[[missing key: loading-pdf-error]] [[missing key: loading-pdf-link]]
Abstract
Schools globally were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A scaled back of teaching and learning activities formed the new normal in academia. The problem is teachers have been required to provide educational experiences for students in concurrent classrooms in the United States during a pandemic while not being equipped with the appropriate skills. Data collected from participants may provide meaningful information into how educators maneuvered the phenomenon although inadequately prepared. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of teachers in concurrent classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Pre-K-12 rural school district in South Carolina. A gap in research existed due to the novelty of the phenomenon studied. Transformational leadership theory was applied in conducting the study. Fifteen teachers were purposefully selected from a population of educators who experienced concurrent teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the participants. Responses from participants were recorded and transcribed using Microsoft Teams. Transcribed data was uploaded to Delve data analysis software, coded, and categorized into themes. Key findings included, participants’ frustration and diminished self-efficacy of concurrent teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational leaders and teacher should be trained to provide students in a technological evolving landscape.