Open letter to my students

Dear student,

You made it to the last week. We’re almost done with this odd semester we’ve been imposed by an unprecedented situation, and you have done amazing. You quickly adjusted to our new reality, dealt with so much stress and anxiety, and still kept going. I personally could not have asked for more from you, and the patience, flexibility, and resilience you have shown these past few weeks have been inspiring. As much as I’ve been looking forward to the end of the semester (not a usual feeling for me), now that we’re about to hit it I’m getting sad thinking about not seeing you again, at least for a while.

I have always been quite open with you, but even more during the weeks of remote teaching. I always have the hope that sharing with you how I feel will make you feel comfortable if you ever have the need of doing the same, and many of you have. I thank you for that, for trusting me, sharing emotions that I’m sure are not always easy to convey. 

For me, the end of the semester doesn’t only imply finals and academic evaluation, but also a personal one. I look back and it’s hard to remember what anything was like before Spring Break. It feels like the COVID-19 time is all I can think of… This has been a semester that has taught us all even more than we were anticipating, and at so many levels. I have learned that I was relying too much on our routine and not planning enough for the unexpected. Granted, this situation is something that we could not have predicted, but I still feel I could have done better. I started our break a bit behind on grading; I thought I could just catch up during those days, since I was not going anywhere. And then… well, you know what happened then. So I had to forget the catching up in order to prepare for the transition, which brought along an extra layer of stress I didn’t need. I hope I don’t forget this lesson and do better staying on top of tasks. I have also been reminded of the incredible support I have from family, friends, and colleagues. I hope you have also felt this way, and I hope I have done my part. I’ve always been very aware of my privileged situation having so many people around me, and this is one of my main motivations to want to make others feel listened to and supported. I encourage you to do a self-evaluation as well. I know that many of you are being quite hard on yourselves, and doing this will also remind you of all the things you did and you did right. Keep focusing on the positive, no need to dwell on negative feelings or regrets. Like Churchill said, “the positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”

Finally, I simply want to thank you. I know things have not been perfect this semester; I know I could have done more/better/faster/more efficiently… but I have genuinely tried my best. Whether I did better or worse from an academic standpoint, I hope you all leave this semester knowing that I care about you. I care about your learning and your ability to do well in your future plans, but I also care about you as people, your wellbeing, your physical, emotional and mental health… Although the semester is about to be over, I’m still here for you, and if you need anything, I hope you know you can always count on me. Academic calendars have nothing to do with how we professors feel, there are no breaks in our caring about you. 

Take care, and best of luck wrapping up this unforgettable spring of 2020 😉🎩💛🎓