@isaiahxavier10 Every college student nowadays đź’€
♬ original sound - isaiahxavier10
Let's face it, the video above is literally how mostly college students have felt during this pandemic. . . Trust me, I know how it feels!
Coming from the traditional learning environment of a classroom, switching to distance learning was very difficult. This pandemic is something that the government irresponsibly cared for and the preparation/ transition could have been way smoother. Therefore, the blame for my overwhelming experience does not go to professors. Students nor teachers signed up for online learning and its horrible that there was no other choice. Students (including myself) did not have the support and resources they paid for and professor’s lesson plans for the semester had to be changed.
You can tell how much a school and/or professor cares about their students by their actions during this pandemic. I guess you can say it “showed their true colors”. Reflecting, I had two different types of professors: the rejector and the embracer.
The “rejector” is the professor who does not accept virtual learning at all. It’s not specifically a bad thing but it’s not a good thing either. I had two professors who are very much older, and I guess not “tech savvy” which is understandable. However, just like students have to be in with the “new” and adapt technology in our future careers, so should they.
These same professors were the ones who did not lessen the workload given to students knowing how stressful it can be. One professor abandoned us the whole entire pandemic; only emailing us in the beginning of the semester detailing the essay assignments he had for us. I actually appreciated his sympathy he displayed in that one email and the fact that he provided his personal phone number for office hours. I just wished he communicated more often with the class considering that his class is needed for a “communication” major. The other professor sent too much emails loaded with textbook pages (without explanation or notes) which took massive storage in our emails. He never greeted students in his emails, never provided details, just messaged “please read”.
The “embracer” is the professor who embraces online learning showing that the classroom environment does not define their ability to teach students. Despite the pandemic, these professors I encountered tried their best and made it very helpful for students to learn material.
One professor made videos discussing the events in history that she uploaded on blackboard. She was also very lenient when it came to assignments, turning it in and the finals was everything she discussed in the videos. I also appreciated her sympathy in the beginning of every email she sent and also reassured her students that she is there. Another professor held online classes every Tuesday and Thursday for one hour which was a reasonable amount of time. He also was very patient and took his time to answer students’ questions. Something else I admired was his reminders of the work that students had to give in and the interaction he’s had with his students. That’s basically how you lead a classroom.
During this pandemic, millions of college student’s mental health were at risk at many times, including myself. Being a college student, coming from a home where you hold responsibility, and having to transition is a lot! I appreciate those professors who tried to make it easier and gave the support their students needed. I’m just happy this part of the storm is over. We always get through the storms, right?