Friday, August 14, 2020

Teaching in an Age of Corona

During the Spring Semester of 2020, I was teaching two of my favorite classes- From Rock and Roll to Hip Hop, which had nearly 40 students, and my research seminar in African American and Urban Studies, where I was supervising 10 students writing their Senior theses. When the Pandemic hit, classes moved online, and everyone had to leave campus, my students and I were fearful and in some cases traumatized by the COVID-19's impact on their families and their futures, A few had family members who were essential workers and feared catching the virus; some faced sudden impoverishment because their parents lost jobs; many mourned the loss of an opportunity to experience a live graduation, and two students, both Bronx residents, had parents who had caught the virus and were deathly ill. Given the emotional distress my students were in, I decided that my primary goal was to lift my student's spirits and give them an opportunity to express how they felt.about what was happening to them, I did this in several ways; first I tried to cheer them up with humorous short rap videos I made for them, secondly I changed course requirements so all exams were take home and students had ample time to complete their work, third, I gave my thesis students the opportunity of writing Coronavirus diaries if it was impossible to complete the research they had initially undertaken, fourth, I scheduled Friday afternoon Happy Hours where students could unwind and share their feeling and fifth I allowed students to post songs which made them feel better during all our online class sessions By the middle of April, I started to see the results of these strategies. Students began submitting work of superior quality, given an opportunity to choose essay subjects that meant something to them, students started class projects of their own which got their classmates excited, one of which a Bronx COVID-19 Oral History Project which is still going strong this summer, and most gratifying, student after student thanked me for not pretending this was a normal academic experience, for showing that I cared about their well being and mental health, and for giving them the opportunity to write about subjects they cared about. I am taking their energy and enthusiasm into my approach to the Fall Semester. At age 74, I don't feel safe going into an indoor classroom so I applied to teach remotely. That is what I will do every Friday, but on Tuesdays, I will be meeting my classes outdoors on Edwards Parade where we will be wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and bringing our sound systems so we can play some music! My students are excited about this opportunity and so am I.And I expect to get some great work on written assignments which I will tailor to students feelings as much as to the course material we will be covering

9 comments:

  1. WELCOME TO CONSUMER LOAN FIRM .......... Are you a businessman or a woman? Are you in any financial mess or do you need funds to start your own business? Do you need a loan to start a small-scale pleasant and medium business? Do you have a low credit score and are you finding it difficult to obtain equity loan from local banks and other financial institutes? Our loans are well insured for maximum security is our priority, Our main goal is to help you get the services you deserve, Our program is the fastest way to get what you need in a snap. Reduce your payments to ease the pressure on your monthly expenses. Gain flexibility with which you can use for any purpose - holiday, education, for exclusive purchases We offer a wide range of financial services, which includes: Business Planning, Commercial and Financial Development, Properties and Mortgages, Debt Consolidation Loans , Private Loans, Home Refinancing Loans with low interest rate at 2% per annul for individuals, companies. WE OFFER ALL TYPE OF LOANS, APPLY TODAY FOR AVAILABLE LOANS. Please contact us via email for more information: (consumerloanfirm@gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I recommend to students a professional site ✏️ that helps students with academic assignments.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am a veteran with the common wealth of nations humanitarian delivery agency, a subsidiary of the UN..
    Mrs. Sarah Hayes 68 died of (covid-19). Before her death she left the sum in huge amounts with a security & finance firm in Europe for safe keeping. she revealed that the funds should not be left unclaimed. You are to stand as the beneficiary to  late Sarah Hayes.
    Respond to me your interest at lampealfredm46@gmail.com, and contact details for all other formalities which are genuine and trustworthy.
    Hoping to have a good deal with you on mutual trust.
    Sincerely

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would strongly love to recommend the services of the best team of dark web hackers. They are professional and very discreet in carrying out their jobs, they have the best customer service agents and satisfaction at heart. If you have any services you wish to contact them for, go on ( WIZARDBRIXTON(AT) GMAIL (DOT) COM ) WhatsApp +1- /807-234-0428 , They help track and monitor your cheating partner's phone without his idea, clear or erase criminal records as well as repair a bad credit score, all social media hacks, Recovery lost Funds from scammers / Cryptocurrency / Binary / Forex / Recovery of Stolen Bitcoin and many others.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We are project funder with our cutting edge and group capital fund we can finance your signatory projects and help you to

    enhance your business plans,this offer is open to both individuals and corporate bodies.

    Our financial instrument can be used for purchase of goods from any manufacturer irrespective of location. We specialized

    in BG, SBLC, MTN, CD,LC,Bank Bonds,Non collateral loan, confirmable Bank Draft and other financial assistance from AAA

    rated bank (Prime Bank). The financial instrument can be invested into High Yield Trading Program or Private Placement

    Programme (PPP). We work directly with issuing bank lease providers,this Instrument can be monetized on your behalf for

    100% funding.Please see our instrument description as follow.

    DESCRIPTION OF INSTRUMENT:
    (1) Instrument: Bank Guarantee {BG} /StandBy Letter of Credit.{SBLC} (Appendix A).
    (2) Total Face Value: Eur/USD 1M{Minimum} to Eur/USD 100MNJH{Maximum}.
    (3) Issuing Bank: AAA Rated Bank (Prime Bank).
    (4) Age: One Year and One Day.
    (5) Leasing Price: 4% of Face Value plus 2% commission.
    (6) Delivery: bank to bank SWIFT MT-799 and/or MT-760.
    (7) Payment: MT103 (TT/WT).
    (8) Hard Copy: Bonded Courier Service.

    Intermediaries/Consultants/Brokers are welcome to bring their clients and are 100% protected. In complete confidence, we

    will work together for the benefits of all parties involved,If in need of our services, contact me for detail

    For further inquiry contact:

    Email: inquiry.trustedfinanceplc@gmail.com

    Skype : inquiry.trustedfinance@gmail.com

    Whatsapp : +17329300338

    ReplyDelete
  6. Goodness, this is an amazing, exceptionally intriguing article. I can envision the energy and motivation you have put resources into this strong blend of words. Many articles I run over these days don't actually plunge this profound to make it clear to their crowd as you did. Be that as it may, accept me, the manner in which you communicate is in a real sense 100 percent great. I will immediately get your RSS channel to remain educated regarding any updates you make on your blog and also take the benefit to illustrate
    5 WAYS TO SPOT A FAKE DRIVERS LICENSE WITH NO DMV, DVLA RECORD which many people are ignorant of when ordering fake documents online. Not over demanding I will also take the advantage to ask for your permission to join our 179.3k members TELEGRAM GROUP
    to share with us your ideas or any latest update on your blog.
    Thanks, I am Scott from Globex, we are expecting you on our platform.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Borrow money here today at 3% interest rate. Sawda Capital Finance offers all kinds of financial services of all sizes ranging from individuals, companies, and traders globally./Our services are 100% guaranteed and risk-free.

    We build just the right financing for each client, with simple paperwork, quick approvals, and flexible payment schedules. For further details, Kindly contact us via email At sawda.finance@gmail.com

    Intermediaries/Consultants/Brokers are welcome to bring their clients and are 100% protected. In complete confidence, we will work together for the benefits of all parties involved, Looking forward to rendering the best of our services to all esteemed clientele globally.

    ReplyDelete
  8. DEAR SIR

    I am a direct Mandate to a genuinely renowned
    Investment Finance Company offering Cash & Asset
    Backed Financial Instruments on Lease and Sale at
    the best rates and with the most feasible
    procedures.

    Instruments offered can be put in all forms of trade
    and can be monetized or discounted for direct
    funding. we have direct Provider of BG/SBLC specifically for Lease and purchase.
    For Inquiry contact

    Email: financialinstrumentlimited07@gmail.com

    Skype: financialinstrumentlimited07@outlook.com

    WHATAPP NUMBER: +44 7535 963820

    Regards,

    Liam Herzberg

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Best Cryptocurrency Recovery Hacker I've ever known are Recovery Masters

    Lack of good information is very bad, i'll like to share my experience about crypto theft here and how I got my money recovered. One faithful evening I was going through the internet and I saw a lot of ads about this investment website. I tried to give them a try to gain financial freedom after giving me their contract agreement and all. Along the line they kept their promise until I made a huge deposit to get massive profit. I discovered the website crashed and their support team is not responding to their mails. I was devastated and came on this forum then I found reviews about (Recoverymasters@email.cz) I gave this fund recovery hackers a try because I never imagined crypto could be retrieved and they did get my lost funds back completely. I urge you to write to them for help on their email or WhatsAp +1(551) 202-23-35 them

    ReplyDelete