BackgroundIn the wake of the COVID-19 school closures during 2020, there was much concern about the transition back to in-person classroom teaching and learning, given the many safety protocols in place that could make it more difficult for teachers to connect with students.PurposeThis small-scale case study from the USA sought to gain insight into teachers' experiences of building and maintaining relationships with students during the return to in-person schooling in the 2020-2021 school year and consider implications for teaching and learning beyond the pandemic.MethodAn interview protocol that stimulated discussion about relationships and involved diagram creation was used. This allowed the experiences of two teachers to be explored, in depth, through the lens of emotional closeness. Both teachers were interviewed at four points during the school year. Data were analysed qualitatively.FindingsThrough close analysis of the data, the two teachers' experiences of forming and maintaining relationships with students emerged. Findings resonated with some previous research on teacher-student relationship formation and also drew attention to the nuanced changes of habit on the part of the teacher that were required in terms of initiation and engagement.ConclusionThe study highlights the significance of teachers' adaptive expertise, which can often be overlooked in daily practice. More broadly, it suggests a need for teacher education to place emphasis on the development of relationship skills, for the benefit of teachers and students alike.

Challenges to teaching in the post-Covid classroom plagued schools across the globe. This qualitative study followed two middle-school teachers in a charter school located in the Western United States to identify the changes to classroom teaching and their effects on the classroom environment through the first year of teaching after the 2020 shutdown. Changes came from state mandates, local administration, and teachers' own adjustments. Findings identified three categories of changes to schools, all with pros and cons. However, evidence suggest that increased autonomy, resources and support for teachers' work improved their ability to be prepared, focused, and effective. Implications for the profession of teaching are discussed, with an emphasis on autonomy, support and trust of teachers as professionals.

This reflexive autoethnography explores my experience of learning about myself as I experienced painting with watercolors. The focus of this research is understanding the interaction of identity, emotion, and belonging within the context of my own adult learning experience. The central emphasis seeks to offer contributing factors to adult learning in a context outside of formal learning opportunities, such as in university or school-based learning. I employed the reflexive process of autoethnography through journal entries, photographic documentation, and recalling to examine my own experience of learning in a non-academic setting. Various theories of self-identity, participation, and learning were explored to frame my own learning experience. This methodological approach allowed the pursuit of adult learning to emerge as something deeply intertwined with an individual's understanding of their identity, affective experiences, and sense of belonging. These considerations have capacity to further current conceptualizations of the process of adult learning experiences. Implications for facilitators of adult learning are offered.

This study utilized Self-Study of Practice methodology to examine stories of our teacher development to explore the role of reflection in helping us grapple with challenging experiences in our teaching. Through emergent coding and collaborative analysis, we examine how reflection critically impacts the trajectory of practicing teachers. Our stories and subsequent discussion reveal recurring themes that suggest practices, attitudes, and skills reflective teachers implement to improve their understanding of the teacher-self and influence positive student outcomes.

Previous research has suggested that emotional and social developmental domains configure most prominently for adolescents in the classroom. In this qualitative study, we first aimed to explore teachers’ perspectives of students’ needs, then to explore the ways that teachers came to understand those needs, and how that understanding informed their practice of attending to student needs in the classroom. Findings suggest that teachers, also, are more attuned to the emotional domain, interpreting all needs displayed by students through an emotional lens. Additionally, teachers used emotion as an entry point to connect with students and sought to support student development through attending to personal relationships, creating safe learning spaces, and showing care for students. Teachers’ sources of emotional awareness varied through personal histories and experiences in the profession. Implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed, including the need for greater focus to prepare teachers for the emotion needs of their students.