After spending four months at home with two teenage boys, I was more than ready to return to campus. I was yearning to interact with my colleagues. I craved adult conversation. I missed eating lunch with my work friends and playing banana grams. The connections that I have with my colleagues brings me so much happiness and joy. We laugh often. Even in the midst of problem solving, navigating academia, committee meetings, and supporting students through challenging situations. I also looked forward to seeing my former students. I did not have closure with them in the spring because our courses were abruptly transitioned to online learning over spring break.
As fall drew closer, I reviewed my fall 2020 class lists and felt my excitement to be in the classroom growing. All of my classes were full and students were trying to add my class. I counted the total. There were 90 students on my rosters and a smile spread across my face. I love teaching, especially in the fall. Watching families move their students into their dorm rooms is one of my secret pleasures. That special day is a mixture of pride, worry, and anxiousness, wrapped in excitement. I’ve watched parents look after their child walking away from them, for as long as they can. Craning for a last glimpse. Some are teary. They linger and hold onto the moment for as long as they can.
Over the summer I had driven by the college where I worked. It was eerily desolate. There was no one visible. No students walking across crosswalks or jaywalking. No cars waiting for a parking spot, with their turn signal blinking. Anxiously waiting for a spot so they would not be late for class. No students hanging out with one another. Catching up between classes and laughing. The campus was disturbingly quiet. Having just binge watched the entire series of the Walking Dead, the college was an apocalyptic similarity. Minus the walkers.
I was nervous and anxiety ridden as I entered our college building for the first time before classes started. I was met with signs that indicated doors to enter and exit out of. “Do the five” (i.e., wash your hands, wear a mask, cover your cough, socially distance, and stay home) was plastered everywhere and I noticed hand sanitizing stations throughout the hallways. Social distancing floor markers lined the hall. All neatly 6 foot apart. Radford University was taking COVID 19 seriously.
To be certain, the communication coming from President Hemphill’s office was frequent and informative. We were updated on a weekly basis on the COVID 19 Task Force reopening plans and our college dean and department chairs/directors kept us abreast of changes and safety expectations. This critical communication continues. I receive daily email reminders to complete the symptoms checker, a survey that calculates my symptoms and then offers a recommendation for action once completed.
The safety measures that Radford University put into place is worthy of applause. Aside from the daily symptoms checker, testing is offered to faculty and students. This was in place when students arrived. When I unlocked my office for the first time since returning a, a face shield, a large bottle of hand sanitizer, and wipes were awaiting for me on my desk. I was also issued two high quality face masks, as were students. The other safety measures I have noticed campus wide include hand sanitizing stations at key points in the building, like outside elevators, main entrance and exits, and outside classrooms. The buildings have traffic flow well established. On a daily basis, the housekeeping staff blasts each door handle with a high-grade sanitizer and ultraviolet light. It’s an impressive machine that reminds me of a ghost buster’s contraption.
What I was most uncertain about related to returning to the classroom, was teaching in a familiar environment that had altogether changed. There was a plexiglass shield mounted to the podium. Students were spaced out in an oversized classroom, which felt strangely empty even though my classes had the same numbers of students as previous semesters. The classroom technology is state of the art. The new camera and mic picks up all sound and the picture quality is excellent. I have taught online before, so I was comfortable with the online learning platforms. Still, being confined behind the plexiglass while teaching is incredibly challenging.
Rethinking activities that do not involve group work, think pair shares, and tangible objects has been frustrating and annoying. When you spend your career building your teaching and engagement skills, and then have to completely shift your mindset, it’s downright uncomfortable and maddening. It is also depressing because those student engagement pieces greatly enhance student learning, builds class cohesion, and strengthens my relationship with students, as well as student relationships with their peers. Sometimes I can’t tell who is speaking because the mask covers their mouths, and I have found it more difficult to read facial expressions, a teacher’s "finger on the pulse" in the classroom. Teaching in a bubble to students in a bubble is almost unbearable. Save that we are present. Together. Interacting. Connecting. Laughing. Learning. Growing. Pushing through the discomfort.
During the first five weeks of school, some of my students did contract the virus. They were scared. Mad. Physically tired. Worried about getting behind. With the Student Support Services in place, like testing, health services, dining services, and classroom technology, students were able to quarantine and recover safely while still participating in class. Other students had come into direct contact with someone with COVID 19 and also quarantined. The communication from Students Support Services to notify faculty of the students’ learning needs was greatly appreciated. Radford University has also highlighted the mental health services available on campus for students. This is particularly important because students are experiencing uncertainty, anxiety, and fear in addition to transitioning to or back to college during a global pandemic. A tough state to be in for an extended amount of time. Moreover, this age group grapples with developing identity, independence, and many psychological disorders onset during the college years.
The first five weeks of school was concerning. At the beginning of class, students inevitably brought up the question, “Do you think they will send us home?” The uncertainty that was universally felt was palpable. The unknown extended well into the fourth week of classes. Worried and questioning eyes peeped out above masks. Students were wondering how long we would make it.
The uncertainty subsided substantially in week six of classes. The virus plateaued two weeks ago and decreased significantly last week. My students and I have settled into a new way of interacting and many have stated, “Man, I wish we didn’t have this virus.” They, like me, crave interactions, hugs, and standing closer together without all of the barriers.
I must summarize with gratitude. Thank you, Radford University. You have given me an escape from the house. Room to expand my skills and stretch as a human being. Space to, as a collective, grow. And, more importantly, a safe place for students to learn and thrive.
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