Rural Teachers’ Burnout, Well-Being, and COVID-19 Related Stress During the Pandemic

Authors

Jennifer D. Deaton, University of North Carolina at GreensboroFollow
L. DiAnne Borders, University of North Carolina at GreensboroFollow
Carrie Wachter Morris, University of North Carolina at GreensboroFollow
Jasmine L. Garland McKinney, University of North Carolina at GreensboroFollow
Saron Fantahun, University of North Carolina at GreensboroFollow
Alexandria N. Smith, University of North Carolina at GreensboroFollow

ORCID

Jennifer D. Deaton https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1897-1118

L. DiAnne Borders https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8713-245X

Carrie Wachter Morris https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8704-1598

Jasmine L. Garland McKinney https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9818-712X

Saron Fantahun https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4362-2865

Alexandria N. Smith

Abstract

To date, researchers have not explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of rural teachers specifically. Rural schools already faced long-standing issues of lower salaries, professional isolation, teacher shortages, and technology challenges, suggesting rural teachers may have experienced even higher levels of distress due to the pandemic. Overall, however, teachers from one rural county school system in the southeastern United States reported moderate COVID-19 concerns, low distress, and moderate well-being. Results could reflect responses characteristic of rural resilience. Further study is needed to explore teachers’ unique coping strategies.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Deaton, J. D., Borders, L., Wachter Morris, C., McKinney, J. L., Fantahun, S., & Smith, A. N. (2023). Rural Teachers’ Burnout, Well-Being, and COVID-19 Related Stress During the Pandemic. The Rural Educator, 44(4), 29-42. https://doi.org/10.55533/2643-9662.1336