Checking-in, with warm invitation
As we wind down the first half of the quarter there’s been a bit of looking around in shock–really? We’re already almost halfway through?–and it seems a good time to take stock of where we find ourselves right now. We want to invite you to check in with yourself–and with us–around how the return to in-person instruction is shifting your experience of teaching or is presenting new rewards as well as challenges.
You can check in with us in any way you like–and this Director’s Note, co-written by Missy González-Garduño and Stephanie Kerschbaum, takes up the theme of check-in to describe some of the ways that you can connect with us and with a supportive network in our program.
This google form is a check-in of the sort that you might use with your own students, and it offers a brief set of questions that can communicate to us as EWP administrators what we need to have on our radar as well as what we should ensure we continue or maintain. This is new terrain for us as it is for you, and we don’t want to just guess at what may be at the forefront of your minds or experiences as we prepare resources, supports, and next-steps. So if you’re willing, please consider taking 5-6 minutes to jot down quick responses. We will share in a future Director’s Note what we learn from this mid-quarter check-in and how we are moving in response.
In addition to the above Google Form, we are also doing other kinds of proactive outreach. One of these efforts has focused particularly on instructors who are teaching in-person for the first time in our program. One of us, Missy, has been organizing small-group conversations among 2nd year instructors during collective office hours. EWP ADs have been giving short tours of the A-11 suite and chatting with instructors about their course plans, in-person experiences, and COVID concerns. We have particularly enjoyed showing folks around the suite for the first time: showing off our new communal table, the printing room, and the different AD offices as folks popped their heads out for quick hellos. Feel free to stop by and get some tea if you are cold and curious about the space.
These small-group conversations have been open and collaborative spaces where ADs and instructors alike have helped each other troubleshoot different issues such as time management, new lesson plans, and challenges around fluctuating attendance patterns as students negotiate cold/flu/possible COVID symptoms. These challenges include trying not to teach two classes at the same time (one remote, one in person) or doing extra work to support absent students–and we’re glad to talk more about these kinds of challenges with any others who might want to consult or check in with us. We’ve enjoyed hearing folks talk through the transition to new courses and in-person teaching; for those of us on duty, it has been so great to live vicariously through the awesome teachers who have been so generous as to share their experiences with us.
And as a reminder, Stephanie is in the office Monday-Friday and has open office hours where she is available both in her personal zoom room or in person in A-011 from 3-4 p.m. on Wednesdays and 2-3 p.m. on Thursdays. If those times don’t work for you, just email kersch@uw.edu to schedule a time to come by. We’re currently working on trying to get a chalkboard to make it easier to signal when Stephanie is in the office & available for you to stop in and ring her doorbell.
Finally, another way to connect and check-in would be to attend our first Fall quarter Teacher Talk. This event, hosted by Francesca Colonnese, begins with the recognition that many of you may be experiencing complex emotions–including anxiety and uncertainty–as you continue to hear about positive COVID cases and close contacts and navigate teaching in this time. If this resonates with you, please consider joining our virtual event this coming Wednesday, 27 October at 2:30 on Zoom (RSVP link here). Francesca is explicitly designing this as a space to process and share what it has been like to teach under these difficult conditions.
–Missy González-Garduño and Stephanie Kerschbaum