March 12, 2020 we were told that we were going to take a week to pivot our classes to online formats, teach that way until Spring Break, and then return back to normal.
Oh the things we didn’t know then. (They could literally fill a book! Or at least dozens of research papers…) Given what we know now, we put the question to you: What do you wish you could have told yourself back then as we took those first steps into an uncertain future?
There were a few reality checks and warnings issued:
- 15 days to flatten the curve is a bunch of hooey.
- The world is not actually ending but it will be different for far longer than you think.
- Get all your social needs out now!
- Hang on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
- We are at war with a national health problem.
- Get organized earlier!
- LOOK OUT!!!!! A tsunami of stress and exhaustion is coming your way!
- Nope, your worries and predictions about the future are not exaggerated.
- In one year, your brain will be mush and you will be questioning all of your life choices. It’s not going to get easier, so brace yourself!
Some of you showed tremendous self-care and self-compassion:
- Take a breath. Good. Now take another. You can do this.
- Be patient with yourself and others – and remember everyone is doing the best they can.
- Give yourself grace, time, and patience. This is all new — and it will not be just a few weeks or a month. Prepare for the long-term. Get a good microphone. Make sure you have a second monitor. Provide as many avenues for interactions with students as possible. TAKE BREAKS!
- Stay flexible and compassionate. It will be OK in the end. If it’s not OK now, then it is not the end yet.
- This will be longer and crazier than you expect, but as with most things, there will be a silver lining.
- Your optimism of being back to normal is so cute – please keep it up because it will be really hard. Also, this is a great time to introduce new practices. Old dogs can learn new tricks, and we don’t have to do things the same way because that’s “how it’s always been done!”
- Don’t take yourself so seriously; you and the students WILL get through this. Also, don’t zoom happy hour so much as you will quickly be spending much more time on there than you think!
- Hug everyone
While others offered a quick pep talk and braced yourselves for what was to come:
- Don’t stress! It will work out!
- You can DO this!
- Buckle up!
- Buckle Up Buttercup – Be here now…Be here WOW!
- Prepare for a marathon, not a sprint.
- Hold on, this is going to be a long journey ahead. Be ready for the marathon – not the sprint you think it is going to be.
- Your world is about to be rocked, stay strong, be careful, you will survive, and meet your goals for your students.
- Pay attention – get up to speed fast and don’t stop learning about how to make the on-line experience real and viable and worthwhile.
- Less, processed more thoroughly, can be more; keep it as simple and consistent as possible, call on students in a regular rotation, and don’t try to provide custom feedback on multiple posts per student per week; and skip the late night work polishing video lectures until everything else is running smoothly.
I know I certainly would’ve benefited from some of this sage advice back then! Now that you’ve shared it, and we’ve published it, you can at least come back here in the middle of the Fall 2021 semester when you need a little boost to stay in the game and not lose hope!
