The present study examined teachers' perceptions of changes in their professional lives brought about by distance education during the COVID-19 outbreak. It was also aimed to explore how this particular global crisis and unprecedented times of education have affected teachers' motivation and their perceptions of the teaching profession. Twenty-two teachers working at different levels and types of K–12 schools in different cities in Turkey were interviewed by utilizing a phenomenological qualitative inquiry method. Our analysis showed that the obligatory transition to distance education created new opportunities and challenges for both teachers and students. While the teachers had emotional exhaustion, stress, and professional difficulties; distance education helped them develop new skills to better integrate educational technologies into classroom teaching. The findings also indicated that the COVID-19 crisis reinforced deep-rooted inequities in the Turkish education context. This study offers several implications for policymakers and educators to plan educational recovery from COVID-19.

Keywords: Teacher education, COVID-19, Teaching profession, Distance education, Inequities in education, Teachers' professional development