A few months ago I said it was “noble” that some were trying to recreate as exactly as possible in-person experiences online. Multiple weeks into the new semester, I no longer think this is noble. And anyone who is doing a “hybrid” by choice I truly do not understand. I think these moves of mimicking in-person experiences online and going hybrid are done predominantly out of denial. They are done out of fear of the unknown, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable (to the faculty). To be quaint, I just keep saying to myself “Bless their hearts.” To be more realistic, I have to laugh in order not to cry.
And I hope at the end of this you’re laughing too. Because you couldn’t make this stuff up. It’s hilarious if you can remove yourself, even for a few minutes, from the horror that it’s actually our reality. Continue reading