This week I had a student notify me that they had tested positive for COVID-19.

They were the first of my students that I know of, but I fear they won’t be the last.

The coming months look to be some of the hardest of my life. They will be even harder for millions of families throughout our country.

I can only tell my story, and right now, it is one full of worry, concern, and a ton of work.

This fall I’ll be teaching four courses. Two of them are brand new, and thus I’m working hard on designing and developing them.

We’ve been empowered to choose if we want to teach our courses online or in a hybrid model that involves classroom time. Because I believe it is vital to connect with our students and two of my courses will be 100% first-year students, there wasn’t a choice in my mind.

So now, I’m working on figuring out the logistics of that since our students were given the same option, and thus all courses have to be fully available and viable for online-only students. While I know that choosing to teach all online would be the easier option for me, it doesn’t feel like the right one.

When I look at how our society is acting, I’m in a constant state of anger and disgust. Grown adults can’t help out others by placing a piece of cloth over their mouth and nose. Businesses are putting profits ahead of people over and over again. People in power are continually dividing our nation with lies and dangerous decisions.

Time is moving fast and crawling at the same time. My summer class is going well, and I’m trying to balance that with getting things done for the start of the semester.

I’m trying to focus my mind on the logistics of my classes rather than worrying about the dangers. I have faith in my school to do everything they can to make the environment as safe as possible. Yet, I know that first day, and every day afterward, when I put on my mask and walk to a classroom, I am going to be nervous. For now, I’ll focus on what I can control and later worry about everything that is out of my control but that I have to prepare and defend against.

If you know an educator at any level, let them know you are thinking about them. They are about to have more to worry about than they ever have had in their entire careers.

Schools are going to look, feel, and be different in all ways. I’ll let you know what that means for me soon enough.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Be well.