As we embark on another school year, one fraught with uncertainty as the pandemic lingers, I want to share a few things I experienced and learned during our rushed switch to remote learning this past spring. These lessons have influenced both my preparations for this new academic year and my approaches as a biology educator.
The lessons I learned came from the “we are in all this together, but our experiences are different” frame of mind, which helped to build empathy and community during the pandemic. My experience was vastly different than that of many people I know. My children do not live at home, my parents passed years ago, and I was already teaching half of my course load online. This made dealing with pandemic issues easier and less stressful, especially when compared to my students.
While I worked safely from home, my students continued to go to work....
University of California Press