Teachers’ diaries during the pandemic: accounts of work and health in digital notebooks

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to problematize health aspects of the work process of primary school teachers in the state of Rio de Janeiro in the context of the pandemic using daily entries made by teachers in digital notebooks. We conducted a qualitative participatory social study in partnership with the Macaé Teachers Union. Eight teachers from public and private schools participated in the study. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and organized into two main categories: the first related to the analysis of the (remote) work process; and the second comprising health, previous comorbidities and collective resistance. The findings highlight that the teachers are experiencing the deepening of forms of oppression, worsening working terms and conditions, and work intensification.