A Time to Adapt, Not “Return to Normal”: Lessons in Compassion and Accessibility from Teaching During COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19 drastically altered teaching and learning. The unprecedented public health crisis forced educators to transition courses online, to learn new technologies, and to embrace adaptability and flexibility. These pedagogical changes brought with them new challenges and stressors, causing many educators to long for a “return to normal” in education. In this conversation, I reflect on the transformative lessons we as educators can learn from teaching during the pandemic. I argue that teaching during COVID-19 has presented opportunities for educators to become more compassionate toward students. Some of the ways we restructured our courses may also make education more accessible to vulnerable groups. Examining the lessons I have learned in compassion and accessibility through teaching sociology during COVID-19, I suggest that now is a time to adapt, not return to normal.