ABSTRACT
In this qualitative study, the researcher examined teachers' perspectives on returning to school for in-person education during a crisis. As school districts readied themselves for the return of students in the fall, some teachers were struggling with the fact that, not only were they not ready, but they had also put themselves and their families in danger of contracting SARS-CoV-2 virus, the novel coronavirus, now called COVID-19. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in December of 2019. In this study, the researcher explored Erik Erikson's model of psychosocial development that has conventionally been used as a framework to understand human development and emotions. The researcher reviewed data of teachers' feelings and perspectives of being in school when healing was needed socially and emotionally for staff as much as it was needed for their students. Teachers were interviewed with questions pertaining to their reported perspectives and feelings since they have returned to in-person instruction during the global pandemic COVID-19. Questions were related to supports and safety protocols that were required to be put in place as schools reopened for the 2020-2021 school year. In March of 2020, the second half of the 2019-2020 academic year, schools around the world closed. Although the COVID-19 global pandemic is still ongoing, there was still a pressing need for research, which was created at the time districts started the plan to reopen and have teachers return to their classrooms for instruction for the 2020-2021 academic year. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)