Dear students returning from spring break and grappling with how this semester has completely changed,
We've all probably received our share of 'how business has changed' or 'we'll keep things clean' emails from commercial merchants to whom we may subscribe. Well, this post ain't like that. I don't have the answers, my hands are chapped AF from washing and I can never guarantee that I'm all that clean. But I wanted to share what this Religion professor at UNC Chapel Hill wrote in his adjusted syllabus document after their school went remote:
It reminded me that our world may have been turned upside down, but the most important things in life haven't changed: We are all still persons, we are all to be respected, and how we treat each other is still what counts.
I'm looking forward to connecting with you online in our lessons next week. And if you need a moment to vent or just talk about what's been going on with you, do it. If you need help figuring out how to get your stuff out of the dorms, or how you're going to live with lost jobs, let's talk. If you need to figure out your schedule now that you've moved halfway across the world, we'll work it out. I'm still going to teach you how to sing better, but sometimes there are other more urgent needs that need to be dealt with before we can even worry about making art.
Talk soon,
BT