Educators on the front lines of armed conflict : well-being, roles, and agency

Abstract

This chapter examines educators’ well- being, roles, and agency in contexts of armed conflict. Its purpose is to show how teaching on the front lines involves not only the continuation of schooling but also the maintenance of care, hope, identity, and social continuity amid violence and institutional disruption. Drawing on literature from diverse conflict and post- conflict settings, the chapter first explores the psychological effects of war on teachers, including trauma, burnout, resilience, and the dual burden of supporting learners while also experiencing insecurity themselves. It then analyses how teachers’ roles expand beyond instruction to include trauma-sensitive care, psychosocial support, community stabilisation, peacebuilding, and learning design. Lastly, it examines teacher agency as a situated and uneven practice shaped by survival, resistance, silence, advocacy, and risk. The chapter argues that teachers’ resilience and commitment cannot substitute for sustained institutional, professional, and psychosocial support.