Transcending: The journey and lived experiences of the educators who survived COVID-19

This study described how the educators, both from public and private schools in Cabanatuan City, managed and survived the difficulties they experienced while battling the Covid-19 virus. The researcher used a descriptive phenomenological design for this study, of which an in-depth interview was conducted to generate qualitative data from the twelve (12) educators from public and private schools in Cabanatuan City. Thematic analysis was applied in emerging the five (5) themes, namely: (1) The Crossover of COVID-19 (Initial reaction of participants when infected), (2) Pyschosocial Distress Behind the Wall (Physical, Psychological, Social Difficulties including the Post Covid-Symptoms), (3) Conquering Adversaries (Coping Mechanism applied to survive Covid-19 infection) (4) Transcending Life’s Meaning (Life lessons learned from their Covid-19 Journey) and (5) Proposed Policy for Educational Institutions (Policies suggested based on their experiences). The findings of the study showed that: the phenomenon under study showed the educators’ resiliency through their faith and positivity, which enabled them to survive the difficulties they faced as Covid-19 patients. All these themes form a central idea that educators are in need of institutional support when faced with a health crisis, such as the pandemic, that can put their lives at risk. Based on the results, the researcher crafted a proposed institutional policy that will aid and support the employees in times of health crisis.