As a teacher, I think we should use a universal pass system.
With all of these extenuating circumstances, how can we expect students to meaningfully concentrate? Asking students to push through is not a measure of resiliency; it’s asking them to potentially sacrifice their well-being for a false metric of productivity.I’m not saying all classes should be closed entirely, but that we should rethink the purpose and value of education during these times. bell hooks, in her book, “The academy is not paradise.
If we prioritize our students, then the classroom can become a location of possibility, as hooks saw. That’s why classes should be moved to universal pass. While classes continue, instructors should seek to make the classroom a place where students do not feel the need to produce intellectually, but are stimulated, welcomed, and supported.
I believe in the possibility that the classroom can become a place where students can connect with community and find a safe space to process their feelings about the current pandemic, where students are encouraged to use the skills they have gained so far to understand how they can help their communities in the midst of the pandemic.
We must prioritize empathy and compassion over work output; this means letting go of obligatory standards and accepting that some students will have the capacity to contribute and others will not. We don’t know how long this pandemic will last or what our lives will look like after it. All we can do is support one another. Our students are no less deserving of that support than anyone else.Following publication, this story was updated to clarify the author's role at Brown University, where he is a graduate student.
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