This was the answer a student shared when I asked how the first weeks were going. I could sense he felt like he needed to offer a more substantive answer. Maybe even something more upbeat. But it can be hard to be upbeat in a semester that is missing a beat, that doesn’t have a regular rhythm.

I asked another question. What about college during COVID is the most challenging? He shared that it is feeling like what he is doing is not enough. He told me about how hard it is to keep track of his schedule. With 17 credit hours, some classes meet face-to-face but only one day of the week. Some classes are asynchronous and others synchronous. It can be difficult to join the class synchronously from a remote location when you live off campus. Where do you sit with your headphones in, watching your class, computer on your lap when the library is at half capacity? When your face-to-face class just ended, you have a remote synchronous class this hour, and an in-person lab in a couple of hours, driving home and back isn’t an option.

Then there’s the myriad of software portals and their accompanying usernames and passwords. McGraw Hill for this class. Pearson for another. BrightspaceD2L for still another. One professor uses the institution-supported Learning Management System (like Moodle) but another prof is on Slack. With this class, you submit the quiz through the textbook portal, the next class uses the LMS assignment function. There’s so much to remember.

No surprise that students long for the days of filing into a lecture hall and turning in an assignment on the corner of the teacher ‘s (or prof’s) desk. Never mind, the normal contact of studying together, gathered around as one person shows how to solve the math proof. Not to mention being able to sit less than 6 feet apart over coffee. Let’s not even talk about regular social gatherings.

So much about college is different this year. Many students may question if it’s even worth it. The student I was talking to mentioned this to me directly, as we worked on a project together 6 feet apart with masks on. He shared that if he sat this year out those who persevered would make progress as he stands in limbo. He’s committed to not allowing the pandemic deter him from achieving his goals.

His commitment as a student inspires me as an educator. If he’s working this hard, it seems only right for me to think what I can do to lighten the load. For those who work with students (in high school or college), here’s three suggestions:

1. Use school-supported software. This eases the burden on the student. If everyone is on the same platform, students need not spend effort remembering what needs to go where for which class. Consistency in the logistics allows students to focus on the subject content.

2. Don your director’s cap. How’s the lighting? Can you be heard? Where are the sight lines? If you are in a classroom teaching blended or hi-flex, it’s important to consider if there are places that make it harder for remote students to see you. Wearing a mask or face shield (or both) likely makes it harder for remote students to hear you. You might need to wear a lapel microphone. When you write on the whiteboard, it’s possible that remote students are unable to see due to glare. It may be best to project the material (for those face-to-face) and make the slides available for download so that remote students can follow along from home. And don’t forget to record the face-to-face meeting and post the recording for remote students who were unable (for any number of reasons) to attend synchronously.

3. (Finally and also firstly), show care, kindness, and compassion. Everyone is trying to get through this challenging time. Unless you ask, you simply do not know the full situation your students face. They may have no quiet space to study. They may be seated outside a business hotspotting their WiFi. They may be worried about losing their off-campus job that is necessary to pay the rent let alone tuition. Stress and anxiety are running at an all time high. For students. For teachers. For parents. For everyone.

   This is the time to breathe deeply, to be gentle with ourselves and others, and recognize we are all simply doing our level best.