Every time I go to campus, there's something new to see and experience--new routes through the building, new dividers in offices, new signs intended to keep people distant from each other while allowing face-to-face teaching in the fall. Every new change, though, raises a whole new crop of questions.
Take the new signs designed to prevent crowding in small office spaces: a bright yellow chain across the doorway and a sign saying "Pioneers lead the way--in practicing social distancing." They're spiffy-looking signs and I'm all for preventing people from barging in and violating my personal space, but at the same time I'm struggling to improve my availability to students outside of class and keeping them out of my office negates that message.
The one area where I regularly get low marks on course evaluations is my availability outside of class, and the scores are declining each year even though I spend a ton of time in my office, totally available. I tell students right up front that I don't have cell-phone access at home and so there's no point in giving them my cell-phone number, and I frequently remind them that the best way to reach me is via email. This used to be sufficient, but these days students resist using email and want to do everything by texting, which ain't gonna happen at my house. A really diligent student could look up my landline number in the phone book, but I guess they'd prefer to give me low marks on evaluations.
Now office visits will be unlikely and, from what I've heard, students are no more likely to use office hours on Zoom than they are face-to-face. Further, I can Zoom only when I'm on campus because of unreliable home internet service. I could do what I did when we shifted to all-online teaching in the spring--move to Jackson, where the internet service is more reliable--but then I would have to give up all hope of face-to-face teaching, and at the moment we're hoping to meet with students face-to-face at least part of the time.
To facilitate this, classrooms are being reconfigured to socially distance students, who will be required to wear masks. I have a hard time making myself understood when I'm wearing a mask, a problem that led to a minor understanding when I encountered the College President on campus this morning--good thing I wasn't trying to say anything particularly important. But not to fear: the College is installing transparent dividers so teachers standing at the computer console in front of the classroom will be able to take off masks and teach--as long as they stand behind the divider.
Well, I don't know how to teach while standing still. I need to wander around waving my arms and drawing ridiculous diagrams on the whiteboard, which will not be possible if I have to stay behind a clear divider. They'll need to install some leg irons to shackle me in place and keep my students safe.
And that's what it's all about--keeping students safe. If all this disruption will hold the virus at bay, I'll gladly go along for the ride, even if it means forcing myself to stay still while teaching or taking a different door out of the building because traffic patterns have changed. Chain me in, shackle me up, and let's get learning!
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