Hope during COVID-19: a poetic inquiry of early career academics

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause global upheaval. It had a significant impact on the field of education, with multiple lockdowns changing the nature of teaching. This has been particularly challenging for early career academics (ECA) who already experience heightened stresses in the field of academia. This article explores the impact of COVID-19 on three ECAs who are Health, Outdoor and Physical Education (HOPE) teacher educators. Using poetic inquiry, this article explores our experiences of teaching experiential content in an online environment during an extended lockdown. Engaging in this process highlighted the personal and professional challenges we faced, including work-life balance, teaching online, and staying up to date with research and leadership commitments. It also highlighted significant opportunities, including affirming good pedagogy and building a sense of community. Ultimately, engaging in this process highlighted a sense of hope and provided an opportunity for the three authors to grow as educators.