[This week I start what is unquestionably the most distinct and strange semester of my 20+ year teaching career. So for my annual Fall previews, I’ve discussed some of the ways that my classes will and won’t be different this time around. Leading up to this crowd-sourced post full of Fall 2020 thoughts, plans, and solidarity from colleagues near and far—add yours in comments, please!]
Responding to my prompt about plans, ideas, concerns, and goals, thoughts from many of my friends and colleagues:
Amy Wehe: “Goal: create a feeling of belonging in my classes, even though my classes will not meet in person. Concern: I will be overwhelmed this semester.”
AnneMarie Donahue: “Plans - get kids writing personal experiences and views on social justice. Ideas - use Twitch as a means of teaching writing on a platform they know. Concerns - we are all gonna die. Goals - not die.”
Heather Urbanski: “Concern: adapting already hybrid course structure from F2F into fully online within technological resources and support available. Goal: Find a self-established routine that’s helpful without adding even more stress because of what I inevitably won’t get done when I want to because, you know, pandemic is still going on (on top of more individual personal life things).”
Dani Langdon: “Goal: Finish my application for the Doctoral Program in Education and Social Justice at Lancaster University. Plan: Do everything I can to keep from drowning. Concerns: ha! Umm everything?”
Katy Covino: “Goals: Balance challenge and care in my teaching. Concerns: Balancing challenge and care (in my teaching, parenting, remote schooling, living...).”
Amy Johnson: “Fears: afraid of getting complacent and letting down my guard about covid but also at the same time don’t want to be too fearful either...Plans: take two fall grad classes, learn to cook better/eat out less. Emphases: making a lfl with my mom and gramma!”
Sean Goodlett: “Fears: that the November election will drag on after the 3rd; that the Orange Boil on the Bottom of Satan will continue to occupy our collective mental space; that we won’t get COVID under control for many months. Plans: write, write, write; spend as much time with the boys as possible!”
Summer Lopez: Fears: collapse of democracy. Plans: prevent collapse of democracy.”
Kathryn Tomasek writes, “So many of us (we who follow you, we who teach, we who live in the United States) fear the all-too-possible ugliness of the period following November's election. This piece from the WaPo about gaming results is terrifying.”
And Kelly Stowell puts it as clearly as I ever could: “Live through the semester productively. Scared.”
Next series starts Monday,
Ben
PS. What are you teaching or working on this Fall? Let me know for the weekend post!
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