Metaphoric Meanderings: Metaphors of Teachers' Emotional Labour

Abstract This article addresses teachers’ emotional responses to educational reforms and changes as identified in their metaphoric narratives. Therefore, it reflects the policy impacts on teachers’ practice and professional well-being. An analysis of narratives extracted from semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis (Badal, 2018) sought to reveal the representations of teachers' emotions as expressed through their use of metaphors in their discussions of the educational reform known as CAPS. Although that 2018 study did not investigate the teachers’ metaphor usage, noticing their prevalence provided an opportunity to advance the research by analysing the metaphors used by the participants. Drawing on the framework of conceptual metaphors in research on educational change, this study generates insights into how teachers' metaphors can serve as windows into their emotional responses amidst the backdrop of structural and systemic oppression. It further recommends that teachers reclaim their voices amidst the tumultuous torrents of educational reform. The findings also contribute to the scholarly discourse on educational practice and policy.