face-to-face teaching and connecting

I have been home sick with a stomach virus for the last two days, feeling nauseous and unable to hold much of anything in my tummy. I hope this virus passes on soon because I am feeling depleted and weak… Since I am not able to attend my classes, I took my teaching online and my students are complaining about having more work to do as a result. Poor babies! Although online teaching has proliferated over the last few years, I sense that my students still prefer the face-to-face contact and classroom experience. It helps when we are able to connect at a deep human level, especially when we are talking about humanity, the divine, and social justice. One of my students commented on one of my evaluations, “she is ridiculously personal.” I laughed about that! What she meant is that I spend time getting to know them. If I arrive a few minutes early for class, I inconspicuously walk up to a student, sitting either at the front, middle, or back of the classroom, and engage in a casual conversation. Sometimes those conversations end with praising or damming the weather. Other times I walk away having discovered new worlds about my students and having made a connection.