Caring for ourselves and each other as we return to campus

Teaching 2021 is starting back again here in Australia. It’s mid way through week one for me. I’ve run a workshop online this week and next week my workshop will be face-to-face. The institution I am based at is trialling a rotating system between on and off campus to support covid safe practices and government regulations. It will be a year and one week since I last taught in a room that is not my lounge or spare bedroom and on campus! I’m pretty excited actually. I love the energy in a room and the additional layer of social connection that is achievable away from screens.

But, I know my excitement is not experienced by others.

How do we care for ourselves? Each other?

What does it mean to be a teacher and a learner during covid on campus?

How do we support one another?

What awareness is required for yourself? And for others?

What is different between online learning and face-to-face learning? What does this look and feel like?

What is belonging at this time?

How do we create a sense of belonging?

Depending on what theoretical, philosophical, psychological, emotional and/or practical lens you come from you’ll answer these questions differently. And that in itself is one of the things we have to be aware of. Each and everyone of us is experiencing the pandemic in a different way. None of us are the same. It is not the same personally, emotionally, relationally, as a teacher, as a student, or any other way. As it was once described to me: We may be in the same ocean but the boat we are in is vastly different for each of us - some are in luxury cruiser ships and some of us have been in dinghies where we have had to constantly bucket out water to save us from sinking, while some of us are in a boat by yourself and others have a pool of people they can draw on for support.

So as we think about the classroom here are some guiding principles that may help you to begin approaching caring for yourself and others.

Everyone is doing their best. This should be your mantra, it is mine.
Awareness is your best friend. Be careful not to judge or transfer your way of seeing the world at the moment onto others. Notice your “stuff” label it, work on it, but don’t presume your “stuff” is the same as others.
Communicate. Talk openly about how you can support one another.
Plan for and establish connection. Different modes of delivery require different ways of connecting and establishing a sense of belonging. Plan for this, talk about this, ask what will be beneficial. Ask the questions: what does this look like for me as the teacher? What does this look like for the students? How can we support one another? How can we co-learn?
Put on your teaching cloak. Anges Bosanquet blogged recently about putting your teaching cloak on as an embodied movement that helps you to be present. I invite you to try this on and see if it can help you navigate your own feelings in balance with a mindful non-judgmental awareness of others (colleagues and students).
Self-care is worthy of your attention. I’m just going to ask you this question here: What is one strategy that helps you pre teaching and post teaching to feel grounded? How can you book yourself to make sure you have time to do this to support caring for you?
Create space for students to connect with their peers. As we navigate between different modes of delivery, how do you create space for the students to connect with one another? How does this occur cognitively and emotionally? What does this look like across different spaces? How do you scaffold this?