Ive taught 3 courses during the pandemic now & feel as experienced as a prof can be given that we are only 4 months into this. here's a few basic lessons I've learned and what I fear for the coming semester. 1/
students are coming into the fall wondering how profs will incorporate their need to grieve, disappear, be quarantined, mourn deaths, & get sick. faculty are putting time into a well-organized and laid out class (as we should), but not into how they will cope with the above. 2/
specifically, what are our attendance policies? are we weighing participation the same, knowing that some will not have the emotional space to participate (in public health, ESPECIALLY when talking about disease, which is pretty triggering given the circumstances)? due dates? 2/
students also worry about a the gap in personal connection to the pandemic. Black & brown students will all likely know someone who has died from COVID19, while many white students may not. students fear how profs will manage what for some is personal and others theoretical 3/
and all of this is happening in the year of the election. think about that week on your syllabus. for students, especially those from marginalized communities, they are not only dealing with the pandemic, but the biggest election in their lifetimes 4/
I can't emphasize enough the implications of the election. for many students, it's a day in which their white peers and the white populace will acknowledge (or not) that their existence matters. trust me, these students will not be able to focus this week, nor will I 5/
so, in the end, this semester is about compassion, forgiveness, empathy, flexibility, and humanity. model it as a prof and as a person. it's the only way to create a positive learning environment amid the chaos. these are the skills that make our profession great anyway. fin/
