Abstract

Purpose – This essay explores the effects of school buildings closure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Chilean teachers’ and principals’ professional role and values, highlighting implications for reconceptualizing educators’ professionalism for the post-pandemic era. Design/methodology/approach – Competing versions of Chilean educators’ professionalism during the pandemic were analyzed based on government guidelines, national teachers’ association statements, news reports and testimonies from teachers and principals collected from webinars. Findings – The guidelines that the ministry issued after school building were required to close motivated educators to challenge a version of professionalism founded on new public management (NPM) policies, which mandated external control and emphasized students’ academic outcomes. By challenging the dominant NPM perspective of professionalism, educators advocated for professional autonomy as well as students’ and communities’ well-being. Originality/value – This essay offers insights into how the Chilean school system’s response to the crisis evidenced competing notions of educators’ professionalism. As the pandemic continues to be an ongoing phenomenon, four implications for reconceptualizing educators’ professionalism are drawn, which could inform and offer guidance to practitioners and policymakers in the post-pandemic era.