The beginning of more of the same during the year of covid-19

  Welcome to fall semester 2020 ...  the year we all want to forget but most likely never will.

   I don't doubt a few of you are terrified to walk into a classroom again for in-person instruction due to the fear of getting sick, while most of you are probably dreading online classes because ...

• you'll get an instructor who doesn't understand how to use Zoom or BB Collaborate Ultra
• you are a social person and miss your friends terribly

So, to teach virtually or to teach in the classroom? That is the question. 

   My photojournalism class at the University of Toledo began Aug. 17. I sent out an email asking students to speak up if they didn't want to be taught in-person. I only heard from three students, and they didn't mind coming to class. So there you are ... I met them all face-to-face, with masks on. 

   My safety plan for the first day was to break up the class in half. Half of the class arrived the first half of the class, and the rest came the second half. However, I've been assured by the chair of the communication department that the room is safely set up for all 18 students. I trust that's true, but for the sake of my fear factor, I played it safe on the first day. It also gave me a chance to ask the entire class that question, and then determined our future fate together. All but one opted to have class in person.

   As a Toledo Blade photojournalist, I'm out and about in the community every day. I've covered several covid test sites, and even was in the fridge at the morgue to document the testing of a deceased man due to possible covid. 

   We photojournalists are a hardy bunch and not prone to succumbing to our fear. That said, I wear my mask everywhere, and disinfect my hands and gear often. I'll be especially vigilant in the classroom, because my number one priority is safety. I'm well aware things can change any day, but I'm prepared to teach virtually if I have to.   

   It's a different story at Wayne State University, where I've been advised to teach that photojournalism class online. After all, Detroit is an early hotspot, so I'm happily obliging. 

   I've equipped my home office with a whiteboard mounted on the wall so I can lecture as if I was in the classroom. The university also has given us access to Splashtop, allowing students to remotely access the software that's on the MAC computers in the classroom: Photo Mechanic, Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro. 

   My Visual Storytelling class at Owens Community College is also in person. However, I'm co-teaching that class with Blade colleague Phillip Kaplan. He will be the instructor in the classroom, and I'll be behind the scenes - setting up the coursework on Blackboard, updating the syllabus, grading the assignments, etc.  

   It's Phillip's first class as an instructor, so I welcome him to our wonderful world of education. There is nothing more fulfilling than passing on our knowledge to the next generation!

   This is a year of uncertainties, for sure. But like I tell my daughters (one who attends UT, and the other is leaving for Ohio State on Wednesday), facing and overcoming adversity makes us stronger in the long run, and life is a marathon.