being and consider a definition which takes account of its hedonic, eudaimonic and relational aspects: “Teacher well-being may be defined as an individual sense of personal professional fulfilment, satisfaction, purposefulness and happiness, constructed in a collaborative process with colleagues and students ([15], p. 102)”. Brady and Wilson [16] endorse this definition of teacher well-being as they feel it entails a personal-professional dimension and it accords with literature which suggests that teachers’ work is highly emotive and intertwined with their sense of personal as well as professional identity. Weare ([17], p. 6) determines that teacher well-being is shaped by “individual, relational and contextual factors”. At the individual level, teacher well-being is concerned with a need for autonomy, a sense of competence, a capacity for emotional intelligence, a positive attitude and a healthy work-life balance. The quality of teacher-student interactions and positive professional working relationships are again essential for teacher well-being as is an inclusive whole-school culture with positive and affirming leadership. The Teaching Council in Ireland do acknowledge the importance of care of self [18].

5. Care and teacher self-care practices

The Irish National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Well-being Guidelines acknowledge that Irish teachers “are in the front line of the work” ([19], p. 29), which they may find difficult if they themselves feel “uncared for and burnt out” (p. 29). This resonates with Noddings’ relational approach to caring which highlights the importance of caring for both the carer and the cared-for person. Noddings’ [20] ethic of care is frequently evident in teachers’ attributions about their caring purpose and role [21]. Caring as a component of teaching has positive implications and is often cited as a reason for teachers entering the profession [22]. Conversely as noted by the NCCA, teachers’ caring work may result in burnout.

Like well-being, care and caring are everyday terms that are difficult to define. O’Connor [8] has captured the affective and behavioural components, and defines caring as “those emotions, actions and reflections that result from a teacher’s desire to motivate, help or inspire their students” ([23], p. 117). This definition resonates with the findings of Irish researchers who have also identified the importance of care in positive pupil-teacher relationships for positive student outcomes [24, 25]. England and Farkas [11] refer to this process as “emotional work” because it takes time and effort for teachers to build positive empathetic relationships with their students. This may contribute to performance requirements for caring in teaching as a form of emotional labour [26, 27]. Emotional labour was initially conceptualised as the commodification of certain emotions required in the workplace and emotional display rules, such as putting on a smile for customers or clients, usually achieved through surface or deep acting [28]. Surface acting tends to be artificially created through an employee masking and suppressing their authentic emotions such as anger or annoyance, while deep acting accesses and expresses genuine emotions which the employee is able to generate. Hargreaves [21] found that while sometimes teaching can be described as a labour of love, the emotional labour involved in teaching can lead to burnout. This will depend on the ways that teachers regulate or manage their emotions during the many and varied interactions they have with colleagues, administrators students and their families on a daily basis. Teachers most commonly-use expressive suppression such as holding down their anger, or cognitive reappraisal such as changing their thoughts to change their emotion, the latter being better for their well-being [29]. Suppression of anger and other strong emotions that activate the release of cortisol, are more likely to lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout in teachers [30, 31]. Therefore, in times of extreme societal trauma where teachers are in the front line under stress, having to put on a brave face, such as in the current COVID context, their risk of burnout is higher. During these times therefore, teachers should ideally be feeling cared for so that they can in turn care for and support the well-being of their students, without experiencing burnout.

Burnout is a tripartite syndrome of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion usually resulting from workplace stress, and occurs frequently in teaching which is a highly stressful occupation at the best of times [32]. A significant component and predictor of burnout is emotional exhaustion, which is experienced as overwhelming tiredness and fatigue at work, leading to a loss of energy, enthusiasm and confidence [33, 34]. Workload and time pressure are strong predictors of emotional exhaustion in teachers [35]. The detrimental effects of time pressure on well-being are in line with [36] theory of stress as the result of one’s perception of present demands on the self as being in excess of one’s personal resources such as energy or time available [37]. This has been shown through higher cortisol levels in work contexts compared to weekends not in work [37]. Having the freedom to make one’s own decisions can mitigate this effect [37].

Recent international research on the impacts of the pandemic on teacher well-being confirm the exacerbation of burnout risk [38, 39]. Garcia-Alvarez et al.‘s review found that in general, positive psychology interventions focusing on intra-and inter-personal strengths may improve teachers’ mental well-being. Other research has found that New Zealand teachers’ and principals’ enjoyment of their work declined during the early Covid lockdown, and this was associated with perceived less support [40]. Workloads for both teachers and principals had increased enormously. This was more evident in Auckland which was locked down for a longer period of time compared to the rest of the country. The NZCER report recommended practical support such as improved availability of staffing, and professional well-being support to assist with managing workload and improving life satisfaction. McMakin et al. [41] found that teachers self-initiated various individualised self-care practices such as “prayer, walks, exercise, getting tasks done that they didn’t want to, reading, spending time alone, and putting themselves first” (p. 12). However, opportunities for these self-care activities can be limited depending on the scheduling and workload demands on teachers.

One of the significant new stressors was the move to online teaching. As described by [42] the boundaries between work and home lives “vanished” (p. 1151) with demands from all sources causing teachers feeling increased pressure to be continually available for online meetings and teaching, let alone preparing their teaching material while also ensuring their students had the resources they needed. In addition, this type of disaster is a pervasive one, so that teachers would also be dealing with caring for their households and experiencing the same grief as their communities, while also being “entirely available” throughout [43]. In the Irish context, as indeed is the case internationally, the majority of the teaching population are female. The statistics provided on the Government of Ireland website for the 2021/2022 school year highlight that at primary level in Ireland 35,518 teachers are female out of a total of 42,012 teachers [44]. It is well recognised that females undertake the main responsibility for care needs and labour tasks in the home environment, so many female teachers would have been juggling the demands of home and school throughout the duration of school closures. This is consistent with findings reported for SDG 9 Gender Equality, in the most recent UN Sustainability Report (2022), that working women have been “disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic” (p. 27) including reduced hours and job losses “due to increased unpaid care work at home” (p. 37). For teachers in particular, institutional support has been highly needed yet not always ideal [42]. This has meant that teachers have had to rely on their inner resilience and resources to self-manage the emotional and physical demands of teaching with a pedagogy of care, while also ensuring that they manage the emotional labour that is entailed [45]. As [46] stated, “When I am not so emotionally drained, I am able to care more for my students”. Collie [13] found that “subjective work vitality” meaning “having energy for and feeling excitement about work” (p. 4) was negatively impacted by time pressure as inherent in job demands. Subjective vitality is a central well-being outcome in self-determination theory.

Caring for the self or “self-care” is a pro-active approach that is “often described as a process, an ability, and often as engagement with behaviours that have one engaging with different well-being science that promotes subjective well-being” [47]. Lemon notes that self-care tends to be currently perceived as the individual’s responsibility, through a Western medical model approach. Supporting teachers in their self-care is an important area of well-being that will need more attention as the world continues to cope with the changing face of the pandemic. Hidalgo-Andrade et al. [48] found that teachers’ emotional well-being was maintained through a number of individual processes including “exercising, practising yoga, having a healthy diet and maintaining daily routines” (p. 938). These imply a work life balance that may not always be achievable in situations where teachers are continually accessible as noted above.

6. Summing up the literature review

In summary, it is evident from the literature discussed, that the demands of teaching have increased since the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic. Teachers have a range of skills already developed that equip them for their significant role in supporting the well-being and learning goals of their students. However, given the relentless nature of the pandemic and other stressors on teachers, it is important to identify how teachers can be better supported in their roles and in their personal well-being. The purpose of the present study was to explore how Irish teachers coped during the lockdown and the impact of their coping on their well-being. The research questions that framed our study were as follows:

1. What were the personal and professional impacts of the Covid 19 lockdown on Irish teachers and principals?

2. What self-care practices did they report having used?

7. Study design and methodology

A mixed-methods longitudinal research methodology with a qualitative focus was undertaken. The research design involved a 2 phased approach to the study- whereby data would be gathered from the same participants on two occasions; Phase 1 of data collection was designed to take place while schools were closed in June 2020 and it was intended that Phase 2 of data collection would be undertaken when schools re-opened. Schools re-opened in September 2020 and the data for phase 2 was collected in December 2020. Both phases of data collection involved a semi-structured interview, whereby participants could reflect on their experiences of education and schooling since schools were closed on March 12th 2020. The impact of this experience on personal well-being was the key focus of the interview. In the interview in phase 2 the focus again was on participant well-being, involving reflection on personal well-being since return to school. Prior to completion of the interviews in both phases of data collection, participants were asked to complete two short questionnaires; The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) [28] and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory adapted for teachers (CBI) [32]. These measures were intended to assess the impact of the pandemic on the teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of burnout and emotional regulation. Details of phase 1 and 2 of data collection are summarised in Figure 1 below. The interviews themselves were conducted via Zoom and recorded on this platform as well as on a recording device used by the researcher. There were two researchers involved in the interview stage of phase 1 of data collection: one researcher interviewed the participating teachers while the other researcher interviewed the participating school principals. The participants received a number of pieces of information via email in advance of the interview; including an information and consent sheet and the two questionnaire documents. In advance of the interviews, the consent form and questionnaires were completed and were returned to the research team. Ethical approval to undertake the study was granted by Mary Immaculate College of Education, Ireland; the university in which the lead researcher was working.

Figure 1.

Phases of data collection.

Convenience sampling was employed to engage teachers and principals in the research project, while ensuring that a range of both male and female teachers and principals, with varying years of experience and teaching and leading in a variety of school types, were engaged in the study. The researchers sent information to teacher and principal network groups seeking expressions of interest and also asked teachers and principals who were known to them to participate in the research. It was the same group of principals and teachers who took part in both phases of the research. Tables 1 and 2 below presents demographic details of the teachers and principals involved in the study. In total twelve teachers and ten principals participated in phase one of the study. This chapter reports on the opportunities that the change in work practices provided to the majority of participants to engage in more self-care practices than they otherwise would if school buildings were open. Thereafter, the impact of the return to school in 2020 is reported.

Name	Sex	Role	Years of experience	School Type
Teacher 1 (T1)	Female	Special Education Teacher (SET)	10	Large Roman Catholic Urban School
Teacher 2 (T2)	Female	SET	20	Large Roman Catholic Urban School
Teacher 3 (T3)	Female	SET teacher	20	Large Roman Catholic Urban DEIS school
Teacher 4 (T4)	Male	Mainstream Class Teacher	8	Large Roman Catholic Urban DEIS school
Teacher 5 (T5)	Female	Mainstream class teacher	20 years plus	Small multi denominational school
Teacher 6 (T6)	Male	Mainstream class teacher	10 years plus	Large Roman Catholic Rural school
Teacher 7 (T7)	Female	Mainstream class teacher	20 years plus	Large Roman Catholic Rural school
Teacher 8 (T8)	Female	Mainstream class teacher	1 year	Large All Girls Roman Catholic Urban school
Teacher 9 (T9)	Female	Mainstream class teacher and Deputy Principal	25 years	Large Roman Catholic Rural school
Teacher 10 (T10)	Male	Mainstream class teacher	40 years	Roman Catholic Rural school
Teacher 11 (T11)	Female	Mainstream class teacher	25 years	Urban Gaelscoil
Teacher 12 (T12)	Female	Mainstream class teacher	15 years	Large Roman Catholic rural school

Table 1.

Demographic details of teachers involved in the study.

Name	Sex	Years of experience as Principal	School Type
Principal 1; (P1)	Male	3 years	Church of Ireland rural school
Principal 2; (P2)	Female	5 years	Small co-educational catholic rural school
Principal 3; (P3)	Female	9 years	Large urban co-educational catholic school
Principal 4; (P4)	Female	4 years	Developing Gaelscoil with pupils up to second class
Principal 5; (P5)	Female	7 years	Large Urban Educate Together school
Principal 6; (P6)	Male	9 years	Small co-educational catholic rural school
Principal 7; (P7)	Male	16 years	Large urban co-educational catholic school
Principal 8; (P8)	Female	15 years	Small rural co-educational catholic school
Principal 9; (P9)	Female	5 years plus 7 years in another school	Catholic urban co-educational senior school
Principal 10; (P10)	Male	1 year	Urban Educate Together co-educational school

Table 2.

Demographic details of principals involved in the study.

8. Participants and settings

Ten principals and 12 teachers from across Ireland volunteered and agreed to participate in this study (16 women and 6 men). Their ages ranged from 22 to 60 years (M = 42.45; SD 9.40). Of the total 22 participants, four principals and two teachers were employed in rural schools including two multidenominational schools, while the remainder were employed in urban schools, including two that were non-denominational. The majority of the participants (18/22) were employed in Catholic schools. In Ireland 88% of all primary schools are under catholic denomination. There were no significant differences associated with any of these demographic variables, which are presented in Figure 1. Acknowledging that the sample size was small, both in sample-size and demographics of participants, which was a limitation of the study, the findings are reflective of the ‘lived experience’ of the participants at the time and may reflect experiences of the wider educational community.

9. Data analysis

This research study collected both qualitative and quantitative data in the context of related literature on teacher well-being and care practices, given that the focus of this chapter is on self-care practices employed by teachers during the pandemic. The ERQ [28] and CBI [32] data were first entered into Excel and then imported into IBM SPSS Statistics 25 (IBM Corp. Released, 2019) for statistical analysis. Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 data demonstrated acceptable reliability with Cronbach’s alphas ranging from .815 to .919. Of the 22 participants who completed both questionnaires in Phase 1, 15 participants completed both questionnaires in Phase 2. Participants’ self-reported burnout overall was evident across both phases, yet favourable in comparison to pandemic-related burnout of other caring professionals in Ireland and internationally [7, 38, 47]. See [49] (in preparation) for more detail. Client-related burnout which included self-reported frustration and energy levels when working with colleagues and students, was the only burnout factor that reduced significantly from Phase 1 to Phase 2 (Wilcoxon test statistic: −3.22, p. < .01). This component of burnout included items such as: Do you find it hard to work with students/colleagues in lockdown? Do you find it frustrating working with students/colleagues in lockdown? The ERQ data showed a high rate of cognitive reappraisal at Phase 1, which increased significantly at Phase 2 for the 15 participants who completed the ERQ on both occasions (Wilcoxon test statistic: −2.168, p. < .05). There was an accompanying non-significant reduction in expressive suppression, which is less beneficial for one’s health [31] Teachers tend to use both methods of emotion regulation in their daily lives, sometimes reverting to expressive suppression in times of stress, despite their ability to use cognitive reappraisal, which has been shown to be effective in moderating teachers burnout in general [29] and in disaster contexts [50].

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the qualitative interview data from both phase 1 and 2 of data collection. Specifically, IPA is a qualitative approach developed in particular within the field of psychology [51] and it contends that ‘human beings are not passive perceivers of an objective reality, but rather that they come to interpret and understand the world by formulating their own biographical stories into a form that makes sense to them ([52], p 88)’. The participants ‘lived experience’ is coupled with a subjective and reflective process of interpretation, in which the analyst explicitly enters the research process [53]. The analysis involves a five-stage process that was detailed by Smith & Osborn [54]. The stages are: 1) Looking for themes in the first place, 2) Looking for connections 3) Developing a table of themes, 4) Continuing the analysis with other cases and 5) Developing a master list of themes for the group.

9.1 Looking for themes in the first place

The researchers read each transcript numerous times in an attempt to become intimate with the narrative. The researchers recorded anything which was of interest in the left-hand margin and on the right-hand margin documented emerging themes.

9.2 Looking for connections

A list of emerging themes were collated from both the principal and teacher interviews and connections between them were established and as clusters of themes developed the researchers remained in close contact with the original transcripts to ensure the accuracy of these themes.

9.3 A table of themes

Having established connections in one transcript a table of themes was developed which captured the major themes which emerged from the narrative and again the original transcript was referred to, to ensure the theme was represented in the verbatim script.

9.4 Continue the analysis of other cases

The themes which emerged from the first interview then guided the analysis of further transcripts and the researchers also remained open to the emergence of new ones. All new themes were checked against prior transcripts and the process involved continual checking and rechecking against previous research.

9.5 Develop a master list of themes for the group

Finally, in this comparing process, a master list of themes was produced and a list of superordinate and subordinate themes emerged, referring to major and minor themes. The analysis process was cyclical [8] and the stages were worked through several times. This process was applied to both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of qualitative data analysis. The theme and subthemes from both phases of data collection are presented and the highlighted themes that are relevant to this research are presented below emerged from both phases of data collection. Phase 1 data reports on how the lockdown provided an opportunity for participants to focus on personal well-being and increased self-care while Phase 2 enabled participants to reflect on well-being and self-care on return to school (Tables 3 and 4).

Theme	Sub-theme
The Moment	Experience of the day Managing feelings and emotions Critical interactions
Well-being	Subjective Well-being Impacts and Opportunities Institutional Well-being
Emerging Issues within the school community	Relationships Communication and Support The Digital Divide
In the Aftermath	Challenges, Opportunities and Silver Linings Establishing a Routine Parent and Pupil response
Looking Forward	Priorities for the new school year

Table 3.

Relevant themes and sub-theme(s) from phase 1 of qualitative data collection.

Theme	Sub-theme
The Return	Preparations for the return Feelings and Emotions
Well-being	Subjective Well-being Institutional Well-being
Emerging Issues in the School Community	Relationships Priorities Silver Linings

Table 4.

Relevant themes and sub-theme(s) from phase 2 of qualitative data collection.

10. Findings and results

The theme that is reported upon in this chapter is well-being. This theme emerged in both phase one and phase two of the data, with a slightly different focus across the phases. The sub-themes varied from phase one to phase two of data collection. As noted in the introduction, the sub-theme from phase 1 that is of most relevance for this chapter focusing on self-care practices is ‘Impacts and Opportunities’. In phase 2 ‘subjective well-being’ is the sub-theme that is reported on. Excerpts from the discussions are given to provide a true picture of participant responses, and to present them contextually and as authentically as possible.

The following sections will present the interview excerpts which are in turn sequentially followed by a brief analysis and discussion.

11. Impacts and opportunities: phase 1

As expected, the pandemic and the closure of schools impacted on the participating Irish principals and teachers in many unexpected ways. The move from face to face teaching to online teaching caused many challenges initially, as did staff communication and agreement of ways or working, however what did emerge very strongly in the sub-theme was the opportunity that lockdown provided to address well-being in a more meaningful way than was possible when school buildings were open. Concurrent parallel analysis [55] of the individual quantitative CBI [32] data for individual participants alongside their qualitative interview data suggests that perhaps reducing the amount of time spent with colleagues and students has provided the opportunity for extra time to pursue such recreation out of doors and with family. More time for the self and with those with whom personal relationships are important, has been an unintended bonus which may shed light on why the participants reported significantly less client related burnout over time as reported above (Wilcoxon test statistic: −3.22, p. < .01). As we can see from the transcript data from Phase 1, which are presented below, the teachers and principals tend to put their clients’ needs first in the normal course of events. The reduced time spent at school during lockdown provided the bonus of being at home, with the ability to take walks and be in the outdoors, which in turn likely contributed towards their overall reduced client-related burnout from Phase 1 to Phase 2. Both teachers and principals elaborated on practices they engaged in to support their self-care. The majority of the responses related to exposure to the outdoors and exercise: For example, one of the teachers explained that they were able to take the time to self-care:

There are two main things: Definitely exercise, getting fresh air. I have done loads of yoga, I never have the time to do things like that normally, so it’s been great, that kind of stuff. Definitely taking time out and moving away from family or the computer, just time to yourself and also as well, connection with all the people in my life that I couldn’t see, that is so important be it via Zoom or else, but connection is so important because you realise more than ever what you have and all those things (Teacher 1 (T1), Phase 1).

Although this teacher reported increased tiredness and exhaustion for some items on the CBI at Phase 1, they reported a lower degree of frustration, and never/almost never thinking “I can’t take it anymore” on Phase 2, which were improvements on Phase 1. In line with the significant reduction in client-related burnout on their CBI, this teacher also explained in their second interview that, “in my experience, the engagement with parents and kids was far less stressful than engaging with the staff. I felt that the staff was the hardest bit because it was just a new way of working”.

Principal 6 (P6) (Phase 1) explained further by stating; we’re so blessed and thankful all the time that we’re living in a rural area and everybody has access to rural country roads, back-gardens, fresh air, the weather was fantastic, people would have done very well out of school. But my emotions would be, kind of draining, that you’re working and you’re working from the laptop and you’re not getting the face to face. And you’re missing out on so much with the staff as well. …….I haven’t been spending enough time with them [parents] over the past few years. Wellness for me, is having some time for myself to do something that gives me energy, whether it’s exercise, or going for walks and being and nature.

Although this principal’s CBI personal burnout report showed a worsening of tiredness and exhaustion and the feeling of “giving more” than they get back, their client related burnout reduced.

Further examples of quotes from principals and teachers presented below indicate the impact of fresh air and exercise on personal self-care and well-being

I am a lot less time in the car now, and not even for school. Like, I mean, in the past, you would have…we live about…like probably about ten or fifteen minutes’ walk from a shop here in the countryside. But, in the past, I would start the car and driven to the shop, whereas now, I’m kind of like, you know, I’m actually going for a walk now; I want to go walk to the shop. I’m in the car a lot less because I have the time not to be in it (P3, Phase 1).

Well one very good thing that I have done throughout this lockdown is walking in the park every morning at 7. With a friend of mine on different sides of the road. When we want to chat, we chat, when we don’t want to chat, we don’t chat. That’s one of the things that kept me going, exercise is always helpful (P8, Phase 1).

I think, I mean I’ve been just, really, I love the fact that I am able to get my running in the morning and I have the guts of an hour and 45 minutes drive to my school everyday, so not to have that I think I’ve been very lucky I kind of have taken up things for myself because when I am in school, I never stop, I am always working working (T7, Phase 1).

As highlighted by the literature on well-being, these practices that the teachers engaged in support both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The activities that the participants engaged in were pleasant experiences for them thus supporting hedonic well-being. Indeed, they also supported eudaimonic well-being as it is clear from the responses from the majority of teachers that this extra time was enabling their personal well-being to flourish. The importance of “time” is evident in the selected excerpts below:

One teacher reflected that she neglected some hobbies in favour of fresh air, given the amount of time she was spending online daily:

I spent more time outdoors than I usually would and I suppose, because I found that home and work environment were the one and yeah, I just am not as inclined to be reading as much unfortunately, or watching television or screens because I’m reading texts on a screen for most of the day now, so, yeah, more fresh air and exercise (T8, Phase 1).

Another teacher lamented their inability to put time aside despite this opportunity:

I have discovered that working from home wouldn’t be the best job for me. I realised now that maybe if there was more time then maybe I would learned how to deal with it. …….Yeah, yeah for me, I didn’t have a strategy of how to put a limit on how to manage working hours. I should have put a limit around half five, that’s it. You know what I mean? Half five is my switch off time of work, but my phone would get a notification and I go open the computer and that really frustrated me. That kind of made me a bit neurotic, and I have heard people that they said they have a contact limit there. I should have done that from the start and it’s too late to do it now. So yeah, I didn’t have enough strategies in place and I didn’t know how to approach it and that would have helped mentally as well, so maybe if we have gotten more guidance on (unclear) if schools go on lockdown again, that there is some more formal education, this is the guidelines for teachers, these are their obligations and these are their limits. And I think I went too far over the limits which I should not have done for my own sake (T7, Phase 1).

In addition to exercise and the outdoors, both principals and teachers spoke about the additional time that they were gifted to spend with family, which they felt was enabling both well-being and self-care

I spent loads of outdoors time with the kids which was great, we’ll never get the chance to spend that much time with them again so we just made the most out of it. Realistically, but really during the week it’s only an hour per day but what can we do? We’re doing enough, we’re doing what we’re asked to do, yeah, so just the positives and spending time with the kids and thankfully the weather was good so we got to spend a lot of time with the kids so it worked for us (T6, Phase 1).

It sounds very sad to say but I gave my wife and children definitely an hour each morning, which I wouldn’t have been able to give them if I were in school, we went for walks, we picked flowers, that was a lovely experience, it really was, it really was time to be able for an hour, which is pathetic in my mind as a man, I should have given them, it shouldn’t have been timetabled and, but given the professional obligations and burdens, we were all dealing with a new education world (P10, Phase 1).

I think it’s just having good personal relationships with people that are close to me and also have time for myself to do the things that give me energy, on a personal level. I do think back in the first two weeks, the time when we had the two weeks of work prepared, those two weeks, I had them almost to myself. I got up each morning and I check the computer, check the email, that type of stuff, then I went to my parents who were living a mile over the road and then we’d just be outdoors and spend a couple of hours there. Those couple of weeks, I look back (unclear) it’s time that, as principal over the 8, 9 years I haven’t, I have been caught up in the job so to have those hours to spend over there and do bits of jobs, I’m really grateful for it. I realised that maybe I was missing that, missing wellness, the balance of me and the time that I spend with my parents, that’s probably, I haven’t been spending enough time with them over the past few years (P6, Phase 1).

… home and it made it like…a very happy place and very happy of me for my two, my children of five, nearly six actually, and three. And so, because we’re both at home and they just really started playing together, just happy out doing bits and then myself and my husband we were…we have plenty of time to just say “I need to go out, you need to go out” and if then I need to do schoolwork, there was never any…there was no problem finding that balance (T11, phase 1).

Brady and Wilson [16] in defining teacher well-being, consider both the personal and professional elements of this construct. The data presented above highlights that the balance of personal with professional was enabled more by the pandemic, particularly from the perspective of having more time to balance the personal with the professional.

Other self-care practices that supported people included a focus on hobbies and a revert back to activities that teachers and principals had neglected in recent times:

I would have quite enjoyed gardening and so I nearly became a professional gardener during the.me and I really found it…I was like “oh God, I would give up this teaching life and just take up gardening” because it was just really calming and enjoyable (T11, Phase 1)

The farm to me was my mental health space. I am not into reading, listening to music, I love music, during Easter I used to go out for walks and just watch the trees (unclear) just standing and taking time really, just to try to process it. The silence was lovely, I think the silence around that time, we’d live close to the motorway and the motorway was dead (T9, Phase 1)

So now during lockdown, I am cooking more, I am baking, I am playing my instruments, I am doing a florist course soon, so I am going to take this time for me and just check in and make sure that I am trying to think of myself as well rather than, and I think principals and teachers as a profession, there’s no doubt about it, everyone I’ve come across, are very hard working and really working to do right for their students and their parents. Teachers and principals do take their jobs very very seriously probably to the detriment of themselves, we’ll probably be at the end of the list in terms of who needs to be looked after because we’re constantly giving. So lockdown has allowed me to kind of look at myself and think of what am I doing for myself to feel a little bit happier and better (P3, phase 1).

As Noddings [19] highlights, care practices involve caring for both the carer and the cared for person. The data excerpts above highlight that the pandemic enabled more time for the carer to attend to their own care needs. Indeed, there was probably less emotional work with students on a daily basis during remote working and this did promote teachers’ own subjective well-being.

12. Summary of phase 1

The excerpts presented from the Interviews from Phase 1 above confirm that despite the change in work practices necessitated by Covid 19 and the impact of the pandemic on day to day living, the silver lining for the participants in this research study was the additional time to address personal well-being- which was achieved through spending time outdoors and in nature, being with family and close friends and reigniting an interest in hobbies that were given limited attention previously. Overall these examples provide further insights into the positive impact of being able to take time for self-care at an individual level as a silver lining. While the experience of tiredness was still present due to the different demands of working remotely, having time for the self, for spending with significant others and away from the school itself has been perceived as qualitatively positive concurrent with the significant reduction in client-related burnout. Time pressure has recently been shown to negatively correlate with teachers’ subjective vitality [13]. One participant reported feeling drained that their medical practitioner “could just see that I was reaching burnout with no question”. However, this participant did not take time off but used strategies such as setting school departure time and following through. It was interesting to see that these self-initiated ways to care for the self, were in line with the findings of McMakin et al. [41] confirming that teachers and principals are able to intuitively know what they need for their unique situations.

13. Subjective well-being: Phase 2

When the teachers and principals participated in phase 2 of data collection, they had returned to school for approximately three months and were almost ready for the Christmas break. The feedback from the participants in this phase of data collection was mixed in terms of participant responses to supporting personal well-being. Some participants continued to prioritise personal well-being, some felt the return to school really supported well-being and principals in particular felt the burden of responsibility on them was huge, with little to no support from the Department of Education or other support services.

Having identified the importance of harnessing time for the self in supporting well-being during their lockdown. Many of the participants explained how they attempted to continue this once back at school at Phase 2.

What I found during lockdown and I think again now was that getting out into nature is key, ideally when it’s bright. It’s not always possible. During that first term, you know, I could have been walking in the dark evenings. It’s much better to be out under a blue sky for forty-five minutes so that to me is essential. The second thing was putting a time limit, a cut-off time on the school building and saying, no matter what, I am leaving at this time (P1, Phase 2).

T1 explained that she had “gotten back in the habit” of sea swimming since the lockdown, and can use this as a way to release school-related frustration, which is reflected in their reduced frustration in this teacher’s burnout measure.

I sea swim a lot and I’ve been doing it consistently. Usually, I dip in and out throughout the winter but I’ve been doing it way more and I’ve gotten back into the habit of doing it more at home as well. So now I go most days and I think like if I leave school frustrated and my head’s full or so on, I will go for a swim. So things like that, you know? Say getting out, getting more fresh air. Probably getting fresh air at the weekends than I ever got before but it’s definitely not hurting me (T1, Phase 2).

A further illustration of this is provided by P6 (Phase 2);

I suppose I’d be a fairly resilient person anyway but I think that’s maybe because I’m conscious of my mental health. I’m conscious of my well-being and I make sure that I do things every single day that bolster that, you know? (P4, Phase 2).

Similar to the T1, T5 (phase 2) explained how she retained her lockdown “bubble” people and activities into the returned to school environment as follows:

And if I felt that I was slipping into, Oh God, I’d have to pull myself and say, Right, come on now up and out. Get out for a walk, put on the runners. You know? I’ll text somebody who I haven’t texted in a while and see how they’re getting on (T5, Phase 2).

In summary these examples shed light on the reduced client-related burnout from Phase 1 to Phase 2. The fact that the teachers had been gifted the time during the initial lockdown to attend to their own care and well-being needs in a more holistic way, they were eager on return to school to continue to incorporate daily habits to address personal well-being.

However, the increased workload upon return did curtail this, as exemplified in the next examples:

I suppose dealing with those people took a huge amount of my time and my energy and all of that because I was very worried that the anxiety would spill over into the classroom and that there’d be negative energy from the point of view of the children (T5, Phase 2).

And compared to being in lockdown, important admin tasks were taking personal time:

Now that probably does impact on your well-being in terms of the evening you’re taking more time in the evening to organise subs, organise the day ahead but it hasn’t been anything that has caused me too much worry, you know? (P8, Phase 2)

While one teacher did love the flexibility that the school closures allowed in terms of structuring the day, the general consensus from both principals and teachers was that personal well-being was enhanced by the return to school:

I also had my own routine so I could choose to get up in the morning and go for coffee first and then start on the website. And I loved that. Having my own routine to me is like getting a big, big deep breath of fresh air, you know. No timetables. No bell. I loved that Mags. I really, really enjoyed that. You know? I did work hard but I loved that in the morning (T2, Phase 2).

It’s definitely better being back and I think by being back in the same building there’s an element of cohesion that happens naturally and I think that’s benefitted everybody. So overall. even though I know some people would probably disagree with me, I think it has helped my well-being by being back (T1, Phase 2).

Yes, my well-being, it was definitely much better when the schools were open. I think just having to get up a six o’clock and have your morning routine, get out early, drive to school, all of that and be prepared. Even just from having to be showered and get your clothes ready for the morning and your lunch and all of that, maybe it’s just me, but I love to have that routine and you know be heading out to work at the same time with coffee and yes being in school on time and getting prepared for the children coming in. And then, once three o’clock comes, you feel you’ve done a pretty, productive day and then you can kind of relax in the evening time and do whatever you want for yourself. And then, yes, it just was- I do think it had a positive impact on my well-being whereas when you’re working from home, it’s just, everything is muddled into one where you’re living, working, exercising. It’s a little bit more difficult to have that routine and it’s hard to switch off too from the laptop, as you probably know (T8, Phase 2).

Yes, before Christmas, well-being was good. As I said, we were all buzzing to be back in school and doing the things that we wanted to do, you know? So I wasn’t working too hard. The routine was there so I’d pick up my own kids from school every day at the normal time, you know? It was fine (P5, Phase 2).

It is clear that the routine of the school days suited many people and most especially emotional well-being was increased by the return to school, the engagement with colleagues even though it remained curtailed and the physical engagement and relationship building with children on a daily basis. An emerging issue for principals on return to school was maintaining and managing staff relationships in the best and most appropriate way possible, given all of the physical restrictions imposed. Although personal well-being was supported by the return to school, some principals were very mindful of the fact that the working in pods and lack of socialising and mixing across the staff as would normally happen, did impact on well-being:

I suppose, two things. I find it hard to step away from the friendships on staff. I’ve felt quite isolated and lonely this year…. And I’ve never been one to necessarily have colleagues as friends on the outside of school. But I do like the collegiality. The feeling you get when you have a laugh and a joke in the staffroom, in the playground, in the yard. You know, all those kind of things. When you nip into the class to pick up something or to drop something off and you can have a bit of a joke with your colleague. I’ve missed that very much…. I struggled, if I’m being really honest (P7, Phase 2).

Some of them that really found it taxing, I suppose, emotionally. You know, knowing that they were possibly bringing home something to the parents that they were looking after, to themselves and those types of things. From a staff perspective, I’m not sure if we ever really relaxed or got a sense of spontaneity or normality (P8, Phase 2).

But at the same time, you’d just love to be able to have something outside of school that you would get really excited about, you know? A social outlet. We don’t have that at the moment so you’re kind of living in a regimented way every day. Every day is the same. You’re doing the same things to make sure you have things done, you know? (P8, Phase 2)

Everybody is just a bit fraught with the whole thing but everything settled down then and yes so it was okay. The only thing I would say though is that as time goes on, it’s now the wearing of it, the drudgery of it, the time-consuming that all the hand washing takes and all the staggered lunch yards. Everybody is always on duty and nobody is getting to know each other. It’s very sad for new teachers coming into the school. There’s no interaction in the staffroom. There’s no banter, there’s no craic and we are really missing that. I mean it just goes to show we are social animals (P4, Phase 2).

It is very clear from the data excerpts above that the social side of employment, in terms of colleagues and friends, fun and banter, the fun and friendships that are an innate feature of so many work environments support personal well-being is so many ways. The restrictions imposed on schools really did impact on this and on teacher well-being across the school.

Unanimously principals felt unsupported by the Department of Education and other organisations such as the Irish Primary Principal’s Network. They very much felt they were left to their own devises in terms of managing schools in the Covid pandemic when they re-opened and this did impact on well-being as did negative media reports:

We know that we’re doing a good job and we know that we have a great community of staff, of children, of parents and it works. You know? I just focus on that and completely shut out all the noise that’s in the press because we have to do that at the moment because it’s so damning right now (P9, Phase 2).

Look, the same as every principal, the fact that the circulars, letters being dumped on you, without any consultation. … I can’t even remember what it was we were meant to do, what email we got on Friday night (P8, Phase 2)

I feel there’s been no support from the Department. Financially? Yes. But from a principal’s point of view, very little support from the Department of Education. They’re very quick at sending out dictates and circulars. … Yes, I mean I’m coping more than I thought I was going to be able to cope (laughs) because I think the worst two months were actually July and August because it was that lack of clarification, that anticipation, that not knowing what was going to happen. They were the two months that I think were the worst, you know? (P3, Phase 2).

But at the same time I do feel that we, as a profession, have been thrown under the bus a little bit by politicians

I still do feel very let down by some people in powers above me…. Just no job description. I’m finding myself being a procurement agent, a legal advisor, a child protection officer, a track and trace person... But that’s not what I signed up for. I signed up to lead learning. I don’t think I’ve actually lead learning once this year! (P10, Phase 2).

Indeed, teachers commented on this also:

No. No, absolutely not! Like, you know, getting an email say from an Education Centre and it saying, “Oh, look after your welfare.” And you know these webinars that you may attend. You know, number one, you’re probably too exhausted from a day’s work to sit down for a webinar from seven to eight at night or whatever time it is. How is that going to help me? Now, don’t get me wrong, maybe that’s for somebody. That’s just not my cup of tea (T5, phase 2).

Reflecting on the work of Nodding’s and the concept of caring for both the carer and the cared for person, it is very clear that teachers and in particular principal teachers did not feel that they were cared for or support by the Department of Education or other relevant unions. As a result, principals in particular felt the burden of responsibility for addressing staff well-being and were very mindful of same.

Principal’s also found it ironic that they received numerous correspondences in relation to well-being for teachers while they felt no-one was supporting principal well-being:

I do think there is the greatest irony of it all, you know, principals get emails every second of third day from the Department on well-being documents, pointing them in this direction, pointing them in that direction and you know, the question does ask, We’re supporting all the teachers’ well-being, all the staff well-being, but who’s looking after us and doing all these strategies for us? (laughs) … That is, I don’t know if daunting is the right word, but that is a fear. You know? That that support isn’t there if you need it (P4, Phase 2)

Phase 2 data certainly confirms that while personal well-being is addressed in many ways, a positive school culture and climate and personal relationships and comradery on staff support well-being. Principal well-being in particular has the potential to be enhanced by a stronger and meaningful support network from organisations that work with teachers and also the perspective of the media can be very harsh on teachers as a professional. A very important reminder about well-being and the time and nourishment it takes to address well-being is reflected by T3 (phase 2);

Everybody thinks it’s easy blah, blah, blah. Well-being, no more than anything else, it takes work, commitment, consistency, effort, you know? To look after yourself in a consistent way takes effort. If you want to be more mindful, maybe you need to put in a couple of hours every week for weeks to see the benefit. And it’s like nobody can actually do it for you. You have to be willing to try and access the resources and then you have to be able to commit and put in the time. Because it’s not a pill that somebody can give you. I can’t meditate for anybody else only myself. You know (T3, Phase 2).

14. Summary of phase 2

The excerpts from the interviews in Phase 2 highlight a number of important aspects of school life that support teacher well-being. In the first instance, the data highlighted that teachers really did relish the return to school and the opportunities created not only for meaningful teaching and learning, but also for their own social well-being, despite the restrictions in place. The lack of opportunities to support social and emotional well-being of staff imposed by restrictions became a very real issue for schools in September 2020. Meeting pupils and colleagues and the general buzz of a school building when there are pupils and activities taking place was found to be so positive for the research participants. The structure of the school day supported some of the participants in being able to separate out their work life and their personal time. It was interesting however, that given the experience of being able to engage in self-care practices across the pandemic that participants were eager and intent on embedding self-care and well-being practices as part of the daily routine. It was notable that the participants, and in particular the principals did not find the communication in relation to teacher well-being from the DES and other relevant agencies in any way helpful; it had the opposite effect of more e mails, more bombardment and was not seen in any way supportive to the participants. Now that practices in relation to Covid 19 have eased and schools are functioning with less restrictions, this should endeavour to support well-being and address issues of isolation and communication among and between staff.

15. Discussion

Although the study undertaken is a small-scale study in relation to teacher well-being and self-care practices, it provides both interesting and important data on the overall area of how teachers care for themselves. This article highlights in particular how self-care is so important for a profession that is demanding and where teachers give a lot of themselves to the job. While the first lockdown in March 2020 was a stressful time for teachers, in terms of adapting to new ways of working, in terms of worrying about pupils who had an opportunity to flourish in a nurturing school environment and in terms of the personal concerns that were common to us all at the time in terms of the potential impact of Covid on family and friends; the pandemic did provide an unexpected opportunity for teachers to address their own self-care issues, in a very welcome way. As the literature has highlighted, self-care is so important to the teaching profession; indeed teachers themselves have realised how importance addressing well-being is, as is illustrated in the phase 2 data, with both the teachers and principals endeavouring to incorporate strategies for their personal well-being into their daily routine. Teaching and leading demand energy and time. Given the present findings and their congruence with other findings, the challenge remains now in the post-covid era that teachers find the balance between the demands of the profession and sustaining personal well-being through self-care practices.

16. Strengths, limitations, and implications for professional practice and future research

The findings as presented need to be interpreted with caution, alongside the following strengths and limitations. The mixed methods design with a qualitative focus yielded more detailed self-reporting of the lived experiences of a small number of participants, providing more insights than is possible through quantitative methods alone. The qualitative findings provided rich contextual data against which the quantitative data could be interpreted at an individual level. However, limitations that must also be acknowledged firstly include the small sample size which restricts the generalisability of these findings. Secondly, recruitment through convenience sampling increases the potential risk of researcher bias in utilising non-random sampling of participants, who in turn may have been predisposed towards participating based on their time availability, their interest in the issue, and their pre-existing knowledge of the researchers and research institution [43]. Social desirability is another potential risk whereby participants may be predisposed to reporting what they think might be acceptable to the researchers [7]. The validity and reliability of self-report methodology is not guaranteed, and individual reflections may be influenced by factors of which participants may be unaware and that are inaccessible to reflection [56]. However, the validity of this research approach overall, may be confirmed by similarity of these findings with findings from other research with teachers [41, 42, 48].

In light of the above, the present study contributes new understandings of the impact of reduced client-related burnout in reducing overall burnout in this small sample, and contributes further insights into how teachers and principals tend to draw upon their inner resources. Although this is a small-scale research study, the importance of care of the carer is highlighted iis work. It is essential that teachers and school leaders address their own well-being needs, not alone for the self but also to enable them to support pupils’ well-being needs. It is clear, particularly from the second phase of the research study that teachers’ really do see the importance of self-care, however this takes time and commitment along with an attitude of the importance of this time for self. There is the potential to expand this study to include a larger number of participants and furthermore to see as we resume life in a more ‘normal’ fashion and teachers have returned to pre-pandemic working conditions, are self-care practices being maintained?