The Shaping Influence of the COVID-19 Crisis on a Teacher Educator’s Online Identity: A Pandemic/Post-Pandemic Self-Study

The inquiry discussed in this chapter reports on the experiences of a teacher educator during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter investigates how the pandemic shaped the teacher educator’s identity and pedagogical practice. The work is conceptually grounded in Deleuzo-Guattarian concepts. Methodologically the inquiry is a self-study in that it is self-initiated and aimed at improving professional practice. The results of this research focused on three emergent themes in relation to teacher educator identity: (a) the displacement of the body and the centering of the discursive; (b) the diminishment of pedagogical certainty and the expansion of pedagogical negotiation; and (c) the persistence of emotional fatigue and the requisite for self-care. This work contributes to the scholarly literature and provides an example of professional practice to support teacher educators in fully enacting a professional identity that aligns with their values and promotes their students’ success. Recommendations for research and teaching are provided.