With classes being held remotely this semester, we have all come to know the struggles and stress that come with handling our classes online. However, in most cases, we rarely ever think about the other side of things. The assignments that we stress over have to be graded by someone, right?
While we as students are having a hard time this semester, our professors are struggling as well. To get a better grasp on what the professors are going through this semester, I reached out to American Sign Language Adjunct Professor, Christine Chester, and Professor of English, Dr. Lynn Pifer, to see what this semester is like for them. Both Professor Chester and Dr. Pifer said that they had never experienced online instruction before, until last semester when they were thrown into it suddenly due to the pandemic. However, they are trying their best to make it work.
Professor Chester is teaching two sections of American Sign Language and Dr. Pifer is teaching one First-Year Seminar, two Composition I courses, and one Introduction to Literary Studies course. While both are holding Zoom sessions, meaning they still get to “meet” with their students, Professor Chester and Dr. Pifer both do not prefer this method of instruction. They both prefer to be speaking face-to-face with their students and being able to make in-person connections. “I love the feel of teaching in front of a classroom and interacting with the students. I enjoy doing activities and games within the classroom setting that will help students learn different ASL skills,” said Professor Chester.
For Professor Chester, it is especially hard because Zoom is not a very effective way of learning American Sign Language. The activities that she would normally perform in class are not easily transferred to a Zoom class. However, she Zooms with her students on Tuesdays and Thursdays, splitting her classes in half and Zooming with each half of the class for half of the typical class period time, to efficiently assess the students on their signing ability. “I need to be able to see the facial expressions and the signing skills of each one. That gives me less actual classroom time and I end up teaching the same lesson 4 times,” she said. She also posts video lectures before class for students to watch to review and practice over Zoom.
Dr. Pifer on the other hand, Zooms with each of her classes once a week because it is the best way to keep her sanity due to constant prepping for each class. She spends most of her time on the computer every day either instructing, prepping or grading for her classes. “I went to a chiropractor last Friday because my neck and shoulders are so stiff from hunching over the keyboard. She asked, ‘So do you have any plans this weekend?’ and I laughed in her face. ‘Sure, I’ve got plans — stacks of papers to grade and discussion boards to read’,” she said.
While both professors do not find this method of instructing ideal, they both have managed to find some positives that can be taken out of working from home. Professor Chester enjoys the fact that she can go outside and get some fresh air in between classes – and even run to her kitchen to grab a snack if she’s hungry! She also enjoys playing with her dog, Einstein in her free time. Dr. Pifer enjoys holding her Zoom sessions outside when it is warm enough, as she has always enjoyed grading papers outside on a sunny day. She is also enjoying spending time with her dog, Gizmo. While these times are unfortunate and stressful for us all, it is important to remember that professors and students alike are not alone.
While we as students are stressed, we need to remember that our professors are stressed too and they are here to help us achieve academic success, despite the unfortunate methods of instruction that we are all forced to deal with at this time. We are all anticipating the day that we can be on campus as a community and have real-life interactions with one another once again. “I drove down last week for my flu shot and Zoomed two classes from a table outside of Memorial Hall. I couldn’t get over how beautiful the campus is. It’s heartbreaking not to be on the campus with the students,” said Dr. Pifer.