Teaching in turbulent times: Teachers' perceptions of the effects of external factors on their professional lives

Abstract

Scholars often seek to understand the relationships between various social, economic, political, and cultural events and their impact on the lives of Canadians. As a compulsory social institution the school is an arena where the turbulent external environment has a significant influence. The teacher is the primary contact for children in the school and must deal with the indirect ramifications of societal activity as imported by the students. At the same time the teacher is a member of the wider community and is directly affected by those same events. The effects of such disruptions on the professional lives of teachers who live and work in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, are documented and described in this article.