In those more than fifty days, we’ve learned how important it is to tell people about their feelings. This is my post of gratitude.
Teaching and organizing the work of the department is a job that requires constant effort and involvement. I can frankly say that recent years have become a great incentive for improving teaching skills, mastering new approaches and technologies. But, to be honest, all these quarantine restrictions and challenges pale in the face of war. I never thought I would be so eager to have my students respond and unsubscribe that they are fine, as safe (as possible) and, most importantly, alive. Actually, the period since the beginning of the war and the resumption of the educational process was spent in constant communications (I would say, in direction finding): where is everyone and how do they feel.
I am grateful to the instructors who showed flexibility, endurance and zeal in resuming the educational process. So far, it is taking place in a mixed format, I would even say, in a super-mixed format. After all, ensuring access to all materials in a convenient format and without reducing the quality of the educational process requires ingenuity and innovation from instructors. This is the recording of short clips-lectures (so that you can view in the shelter) on all topics and questions, the creation of interactive tasks, viewing the format of courses in the middle of the semester. Attempts to go online at different time intervals so that most people can join. But we succeeded.
I am proud of my students who, in such unfavorable, challenging and uncertain conditions, continued to complete assignments, ask questions, and also support me and courageously endure a cough that I could not overcome. I never imagined that our conversations would sound like this:
– Will you have the opportunity to write a thesis?
– Yes, of course. I’m here for two more days digging trenches, and then I’ll sit down to work!
– Will you be able to watch the lectures?
– Yes, we had a lot of anxiety here, but now we have already established the Internet in the basement.
I am sure that we will win and everything will be positive in Ukraine, including because I have such professional instructors and motivated students. I am proud to be part of a large family – the Ukrainian-American Concordia University.
