Challenges of Teachers and Leaders in Education During the Covid-19 Period

Abstract

The previous year turned out to be a very intense period for all of us. Packed full of unusual challenges which cause a heavy psychological burden on anyone. Different individuals coped with this situation in different ways. The most affected persons to be included in the study are teachers and heads of educational institutions. This paper aims to highlight the challenges faced by teachers during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way it is run and the impact and this situation on their psychological health. The participants of the study are 173 teachers from the city of Durrës, part of the preschool cycle, elementary education, lower secondary education, lower secondary education, as well as 14 heads of public and private educational institutions (school and kindergarten). The teachers were interviewed through the platform "Google Form", according to the Pandemic restrictions. At the end of the paper, it was concluded that the difficulties during this academic year the teaching process faced, was of high level. Student negligence, lack of technological equipment or even the non-cooperation between teachers and parents brought various problems. Too much quarantine, online learning, excessive documentation, remain a key stress factor for teachers. It was noticed as a positive point the cooperation between teachers and heads which led to the successful closing of the school year.

Received: 13 January 2022 / Accepted: 25 March 2022 / Published: 30 March 2022