Vol. 12, Issue 1 - COVID-19: Now What?

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T A H W W O N : 9 1 D COVI

This academic year has proven to be one like no other. After the field of education and the political views of it clashed, creating countless strikes and negotiations, the year was cut short once the pandemic hit for most of the world in March 2020.

Exams were cancelled, paper dates were extended, and everyone began to attend school from home.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

This shift caused students and educators alike to reconsider what we know as ‘education in these unprecedented times’. In this issue, Hey, Teach! brings all of these perspectives to light, whether you are a student re-learning how to study for midterms, or a professor struggling to understand facial cues in a Zoom lecture. With these many viewpoints, we are allowed to see how education not only changes when our society deems something essential but when we need to reframe accessibility and support for everyone.

“COVID-19: Now What?” is a mosaic of works by not only talented writers but by many talented artists as well. Many contributors, including Olivia Zambri, Alyssa Ferraioli, and Katherine Chow ‘type up’ commentary on online experiences. Vittoria Tesoro lays out how something as simple as a classroom set-up has to change not only for safety but for virtual learning to occur and Natalia Espinosa-Merlano speaks of how rushing to a lecture is no longer a problem as you can wake up ten minutes before and still make it.

This issue incorporates two feature interviews. One with Ms. Sarah Clapperton, an OISE Master’s Student and an intern at the Office of the Dean of Students at Victoria College. The second interview is with Professor Albert F. Moritz, a professor in the English Department, as well as a Victoria College professor for the Creative Expression & Society Program, and the Jewison Stream of the Vic One Program. Both interviews display how everyone involved in education has to adjust their lesson plans and learning goals to continue the learning process.

We would like to extend our gratitude to everyone involved with the creation of this issue. It would not be possible without so many students, both undergraduate and graduate, and recent graduates taking time out of the semester to build this issue from an entirely online platform. To our contributors, thank you for bringing such diverse content and artwork to create an unforgettable Hey, Teach! issue.

All of you were able to bring such quality to these pieces and share them while figuring out your day to day lives during a pandemic. A huge thank you also goes out to our Editors, Productions Team, and First-Year Representatives! You all work tirelessly to keep this magazine going, and we are always amazed to see all the innovations that you bring! To our readers, thank you for picking up or clicking on this issue! You provide us with the platform to not only come together in a time of need but to keep re-thinking education as you shall see through this edition.

Happy reading and stay safe!

Jessica Allan and Ali Raza Hasan Ali Co-Editors in Chief Imani King Editor in Chief Mentee

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Jessica Allan

Ali Raza Hasan Ali

Imani King

Editors in Chief Jessica Allan Ali Raza Hasan Ali

MEET THE HEY, TEACH! MAGAZINE STAFF

Editor in Chief Mentee Imani King Senior Editors Jean Kim Maia Corsame Caitlyn Grant Senior Productions Manager Jaehyun Lim Associate Productions Managers Rachel Banh Bisman Kaur Kayla Paciocco Derek Choi First Year Representatives Julia Hu Jaemin Hwang Yiannie Lin Junior Editors Ayesha Shakeel Pooja Ajit Adsaya Anpalagan Mojan Majid Trevor Bell Jenna Borden Beverly Kwok Vincent Quach Madeline Szabo Yiannie Lin Esther Cho Maya Fleischmann Anisha Huq Iris Shao Caitlyn Stange Ema Chiriac Omar Hussain Rachel Banh Junior Productions Team Mishal Saeed Julliana Santos Kristi Deki Iris Shao Toko Michioka Asdghig Ayntabli Omar Hussain Any questions regarding articles found in this issue can be addressed to the Editors in Chief heyteach@utoronto.ca

Table of Contents 1–2

Letter From Editors & Table of Contents

3–4

Meet Your Contributors

5–6

Zooming Through the Changes: Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Olivia Zambri

Frontier College's Shift to Online Learning — Ali Raza Hasan Ali & Renée Asselin

Meeting-ID: COVID-19, Password: Education Transformed — Alyssa Ferraioli & Katherine Chow

7–8 9 10

Social Anxiety: Online Edition — Janna Abbas

11–14 Feature Interview with Sarah Clapperton: "What Student Life? How the Pandemic Has Affected Student Engagement"

15–16 University in 2020: Majoring in Survival — Carina Sinevici

17 Late Night Break — Vincent Quach 18

Graduating in a Pandemic — Jason Yang

19–22 Feature Interview with Professor Albert F. Moritz: "Teaching During a Pandemic" 23–24 COVID-19 and Accessibility Barriers to Education — Sheridan Anisman

25–26 "Wake Up, It’s Time for School": How COVID-19 is Changing Education — Vittoria Tesoro

27–28 Re-Defining Music Education — Jaemin Hwang

29–30 Challenges and Concerns that Teachers are Facing Today with the Ongoing Global Pandemic — Asdghig Ayntabli 31

Flowers of One Garden — Sasha Arnett

32

Laura's Corner — Laura Milton

33–34 Out of the Wild — Natalia Espinosa Merlano

35–36 The First Year Experience

37 One Week Quarantine Self-Care Challenge 38

Quiz: Which Hey, Teach! Position Most Suits You?

39–42 Executive Final Thoughts Hey, Teach!

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What new skills and hobbies did you pick up during quarantine?

Asdghig Ayntabli Candle making with my best friend!

Alyssa Ferraioli

Vittoria Tesoro

During quarantine, I completed a lot of 1000 piece puzzles, and even painted a Mona Lisa paint-by-numbers!

A hobby that I’ve always enjoyed is home organization, but during quarantine I may have gotten a little carried away. Does anyone else colour code their socks? No, just me?

Ali Raza Hasan Ali I've begun to practice Vipassana and Metta meditation to help better deal with the difficult circumstances we've been living through!

Jaemin Hwang

Vincent Quach

I got into reading during my summer quarantine. I especially enjoyed Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and Give and Take by Adam Grant!

I got into fishkeeping. During the quarantine, I completed renovated my dad's old, vacant 75 gallon into a beautiful goldfish tank. Four ranchus named Spoopy, Mango, Crescent and Spots call that place home now.

Natalia Espinosa-Merlano During the quarantine, I've been hoarding and propagating tons of plants, spending any free time I have in a critical battle against my nemeses: plant pests!

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meet your co Hey, Teach!

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What is the first thing you want to do when quarantine is over?

Sasha Arnett I would love to see my family in-person!

Janna Abbas

Jason Yang

The first thing I will do when COVID is over is attend every concert I possibly can. I miss the feeling of being in a crowd sans masks and screaming at the top of my lungs to my favorite artists.

The first thing I would do is to go eat a restaurant with all of my friends!

Sheridan Anisman I am looking forward to being able to travel the world again to view many new and exciting cultures.

Katherine Chow

Olivia Zambri

I’m looking forward to hanging out with my friends and seeing my extended family once COVID-19 is over!

Carina Sinevici

The first thing I will do once COVID-19 is over is book plane tickets to Europe. Don’t get me wrong, I love Toronto — but I definitely need a change of scenery after being stuck here all year long.

I’d really like to play basketball again. This is the longest I’ve gone without having practices or games and it kills me to not be on a court.

ontributors!

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Zooming Through the Changes Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic

I

have been an employee with U of T’s Mathematics Department since 2018 and have since taught multiple math programs to various age groups. Every Saturday morning, I would be in my classroom at Sidney Smith for 9am, excited about the activities that would soon unfold with my Grades 3-5 students. The looks on my students’ faces whenever they solved a math puzzle correctly or completed a problem slightly above their grade-level would instantly remind me of why I have always wanted to be a teacher. After the COVID-19 outbreak in March, I wondered how, or even if, I would be able to work as an instructor again. When I was later asked to teach Grade 6 and 9 mathematics online for 4 weeks this past spring, I was worried that I would not be able to connect with students as I had during my in-person classes. I feared that I would be unable to give these incoming students the same quality education that I always aimed to provide. I took the job to challenge myself, to step out of my comfort zone and adapt to a new method of teaching that could impact the education system moving forward.

The first few sessions were awkward, to say the least. Getting my older students to speak up during lectures was nearly impossible. Sitting in my bedroom alone and talking to a screen was unlike any other teaching experience I had encountered before, and at times, it felt lonely.

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As the program progressed, there was a shift in engagement. My ‘Daily Good News’ slide at the start of each class lifted the mood and made students want to share their own ‘good news’ stories. Slowly but steadily, students became more confident in asking and answering questions vocally, rather than using the chat. I made participation exciting for my Grade 6 students by offering onscreen drawing privileges to work through questions posed on the lecture slides.

“

The looks on my students’ faces whenever they solved a math puzzle correctly or completed a problem slightly above their grade-level would instantly remind me of why I have always wanted to be a teacher.

”

“

I believe the greatest teachers are the ones who continue to learn and grow throughout their careers.

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I also learned that inciting a little friendly competition through Kahoot quizzes increased the attention span of students interested in obtaining that top score. The more my students opened up, the more I felt connected with them, even from a distance.

Teaching online is not, by any means, easier than in-person classes. What truly makes a good teacher great is the willingness to learn: learn to use new teaching platforms, learn new teaching styles to incorporate, learn how to accommodate students online, learn the patience that comes with relying on technology, and ultimately, learn to adapt to the crazy times we are experiencing. I have learned so much, and I believe the greatest teachers are the ones who continue to learn and grow throughout their careers. You may become stressed or frustrated, you may feel like a bad teacher at times, and you may want to quit altogether. In the end, it is the little victories, as always, that make it all worth it, and remind you why you became a teacher in the first place.

Olivia Zambri Fourth Year Sociology Major Mathematics Minor Education & Society Minor

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FRONTIER COLLEGE’S SHIFT TO ONLINE LEARNING ALI RAZA HASAN ALI FIFTH YEAR PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR

BUDDHIST PSYHOLOGY & MENTAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION & SOCIETY MINORS

RENÉE ASSELIN

FOURTH YEAR KINESIOLOGY MAJOR

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AT MCGILL UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1899, Frontier College is a national,

non-profit literacy organization. They deliver volunteer-run programs across Canada in collaboration with a variety of community-based organizations. Frontier College strives to improve literacy skills while fostering confidence and more opportunities for learners. Frontier College learners mainly include members of society who are at risk: those in difficult socio-economic situations or with limited access to resources, as well as individuals with learning disabilities.

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In Montreal, Frontier College runs three main programs for the anglophone community. The first is Reading Circle, where one or two volunteers read a story to a group of young children and do follow-up literacy games and activities. The second is Homework Club, a program designed to help elementary and high school students with their homework assignments or test preparations. The third program is Adult Tutoring which supports a range of learners, including those finishing their high school diploma, low-literacy learners who are learning how to read and write, or individuals from Indigenous communities acquiring the French language and basic computer skills.

Frontier College follows a Student-Centered Individualized Learning philosophy (SCIL), where the learner decides what they would like to work on. One of the tenets of Frontier College is: “Every place is a learning space”—something that has become more relevant for remote learners.

Fortunately, with the development of technology, it has been possible to continue supporting learners online.

Another volunteer, Ani, emphasized time management as an advantage to online tutoring.

She found it easier to work around conflicting schedules by hosting online sessions with learners, leading to the possibility of more sessions and therefore, greater progress for the learner. For the adult low-literacy learner that Ani tutors, this change has induced confidence and empowerment. However, before the pandemic, her learner did not have internet access at home Frontier College has adapted its programs since and had to rely on friends to connect to his the COVID-19 pandemic. Namely, migrating its sessions. This type of technological inaccessibility one-on-one literacy matches to online. We reached has created barriers for learners working and out to several Frontier College volunteers for their learning remotely. Poor internet connection and perspective on this transition and their responses different levels of technological literacy are other were insightful. common difficulties during this time. For this reason, on September 30th, Frontier College held an online event – “National Forum on Literacy and Technology”. They addressed this issue while creating a space for ample discussion and creative solutions.

"EVERY PLACE IS A LEARNING SPACE"

Frontier College in Montreal will be recruiting new volunteers for online tutoring in January Laurence, a tutor who works with elementary 2021. If you currently reside in Canada and school students, used to help several young learners are interested in helping learners achieve simultaneously at an after-school program. their educational goals or would like to learn “Now-” she says, “-online one-on-one tutoring more about Frontier College, please visit: is more effective in building a relationship with www.frontiercollege.ca/Get-Involved/Volunteer young learners”. This relationship is also facilitated by being able to see their personal space, as this allows Laurence to learn more about the learner’s personality, family and home life.

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MEETING ID: COVID-19 PASSWORD: EDUCATION TRANSFORMED ALYSSA FERRAIOLI

Fourth Year Sociology Major English and Education & Society Minors

What was thought to be a three-week extension

to spring break has proven itself to be one of the most challenging experiences on both a social and educational level. The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way students, from elementary through post-secondary levels, are learning and receiving an education. In an era that seems to already be inherently digital, our reliance on technology has become ever present during this global crisis. In response, the field of education has had no choice but to adapt and become creative in its method of delivery. With this need for rapid change in our ever-evolving education system, both challenges and advantages have emerged.

KATHERINE CHOW

Fourth Year Psychology and French Majors Education & Society Minor This stands true from a technological standpoint as well, as educators and students are isolated in their homes and forced to communicate artificially through screens.

Although it may be difficult to see the positives in these circumstances, the spike in technological usage has acted as a catalyst for educational change. Within this digital age, the use of technology is imperative for staying connected across all contexts. This is amplified even more in the pandemic era. Both students and teachers have been obligated to go beyond their comfort zones and master these new modes of technology.

Junior-Kindergarteners are now able to unmute themselves in Google Meet calls, and educators have shifted from a paper-based program to a digital one. Platforms like Google Classroom and Brightspace have encouraged students and educators to stay connected beyond the classroom environment and promote learning in all settings.

Thinking beyond the accessibility issues, educators and students have had access to different digital resources that encourage learning in a multitude of contexts. Educational applications and digital media have become especially prevalent within the COVID-19 learning experience.

The issue of individualism versus collaboration in the classroom creates an alienated learning experience.

Educators have traditionally been taught to promote an inclusive learning environment that encourages collectivism, but the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted these goals into an individualistic framework. With students and educators alike being required to social distance and wear masks, the social skills that are an imperative aspect of education have been compromised.

With these insights, we are encouraged to think about how these implications will affect and have affected student learning and the teaching approach after the COVID-19 pandemic. The adaptability and resilience of both educators and students has proven that the education field is malleable and ever-changing, which leads us to wonder how this experience will be used as a lens to rethink pedagogical delivery and equity within the education field.

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This pandemic has brought to light issues of accessibility and isolated approaches to learning.

The differentiated socioeconomic positions of students are highlighted in the increased dependency on technology. Students from less affluent backgrounds do not always have access to the personal devices needed to succeed in online learning environments. These devices also require a stable wi-fi connection and bandwidth for prolonged usage. Furthermore, the parental support needed for success is not always available to students of lower socioeconomic class due to increased employment and financial responsibilities in these scenarios.

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SOCIAL ANXIETY: ONLINE EDITION Instead of listening to my professor, I was now solely paying attention to the way I look onscreen. Did I look unkempt or weird? Was I smiling too little, or too much? Did I look friendly or approachable enough? Just like that, the professor’s voice became background noise to my spiralling thoughts. Although some of these thoughts also occurred to me during in-person classes, they were way easier to ignore because, well, I wasn’t staring at myself for hours on end.

JANNA ABBAS

FIRST YEAR

As most classes prepared to transition to online

delivery for the fall semester, many students expressed their relief over this decision. While safety is one of the main reasons most students were satisfied with this plan, others were relieved for another reason entirely: reduced social anxiety.

For many students who experience social anxiety, the chance to be able to complete their studies from the comfort of their homes provided a great sense of relief and comfort. As someone who frequently deals with social anxiety, I went into my first online class fully expecting to enjoy and prosper in this new environment. Little did I know that what I had thought to be a dream-come-true would quickly turn into my worst nightmare.

Let me explain. Of course, I was happy to be released from the awkwardness of having to meet new people in person and subsequently having to deal with the hellish demon that is small talk. However, as the minutes went by, I started to notice that while many of the stimuli that usually catalyze my social anxiety were gone, new ones were coming to fruition.

Now I know what you’re thinking; why don’t I just turn off my camera? As if it’s that simple. I couldn’t possibly turn off my camera because my brain has convinced me that doing so will limit my chances of making a good impression on my professor and, subsequently, that I will fail this course. In my mind, my professor cannot possibly know that I’m dutifully paying attention and writing down notes instead of, say, spending the entire lecture on TikTok if I don't have my camera on. It’s worse when other people have their cameras turned off. With in-person classes, I could see everyone’s reaction to what I was saying. Now, I’m reduced to staring at multiple blank screens, having no idea how my words are being perceived.

Don’t get me wrong, online classes do have their benefits. They save me the trouble of having to sit alone on campus until my class starts, having to partake in meaningless conversations to fill the awkward space or simply giving me the comfort of deciding if and when I’m seen by others. I can’t conclusively say whether my social anxiety has gotten worse due to online classes. Maybe it’s just my initial hatred of change that’s causing me to react this way. Maybe I’m just imagining that it’s getting worse and it’s still somewhat the same. Or maybe I’m just experiencing social anxiety: the online edition.

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HOW THE PANDEMIC

HAS AFFECTED

STUDENT

ENGAGEMENT

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FEATURE INTERVIEW WITH SARAH CLAPPERTON

WHAT STUDENT LIFE?

Sarah Clapperton is a student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Education, specializing in Higher Education - Student Development and Student Services, with a collaboration in International and Comparative Education. She is also the Orientation and Transition Intern at the Office of the Dean of Students at Victoria College at UofT. In this Feature Interview she discusses the major changes in student life due to the pandemic, how faculty and staff are staying connected to students, and what it is like to be a student and staff member all at once.

The pandemic has changed what we view as “normal”, such as in-person meetings and going out with friends at any time. As both a student and an intern, how have you re-established the balance between those roles?

I think it has been very difficult, especially because of our program and the way OISE centers its courses. We do not have traditional lectures; everything is heavily discussionbased. The way you learn at OISE is from your peers—we have no tests or exams. However,it's become a lot more challenging online when you have 40 students trying to speak all at once. There’s a lot more work involved now as we do discussion groups before, during, and after class.

Although there is more collaboration involved, it's difficult with everyone’s schedule.

Everyone in the program is a professional while balancing their own life thus, having to do all this extra work has become a lot more complicated. Personally, that has been a heavy strain on me because it's a lot more work on my part rather than on our group learning collaboratively. It's a lot of working together, independent then reevaluating. On the life side, my family lives in Chicago and I haven't been able to see my mom for almost a year now. I don't think I'll be able to because the borders are closed, so it's been very hard to be away from family. I'm lucky that I live with my partner so I'm not completely alone. I have his family too because his family is fully Canadian.

I see only a few friends, and we are literally in each other's bubbles because they live alone or they live with their elderly parents. There's been a lot of barriers and a lot of isolation, but there are some bonuses.

There are a few upsides to this whole situation as well: accessibility has become a lot easier, especially for students that are abroad and can't meet all the time. But, it's been difficult to connect with others. In class, you're able to have casual conversations but it’s very difficult on Zoom because you'd be interrupting the prof. You can do it in the private chat, but it's not the same level of connection to other people.

Student life has changed so much over the past few months, especially with clubs and student organizations transitioning to online platforms. Do you believe that the online version of school can sustain student life for the time being?

"Yes and no. So, can it sustain it for the time being? Yes. We're currently doing it. It's happening. Is involvement at the same level as we had it in person? No. Our student involvement has reduced a lot and I can't even blame them."

We try to encourage it as much as we can, but when you're sitting there having nine hours of Zoom a day, with three lectures back to back, and people say, "Come join our Zoom meetings to hear about this,” it's a lot. It's a lot, even if internally, they're like, "I would love to hear about it".

The Zoom drain is real. Having to sit at a computer for so many hours a day is a lot for a lot of people, especially when your eyes start hurting. You don't want to stare at a screen, you want to see the trees and anything other than watching someone speak.

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It's difficult for student life right now because we're seeing a lot of decline in our numbers for the involvement side of it, but we are maintaining a lot of the events we do. For example, we are doing "Slice of Vic", which is the transition mentor program, which we’ve fully transitioned online.

It’s an information session for students where we have a guest speaker come in and speak followed by a moment of discussion. So can we sustain it enough to be okay? Yes. Is it going to be the same outcome in the end? I don't think so.

At least that's not what we're currently seeing. Maybe when things die down a little. Now students are in the stress of midterms. I feel for them, it's a lot, especially coming into first year and having to deal with all this change. The whole world is in a pandemic, and a lot of them don't have their families with them—it's a very difficult change and shift.

”I see a lot of students that would be a part of three clubs and volunteer, but now they've taken it down a notch and they're like, “'I'm going to focus on the one club I really love because that's all I can handle in this world right now.'”

Do you believe that student life will be forever changed after this year? Or do you think that it will shift back after a few years when the world is okay to see each other again?

I think there's going to be a mix. There are a few things that I already know, we're discussing about keeping, like accessibility factors such as recording sessions or posting takeaways. Those are things we hadn't done in the past because we thought, "Everyone's here, there's no need to do that.” One of the big projects that we did this year was create a Quercus site for all of the first-year students. We're building the site for upper-year students as well. We're going to be building all this information on the site, and it's going to be a one-stop-shop if you need mental health support, help from the registrar, or if you need any support for clubs and levies. Everything's going to be in one place, which in the past, we never had before. You would go into the office, ask your question, and they'll guide you to the right resources. Obviously, that's not possible nowadays. You have to either email them and the process is a lot longer, so we decided to do this, and that's something that we're very, very likely to keep for other years because it takes a lot of weight from off of our offices. We don't have to worry about if this is successful or if everyone can see it. We've made it in a way that screen readers can read it as well according to all the guidelines. You'll now see the text separated from the images. We also did it for Instagram posts. If you look at any of the Vic College Life (@viccollegelife) Instagram posts, you can see that it has accessibility texts on the bottom as well.

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Those types of little things in the past, we never really thought about because if anyone needs anything, they can come ask us. Now, we're thinking about what they can get from home, especially for students that may not even be able to come back to campus even in a few years because things are not a hundred percent yet. I think overall, we will go back to how things work, but we're going to keep some things that we've learned from this year. I feel like we do need that in-person component just because it's the best way to engage students.

How has the pandemic changed your studies in student life? Seeing as that phrase has a whole new meaning now, how has that changed your program, if it has at all?

For me, it hasn't. But, I have seen a lot of initiatives and new topics coming through, so it has changed to some degree.

The courses I'm currently in are not centered around student life because I'm in a comparative international course about conflict zones and teaching students from conflict zones.

This includes refugees, students who have been displaced, different statuses. I've also been taking a course on teaching in higher ed and supporting students; being a prof basically is the gist of it. So, my particular courses haven’t changed, but I have seen a lot of new initiatives because my specialization is student development and student services.

There are a lot of courses now centered around COVID questions: what to do during the pandemic, how do we engage students? I've seen a lot of students and profs add chapters on maintaining engagement. I've seen extra courses on online engagement and how to work on the technology side of it as well. One of the things my professor did for our teaching higher ed course is have one of the essay topics be: "Will COVID actually change the sphere of student life? Will it remain this way? Are we going to have to adapt even more next year?". It's mostly our research because there's not that much research out in the field yet. It's fairly new and to get a paper processed, it could be up to a year. So they may have written these pieces as time went by, but they haven't been fully published or fully peer-edited yet.

"It was a hot topic of discussion during the summer, especially where profs were like 'What do we do? We don't know how to teach online. We're supposed to be teaching student engagement, but I don't even know how to engage my own students.'"

So there's a lot of us figuring it out, but them figuring out as well because they've been doing the same thing [for such a long time], and profs from OISE are in their seventies or so. They've been doing the same thing for like 20, 30, 40 years, so having this huge change, especially a technological change for them has been really heavy.

Having to figure out everything they've known and taught for so long in a new form [is difficult] especially when students are asking them questions about how they should engage their students. They’re like: "I honestly don't know".

It's been like a learning moment for everyone involved.

Do you have any advice for students when it comes to engaging with clubs this year?

I would say reaching out is a big one. We've had clubs reach out to us, asking them to promote events or other things because they don't know how to get engaged with students online. They do not have access to the students' emails because of confidentiality concerns. So they're always going to be happy to hear from a student.

A lot of students get worried wondering, "What if they don't read my email? What if they don't actually want new members". No club is going to be like, "Oh, this person wants to join us. You know what? I'm not going to reply". They're always very eager to get new members, especially levies because they rely on having certain numbers in order to get certain amounts of funding. So reach out to them, engage on their socials. If you follow Vic and see who Vic is following, you can see clubs and events and things happening. We repost a lot of this stuff on our stories as well. If a club tags us in an event, or something that they're hiring, we'll repost and share it so everyone can see. A good thing to do is to reach out on Facebook because a lot of groups have their own Facebook pages. It's really easy to gain information that way when they're having a meeting. If you hear about a meeting, attend! You can always chat with whoever's in charge of the meeting after.

I would also say attend online events. Even if it is an event you're like, "Oh, I'm not sure I like this", pop in for a few minutes. See if you enjoy it, if you hate it, then leave. The same way that you can leave in person, you can leave on Zoom. Don't feel any pressure to stay in a call just because everyone else is there. It's always good to just check it out.

"We love seeing what we can do to improve, and we're going to keep on moving through what life throws at us, whether it be another wave, or lockdown, or whatever it may be. We'll be here."

Final Thoughts from the Interviewer Speaking with Sarah Clapperton brought refreshing insight as they are a student learning how to support students. With accessibility and support being their main focus, Clapperton highlights not only how students feel while in school in response to the pandemic, but also the new barriers students face with social connection. Having a life outside of school seems physically impossible this academic year as we are all one login away from Quercus. Furthermore, our social lives as students are meant to balance our academics, but that social life finds itself through the same medium as our school life. This interview has also expressed that everyone has been affected by this pandemic, students and staff alike.

"Coming together virtually is what will keep our spirits up."

As Sarah mentions, if you are interested in extra-curriculars, or college events like Vic@Home that are led by students, attend their online event and see if you enjoy it. If you do not enjoy it, there are many more events that our online campus has to offer. Find or rediscover things that bring you joy this year!

"You are not alone; we are all learning how to relearn together."

FEATURE INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY

COVID-19: Now What?

I mean, for us, we're really hoping this ends. The prediction seems that it's probably going to go on for a little bit longer, so COVID-19: we'll keep going and just keep it on. Stay safe, wear masks, social distance, don't sit in the quad and be with your friends without masks—we will catch you.

We're going to keep going, keep building, keep working on engaging students. If something doesn't work, we're going to change and adapt. We're going to keep building new Quercus sites: we're building new modules, new places with all the information. If you have an idea, send it to us. We're always happy to read and see if we can make it happen. A lot of students come to us with ideas, that’s how the transition mentor programming even started. Always hearing out students is a great time. We love getting feedback.

Imani King

Second Year English Major Education & Society and Biology Minors Hey, Teach!

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UNIVERSITY IN 2020:

MAJORING IN SURVIVAL Without a doubt, this year has been filled with

a series of unforeseeable events. The pandemic surged upon the world like a tsunami at full force, leaving no time to prepare for the waves of challenges that would follow. This year will be a test—not of our academic performance, but of our ability to survive, adapt and overcome the trials and tribulations of learning in a pandemic. When thrown in a sea of uncertainty, will you fight to stay afloat? Or will you succumb to the depths below?

Carina Sinevici First Year

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“The pandemic surged upon the world like a tsunami at full force, leaving no time to prepare for the waves of challenges that would follow.”

For these past few months, navigating the turbulent waters of online school has taught me many valuable lessons. Here are the top three qualities that I learned which are essential to surviving university in the midst of a pandemic:

Compromise Learning to compromise has allowed me to determine the importance of my priorities. Before accepting my letter of admission, I strongly considered deferring my studies for this school year. Just like many other students, I had already gone through an unfavourable online-learning experience. I thought to myself, why pay a full year’s worth of tuition just to receive an inferior quality of education, in addition to missing out on the first-year experience? I weighed my options and concluded that I was not willing to be a year behind on credits. In the end, I realized I couldn’t have everything, so I settled for what I valued most: continuing my studies.

Discipline Whilst attending school in a pandemic, I learned the hard way that success can only be achieved with self-discipline. All university students can attest to this. Managing my synchronous, asynchronous, and in-person classes all at once has been a demanding experience. It challenged me to find a balance between my academics and social life while putting my time-management and organization skills to the test. Although difficult and frustrating at times, learning in a pandemic has forced my skills to transform for the better.

Initiative Networking is everything. As a first-year commuter student, making new friends is already hard, let alone during a pandemic. Not having the luxury of making friends at orientation, on residence, or in tutorials this year has been disadvantageous. Forced out of my social bubble, I spent hours digging through social media in the hopes of finding any group chats for my classes. Not only is it comforting to interact with peers, but it’s also nice to have reminders that keep track of upcoming assignments or discussion posts.

In difficult and unpredictable times like these, especially when our education is being delivered in such an unorthodox way, it is important to be resilient. When the tides begin to rise, we must quickly learn to adapt to the struggles that the pandemic ripples our way. Through thick and thin, we’ll figure it out.

After all, that’s what survival is all about.

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LATE NIGHT BREAK Vincent G. T. Quach First Year This piece of art was created to showcase the lives of the students beyond the webcams on Zoom webcams. Messy papers, leftovers from lunch, multiple tabs open and tired, panda eyes are all common trademarks of any university student. Now, we have the luxury of having university classes in full 1080p resolution with a nonstop bombardment of work and readings justified by the long hours we spend indoors. With all this pressure to perform well and stay afloat, one drifts towards the more enjoyable things within arm's reach—after all, who is going to stop us? The comfy bed is two steps to the left, video games are just a click away and the refrigerator is just down a set of stairs. We use whatever energy we have left in the few minutes we take out of our sleep to have some fun before the cycle continues tomorrow.

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GRADUATING IN A PANDEMIC Jason Yang First Year High school graduation is arguably one of the

most important milestones in many students’ lives.

It marks the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. It is a milestone that students, their families, and their teachers have worked towards for the last twelve years. Often, it is the last chance for students to be with their peers before parting ways. In 2020, many students’ worlds turned upside down. For them, there was no last chance to say goodbye, no commencement, no prom, and nothing with physical interaction.

Smaller schools like mine have been more creative in putting together alternative events. Small groups of ten graduates were scheduled to walk across the stage in their gowns, experiencing what a normal commencement would have been like.

And as last chance to say goodbye, we walked around campus in a social distanced memory parade with teachers standing every six feet, cheering the graduates on.

While the unceremonious goodbye this year may forever sting sharply in the memory of the 2020 graduates, it makes this important milestone that much more memorable. They will forever be known as the quarantine grads.

1. Kekauoha, Alex. “What It's like to Graduate during a Pandemic.” Stanford News, Stanford University, 26 June 2020, news.stanford.edu/2020/06/25/like-graduatepandemic/.

When I left school at the start of spring break, I certainly never expected any of this. I thought I would be back in two weeks, finish off the last two months of high school and have a typical graduation as the grand finale to the past 12 years of school. But COVID-19 escalated quickly. It was declared a pandemic on March 11th. And suddenly, the situation became much more serious.

For most of the graduating class of 2020 across Canada, instead of walking across the stage, the graduation experience was reduced to sitting on couches in their living rooms. It was a bittersweet time where the completion of high school was celebrated, while the grand finale was relinquished1.

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Teaching During A Pandemic - A Professor’s Take on the Effects of COVID-19

Albert F. Moritz is the Blake C. Goldring Professor of the Arts and Society at Victoria University in the University of Toronto. He's an associate professor at Victoria University and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Department of English, working primarily in the Masters of Arts in Creative Writing program, which he helped to originate. Moritz is a prominent poet, having written 20 books of poems.

Feature Interview: Conducted by Rachel Banh, Third Year, English Major, Writing & Rhetoric and Creative Expression & Society Minors and Edited by the Hey, Teach! Team

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Starting with a career in journalism, Moritz earned a doctorate in English literature and then came to Toronto with his wife while she pursued graduate studies at the University of Toronto. They fell in love with the city, making it home. Moritz continued to work in journalism, specifically advertising, while beginning to publish poetry.

By 1986, his writings had become well known among powerful poets and academics in places such as Yale, Harvard and Columbia, which allowed for connections to be made within the University of Toronto. Moritz would go on to take up a part-time teaching position at the University of Toronto while continuing to work in freelance advertising and journalistic writing. In 2003, he helped found the Vic One Program at Victoria College and the program's Northrop Frye Stream for the Humanities. In 2011, he originated Vic One's Norman Jewison Stream in the Arts and was named the Blake C. Goldring Professor at Victoria and the University of Toronto.

How do you manage your roles as both a poet and a professor?

knows Zoom will say, “Oh yeah, that's all easy”, but it wasn't easy for me and it wasn't easy for most people who hadn't used it yet, but gradually it was smoothing out.

Then over Thanksgiving weekend, we got the emergency emails from the university saying we needed to go completely online. We needed to do something completely different from what we had I prioritize being a professor. I put my responsibility begun to understand over the past three and a half to others to respond to the students and to get my months. In a way, it turned out to be a blessing grades in on time and to do what I'm committed to because it's easier to do than dual delivery. But all doing for the university; I put that first. However, of that made me so busy trying to comprehend and there will come that moment when I think, “Oh, operate the technology that I've gotten way behind I've got to write that, I've got to at least sketch it on my reacting to the students’ works. Right now I down. I've got to at least get a first draft out, no am scrambling to mark papers, give opinions and matter how bad it is.” I don't have any time to do suggestions on poems and stories, and so on and it, but you know what, I'm going to take the time get them back to students. It's already the middle somehow. So that does happen. So it goes back and or the end of term and I've scarcely given any forth. But basically, if anything has to get done, I written response to anybody yet. put it first. As a matter of fact, COVID has really put me behind the eight ball in exactly this respect I feel very bad about that. It wasn't COVID itself exactly, but the technological requirements of right now. having to try to do dual delivery and to operate and learn it at the same time as doing your teaching. I was having to learn something new and unfamiliar to me while I went on with it.

How has Covid-19 impacted your role as a professor?

How has Covid-19 The university wanted us to do—if we would— specifically dual delivery and that turned out to be really complicated. We had to work on it about the affected your second half of this summer and try to adapt it to our courses. Each course is a little different, and work as a poet? because I teach some creative writing courses, they're quite different. They're not just giving the lecture over Zoom, so we had to figure out how to do it. It was hard to learn and then it was hard to give the classes. To plug in all the technology, to talk to the students who were both in front of you and somehow the ones that were remote in some sort of television land, and to get everything running right. What if you wanted to play a video off of YouTube for everybody? Could you learn how to be sure that both the people offsite and the people onsite were seeing it? If you could get into the video so everybody could see and hear it, could you learn to get back without crashing and ending the whole meeting? Somebody who

All of the people who would have done in-person poetry readings and literary festivals and so on have just moved these events online. I've been able to go to the Winnipeg Writers Festival without going to Winnipeg. I've done an interview show and a poetry reading for their online version.

Same with the Eden Mills Poetry Festival and the Ottawa Writers' Festival and so forth. So, busy as I am, I've squeezed in all of these events.

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In your opinion, do you think education has changed forever or do you think it will return to “normal” when the pandemic is over?

I don't know. I think it’s probably changed forever, but maybe not in important ways. But it's hard to say. I would guess people are eager to go back to the way things were. Nonetheless, some things have been learned that you can do with technology that won't go away and will replace things that were done in person before. For instance, I wouldn't be at all surprised that this would accelerate online and computerized shopping and the migration away from bricks and mortar stores. I wouldn't be surprised if it would mean an uptick that would last in delivery meals as opposed to in dining room restaurant meals.

Do you have any advice for educators or students whose academic environment has been severely affected by this pandemic?

Well, that's a good one, but it's hard.

Be yourself, get outside, do something else and don’t get trapped into studying or reading all the time.

I mean, one of the things that this deprives people of is coming to school. When you come to school, you have to meet new people. It means you have to try to keep up with your old friends and it means that you have to find the new ones that you like. You might have some kind of personal or emotional new experience or experiment that you're going through.

Well, you shouldn't let it not happen. You've got to find a way to at least let some of it happen.

And even if you think you're doing several things, not just your lectures and your essays, but also watching TV programs, it's the same kind of thing. Shake yourself up, find other things to do [especially] some things that aren't online, you know, do some things that are out in the air.

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The title of our issue is Covid-19: Now What? How would you answer that?

Technology and science strictly subordinated poetry as being tools of art. However, it doesn't have to be exclusively expressed in the art universe.

It's holistic and inclusive, even including tragedy and cussedness. It can be a holistic and inclusive view of humanity, as opposed to a rationalized view of humanity.

It would be better that [the pandemic] did not exist. In general, poetry applied to our society would tell us that [we] have many, many different areas to develop. And it would enable us, not to get rid of rationalization, not to get rid of science or technology, but to subordinate them, put them in service of what they ought to be. We keep saying, “Oh boy, we need technology to help solve the climate crisis,� but nobody just looks right and left and realizes the plain fact that technology is becoming a crisis. It is the problem.

Yes, maybe [the pandemic] managed to engulf us so much that more technology is the only way we can solve it. But technology is not the solution. Technology is a disaster, and this is true of the world in general. [This is] something that's been known since the COVID-19 pandemic and something that was taught to me in high school Biology. Epidemics will be avoided if every single person has a certain number of cubic yards of living space. In other words, social distancing. Social distancing is there because society has enough space. That's the way to stop future pandemics. If we don't do something, not necessarily to limit the population, but to apportion it correctly, [it will not cease].

Both the crowding and the contact with animals that helps to cause the pandemics will continue to grow, and there will be more pandemics that

would require a lot of money. That would mean a lot of people who get very little money, would have to start getting a lot more money. That would mean that the way we have built our cities, especially in poor places, would have to be torn apart and the whole human physical environment would have to be remade to a great extent.

Is society going to reorient its money that way? So that the people who are really needed in a crisis like this continue to work and even put their lives on the line because of the mode of their working get paid as essential? Are any of us going to have that conversion in our souls and are we going to demand it of our corporations and our legislators?

So I fear that no, mankind is not going to. And I think that the unarguable lessons of this pandemic will be lost because mankind prefers to go on as it always has.

You know, doing things that gain power for those who can command the methods of power and to hell with the inequalities they create and the devastation that they bring. I don't know. Maybe the devastation will, at some point, get to a degree that people finally stand up and find legs and say, no, everything has to change.

The team at Hey, Teach! is grateful for the opportunity to interview Professor A. Moritz and gain insights through his thoughts on the topic COVID-19: Now What? and his perspective as both a professor and a poet.

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Covid-19 and Accessibility Barriers to Education Sheridan Anisman Master of Teaching - OISE Year One

The

purpose of Individual Education Plans and accessibility accommodations are to level the playing field for students with accessibility needs in order to achieve an equitable learning environment for all. These accommodations are provided based on recommendations by professionals such as doctors and occupational therapists to accommodate an individual’s exceptionality. Some of these adaptations are implemented in early life stages such as in elementary school, which would then adapt as the child grows, while others are applied later in life such as in post-secondary institutions.

"As teachers had to improvise their lesson plans to suit the new learning environment, special education coordinators became overwhelmed with emails and phone calls leaving many students to fall through the cracks."

include paperwork, new testing and in-person meetings with disability counsellors or a special education team. This process is in place to ensure that students are able to receive the appropriate modifications without being able to add unnecessary accommodations at will. This system has been perfected over many years. However, due to the ever-changing situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, many protocols are being adjusted. Along with the physical closure of all schools in Canada, classrooms were abruptly changed from physical rooms to virtual learning spaces in mid-March 2020. While many students and families were able to navigate these sudden changes with minor difficulties, students with Individual Education Plans and accommodations were left to explore these new waters on their own.

As teachers had to improvise their lesson plans to suit the new learning environment, special education coordinators became overwhelmed with emails and phone calls leaving many students to fall through the cracks, as noted by the many parents of special needs children across Ontario.

As previously mentioned, the accommodation registration process is lengthy, and changing accommodations typically requires an in-person While accommodations do have the capability to meeting where one must justify such a request. be adjusted as needs change, these revisions often Many accommodations such as reserved seating, involve a lengthy and detailed process which can proximity to a teacher, and computer use apply

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solely to in-person classes and exams. With the new virtual learning environment, certain accommodations became void as they are no longer relevant when one is sitting at home in front of a screen, compared to being in class with peers and teachers. This sudden switch once again highlights new problems and barriers surrounding education.

For example, some students with visual disabilities may struggle to spend excessive amounts of time looking at a small screen due to eye strain.

Students who have difficulty concentrating due to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may become more easily distracted by a pet walking around their room, or by listening to the chatter of nearby parents or young siblings. While these situations would not apply in a typical classroom setting, many new problems have arisen, such as mental health challenges that are a direct result of isolation due to physical distancing.

"Until students are able to return to in-person classrooms, it is crucial for educators to be compassionate and understand that all students, as well as educators themselves, are facing new barriers and challenges."

Another notable difficulty is the possibility of a time zone difference where students live, compared to where their classes take place. For online synchronous classes, some students have to wake up at inconvenient hours to join their classmates.

This can result in suboptimal performance as they are not used to attending classes very early in the morning or late at night. While these changes are relevant for all students, including those who were not previously registered for accommodations, navigating these challenging times quickly became problematic for many, resulting in the need for immediate changes to Individual Education Plans.

It is important for both educators as well as those working in the Special Education field to consider that many students will now be facing additional challenges over the next few months or years that would not have existed in a pre-COVID world. It is therefore imperative to ensure that new policies are put into place to ensure students can find the help and resources they need, while adhering to physical distancing guidelines. These new, temporary policies may include switching to virtual intake meetings, minimizing the number of registration forms, and reducing intake waitlist and wait times by hiring more staff wherever possible. Until students are able to return to inperson classrooms, it is crucial for educators to be compassionate and understand that all students, as well as educators themselves, are facing new barriers and challenges, regardless of whether or not they have a previously documented exceptionality.

"It is important for both educators as well as those working in the Special Education field to consider that many students will now be facing additional challenges over the next few months or years that would not have existed in a pre-COVID world."

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WAKE UP,

IT'S TIME FOR SCHOOL! How COVID-19 is Changing Education Many

remember the feelings of excitement and anticipation the night before the first day of school. New clothes picked and laid out, backpacks all packed, and alarms set early. This year’s return to school is undeniably different: face masks, physical distancing, cohorts, and virtual learning are words that have been added to the daily vocabulary. For elementary and secondary students receiving their education via online learning, the concept of traditional education has not only been challenged but, reinvented to accommodate the safety procedures of a global pandemic. COVID-19 has ruptured the comfort and routine that the classroom environment provided for many learners and educators. This includes the layout of the physical classroom environment and the option of at-home virtual learning. The changes made by these safety precautions has changed the face of education and has tested the resiliency of students and teachers.

Vittoria Tesoro OISE Graduate

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When preparing classroom layouts, desk spacing, and classroom design are crucial factors teachers consider. In order for primary and secondary classrooms to effectively enhance student learning, classrooms need to be accessible spaces where evidence of student learning is visible. This includes setting up alternative seating in groups, pairs, or semi-circles where students are able to easily collaborate and discuss ideas with nearby classmates.

Amidst the pandemic, classroom seating like this had to be remodeled to accommodate the appropriate physical distancing within the classroom. A way to comply with the new restrictions is to set up seating in rows. It is a measure that must be met in order to ensure health and safety despite its antiquated approach to classroom seating. Although this model shifts the classroom setup from group to independent learning, in-classroom learning can still be an enriching experience as students gradually learn to become more physically independent. Ultimately, with the teacher’s guidance and support, the classroom environment is still a place of security and curiosity for students.

Learning can still occur using a multitude of resources and tools; virtual learning has become the alternative setting for students who are opting for at-home education during the pandemic.

Like any alternative solution, there are benefits and setbacks. Advantageously, virtual learning provides students the opportunity to receive their education from the safety of their own homes. By accessing their education on their own terms, students can be become responsible and autonomous learners. Consequently, there are also challenges concerning technological accessibility, isolation, learning accommodation, absence of teacher presence, and lack of classroom structure. Considering these setbacks, teachers and parents must carefully decide which option best suits the needs of students. With the virtual learning model, traditional education has been disassociated as learning is separated from the physicality of the classroom setting. It seems that online classroom platforms and group video services have become an adequate temporary replacement for some elementary and secondary students. Education is constantly evolving, but with the sudden occurrence of COVID-19, traditional education has shifted into a distant and remote enterprise. Fortunately, it is through the collaboration, resourcefulness, and resiliency of teachers, students, and parents that education can still prevail during such a trying time.

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RE-DEFINING

MUSIC EDUCATION DURING THE PANDEMIC

Jaemin Hwang First Year

Music education is inevitably one of the most

why it remains crucial for learners during these interdependent subjects in K-12 education. difficult times.

Through twelve years of music education, I have learned the complexity of non-verbal Due to the pandemic, his school had cancelled every communication and the joy of unpredictability upcoming event that involved live performances. through the interactive act of performing. After He acknowledged that losing major events that my school shut down in March 2020, my peers provided a sense of accomplishment to students and I were vastly disappointed as we lost our last can lower their motivation. Mr. Noonan said, “I opportunities to perform live before graduation. can’t do [live performances] anymore; it’s not safe.”

As the pandemic continued to grow, I reached out Nevertheless, he finds that this pandemic has led to Mr. Noonan, a music educator at an international him to focus on his values as a music educator: school in Japan who taught me for the past six teaching music as a form of meditation and artistic years. I hoped to learn how music education has expression. changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and

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To guide students to view music as a form of meditation, Mr. Noonan has continued to assign students “practice journals”. He believes that consistently practicing not only improves instrument proficiency but also fosters mindfulness. “It helps us centre our minds...and we do that as musicians all the time,” he said. When students appreciate musical practice as a form of meditation rather than just a way to build skill proficiency, music education has the potential to improve students’ lives by encouraging students to spend time focusing on the present. This is especially beneficial during the pandemic.

After having this meaningful conversation with Mr. Noonan, I realized that the most important lesson I learned from him was not the joy of performance. It was the importance of connecting with music in my daily life, which encouraged me to become self-reflective and improve my well-being. Over the past six years, establishing a practice routine has enabled me to create a space separate from my worries. Every day, I improvise on the piano, playing without actively thinking about the next part. Moreover, working on composition skills during quarantine has enabled me to imagine different combinations of musical elements and discover which combinations best Mr. Noonan promotes expressing one’s feelings expressed my emotions, ultimately fostering through the creative process as a way to be self-awareness. Importantly, what I learned from conscious of one’s emotions and find joy, music has helped me cope with stress and isolation something that is challenging but crucial during during the pandemic. the pandemic. Making music can further bring joy to others, creating a sense of virtual connection. Music’s ability to serve as a form of meditation Bringing artistic expression into students’ lives, and artistic expression is powerful, especially through methods other than performing, can during challenging times like these. Every life help them discover ways to communicate their long learner can implement music in their lives emotions creatively with each other. and develop their ability to achieve inner wellbeing as we face the future. Go beyond listening to music. Start making music.

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Challenges and Concerns Teachers are Facing Today with the Ongoing Global Pandemic Asdghig Ayntabli Third Year Human Biology Major Chemistry and Education & Society Minors

As a commuter student, I often enjoyed my

daily morning routine before class; waking up extra early to have a quick breakfast, get ready and listen to my playlist on the way to class. I found it therapeutic, and it was a self-care method that helped me get ready for my day. But since quarantine started, this routine has completely changed. As students, we are familiar with all of these shared struggles. However, most of us don’t know (or appreciate) the hardships that our professors go through to adjust and prepare a curriculum better equipped for online learning. As a future educator, the sudden change of learning came as a shock not only to students but to educators as well. I discussed this issue with Dr. Ken McNeilly, emphasizing the challenges that students and teachers are facing today after transitioning to online platforms.

Most of us don't know the hardships that our professors go through to adjust and prepare a curriculum better equipped for online learning.

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As students, we all have had similar concerns with classes moving online. Sitting in front of our devices for hours at a time, sharing a learning space with siblings, or trying to study with background noise has been a struggle. Talking with Dr. McNeilly, I realized that we as students weren’t the only ones facing these issues, but our teachers were facing similar problems. “[My] uninterrupted work time was sort of between 8 pm and midnight, like that, was the only alone time that I had,” said Dr. McNeilly, who commented on how these changes affected his work hours since daycares were closed and he is the sole caretaker of his son.

Adapting to online schooling has been another concern that a lot of teachers are facing. “Group work, for example, were going to create challenges for my students because that would just require an extraordinary level of communication between them to figure out, so I changed some of my group assignments to be more of a peer-led seminar,” said Dr. McNeilly, commenting on some of the steps that he took adapting to this new normal.

Dr. McNeilly emphasized the importance of modifying the expectations of his work, as well as the work of his students. “Everything just needed to be shrunken down to more reasonable expectations”, which helped ease some of the After doing some research on the experience stress that students are going through. of teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, I noticed a pattern in the challenges that they were facing. A lot of instructors were concerned with how this transition would affect the overall experience of students; was it possible to ensure that the delivery of material online was at the same level as in – person? Dr. McNeilly discussed how crucial it is for instructors to create “casual check-ins” during regularly scheduled classes and be available for students before or after those classes. “I'm trying to create an opportunity for engagement, that might mean that there's less lecturing time from me,” McNeilly said, “I have to be really deliberate about what I choose to include in the lecture component”.

My talk with Dr. McNeilly not only helped me understand the challenges that teachers are facing, but it also made me realize how similar our struggles are today. Concerns about the quality of learning, space, and communication are all shared.

More people need to realize that teachers too are doing their best and it requires a great amount of strength to do what they’re doing this academic year. After all, we’re all in this together and we’re all trying to adapt to the new normal.

More people need to realize that teachers too are doing their best and it requires a great amount of strength to do what they’re doing this academic year.

A lot of instructors were concerned with how this transition would affect the overall experience of students; was it possible to ensure that the delivery of material online was at the same level as in – person?

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Flowers of One Garden Sasha Arnett Third Year Psychology Major Education & Society Minor

For

flowers of a garden to grow up strong and beautiful, the gardener must show forth persistent attention, love, and patience. For children in a community to grow up to become helpful servants of their community, the educator must show forth the same attitude towards their learners as a gardener towards their flowers.

More than educating children in terms of intellect, teachers must also exert the utmost attention to the education of their hearts. In an ideal educational environment, individual differences are seen and treated as ornaments that beautify the community, much like how different flowers beautify the garden. This allows children to grow up realizing and practicing what it means to be diverse thinkers, selfless citizens, and a community that strives for the unification of diversity.

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This painting was created by Sasha Arnett.

Laura's Corner Laura Milton Second Year Sociology Major and Education & Society Minor

We never thought that in 2020 there would be a

type of learning has proved to be less beneficial to many students, including me. I feel as though I sit on my computer for most of my day, and then by the end of the night, I may be on another device.

There is no getting away from our technology now. However, there is at least one benefit: all the students who feel as though they cannot speak up in class now have the option of using discussion Flash forward to September 2020, and we are now boards to help them obtain the participation in the age of “Zoom University”. I never thought marks they deserve. living at home would be so lonely. Online classes make you feel a type of isolation like no other. Finally, one thing I am looking forward to is Imagine sitting in a room and actually talking being on campus, walking to all my classes, and with your friends about the weekend you had enjoying the seasons as they pass us by, rather or even the day you had; a breakout room could than watching them from indoors. But we must never foster such energy. Living in this time has enjoy the little things while we still can. And been hard on all of us. An online class does not never, I mean never, take our education and inhold people’s attention as an in-person lecture person classes for granted again! would. There are so many more distractions now.

Your camera could be off, and you might not even be listening to your professor while they are introducing the readings for next week. This global pandemic. I still remember the day: March 13, 2020. I had just received the email that school would be online, so I tried to pack up my room at residence and get home. Luckily for me, I did not live too many subway stops away from the downtown campus.

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Out of the Wild

They

used to run. All we mere mortals could do was take out our 720p HD camera, savouring the disappointment we had grown accustomed to because of them, pointing it at the ever-distant board. We prayed that our multitasking skills had somehow evolved overnight, lest we should further feed the beast that was this vicious cycle.

Wondering what I’m talking about?

Going into first year, I assumed people would be pretty enthusiastic about their careers; after all, they chose to attend the “#1 engineering school in Canada” for a reason. I never expected my fellow peers to lean towards the psychotic end of the scientist scale. At the end of every lecture, students would stampede towards the next lecture room, making it impossible to secure front row seats for those of us who didn’t sign up for a gym class. And hey— good for them, I’m sure their enthusiasm paid

off during their optometrist appointments or will pay off 20 years down the line when they develop absolutely no cardiac problems.

Yet, this slightly worrisome quasi-animalistic ritual put a small dent in MY learning. Two, three, six months passed by, and I would gaze longingly at the ever-eluding blackboard from afar. Hoping for some miracle - or some steroids - that would change my fate.

That’s when the coronavirus attacked.

Now, a disclaimer, I don’t welcome the coronavirus in any way, shape, or form. I don’t applaud its existence or forgive it for having killed hundreds of thousands of people. Yet, a part of me can't help but revel in the fact that my professor’s mirrored screens are so crisp, clear, and close I can almost taste the electronic ink. Controversially perhaps, I must say: COVID-19 has truly blessed my learning.

A visual representation pre COVID-19

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I mean, think about it: what true downside is there to online learning? Okay, so I can’t exactly be in cool labs where I can grab those deliciously engineered ball bearings, and I don’t get to 3D print a figurine of Groot under the guise that it’s for school. Fine. But would you rather a) spend money on getting to school - avoiding eye contact with tired commuters, pretending you don’t smell the dubious odours of the sweaty man beside you, choking back tears at the third announced transit delay, or b) just stay in the sanctuary that has become your home? Voila.

No more waking up at 7 a.m. to get to a 9 a.m. class: at 8:55 I wake leisurely and log onto a functional- albeit glitchy Bb Collaborate class.

No more ignoring my grumbling stomach after four hours of lectures: my refrigerator is mere metres away, teasingly at my disposal.

No more longing for my Miniature Schnauzer during tutorials—my doggo insists in disrupting lectures through sneak attacks or demands of belly rubs.

Sure, I may just have purchased my seventeenth succulent, baked my twenty-fourth loaf of bread, and worn the same outfit for the fourth day in a row, but you know what?

At least I can see the damn board.

Natalia Espinosa Merlano Second Year Mechanical Engineering Program Business Minor

A visual representation during COVID-19 Hey, Teach!

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The First Year Experience What is something you didn’t expect about online learning?

It was surprising how easy it was to make friends - I didn’t expect to meet so many great people!

It’s actually

not as difficult as I thought it’d be! At least for my synchronous classes.

I have more free time in my schedule, but it doesn’t grab my interest as readily.

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I

t’s great to have the flexibility of asynchronous courses.

I am able to watch the lectures twice as quickly­ and save time!

T

aking as many breaks as I want is also very refreshing, especially when there's a lot of content being thrown at you at once

O

nline lessons are a lot more interactive than I expected!

Sometimes, I actually prefer it over in person classes.

I find it very hard to

motivate myself. One thing I didn’t expect was how easy it was to fall asleep in class.

I wasn’t expecting professors to be so accommodating to students around the world.

I was able to

build personal connections with peers and professors!

What is one positive word that best describes your first year experience at the University of Toronto?

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one week quarantine self-care challenge Here is some inspo for each day of the week!

Fill in the rest yourself!

Have a bedroom fashion show/karaoke sesh

Read a Hey, Teach! magazine (You are doing great!)

Video call a friend you haven't talked to in a while

Escape the blue light by taking a walk in nature

Try something creative - draw, play an instrument, journal, do a thrift-flip!

Try a new recipe you found online

Do a Chloe Ting workout

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Share your progress with us on social media by tagging @heyteachmagazine on Instagram and Hey, Teach!

Magazine on Facebook!

Which Hey, Teach! position most suits you?

Q1. What type of friend are you?

Q5. What did you want to be when you were

A. The "mom" friend B. The "honest" friend C. The "artsy" friend

Q2. What’s your go-to study method?

A. Teaching a friend B. Hand writing your notes C. Making mind maps

little?

A. The CEO of a company B. The author of the next Harry Potter C. Leonardo da Vinci

Q6. A distressed cat is stuck in a tree.

Q3. It’s class time - what are you most likely

to be doing right now?

A. Helping your teacher hand out worksheets B. Checking over your friend’s work C. Doodling in your notebook

Q4. What do you pay attention to when

you’re on Instagram?

A. What you’re going to comment B. The captions C. The feed aesthetic

You haven’t climbed a tree in years.

What do you do?

A. Do everything in your power to help the cat down B. Call the fire department to assist C. Start climbing. You’ll do your best.

Q7. It’s finally winter break - what are you

up to?

A. Planning a 5-day getaway trip with friends B. Curling up with a good book and a steaming mug of hot chocolate C. Exploring the nearest art museum

IF YOU HAVE...

Mostly As: You are the Editor in Chief! You are a born leader, organized and assertive. You like to

be in charge, and you’re always the one making plans for your friend group, or helping your friends get back on track when they fall a little astray. Along with making edits to submissions, you assign tasks to members, run meetings and ensure that deadlines are met!

Mostly Bs:

You are an Editor! You are conscientious, friendly and thoughtful. You like to pride yourself on being reliable, and you can’t stand when people can’t tell the difference between “your” and “you’re”. You’re in charge of reviewing submissions for the next magazine issue. You pay close attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation and coherence, all while maintaining the authenticity of the writer’s original work.

Mostly Cs:

You are a member of the Productions Team! You are clever, creative and innovative.

Once all submissions have been edited thoroughly, you design magazine spreads using Adobe InDesign.

You are responsible for the visual content within the magazine!

If you’re interested in getting involved with Hey, Teach!, reach us at heyteach@utoronto.ca!

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Executive Final Thoughts JESSICA ALLAN Co-Editor in Chief

COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our lives: our social life, our private lives and our education. It has not been an easy transition, especially as our lives transform into online profiles and Zoom lectures. It can be hard to see the pandemic as anything other than a negative experience, but it is important that we also look at the good that has come from it.

Coursework is now accessible at all hours, you can work according to your own schedule. You can work from anywhere, and even watch your lecture from bed. Friends and family are just a phone call away, and we’ve learned the importance of selflessness in protecting our most vulnerable communities. To answer the question of COVID-19: Now what? is a hard task to do as it is an ever-evolving situation, but we must look to the future with hope, and remember the many lessons we have learned during this time and the positive changes to come from it.

ALI RAZA HASAN ALI Co-Editor in Chief

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our personal, academic and professional lives. The challenges have been massive, and I suspect that the lessons we’ve learned through our transitions will last a lifetime. In saying that, the pandemic has brought the virtual world to the forefront of our practices. Meetings have been held on Zoom, classroom lessons have been broadcasted across the globe, and work has continued to be done remotely through asynchronous tasks. I genuinely believe that these innovations will lead to a brighter future for our post-pandemic lives. To go back to the major question (COVID-19: Now what?): I think that it is our job as students to continue to pursue opportunities for growth and development despite our limitations. The difficulties and challenges should not bar us from accomplishing our goals, as life must go on!

IMANI KING Editor in Chief Mentee

This pandemic was definitely not one of the major changes that I expected my second year to bring along. With that, we definitely need to keep moving forward and think about others. Yes, staying home is very isolating, but you can definitely find your community from home.

Creating an online community has been good for us as university students; meme pages on Facebook bring smiles to faces, course group chats are helping with paper formatting issues, and this amazing group of students created this issue entirely online! We can still achieve the greatness we want to, and even though school has proved itself to be more challenging for everyone, we need to keep finding joy! We’re strong enough to survive, pass, and thrive during the era of ‘Zoom University’.

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COVID-19: Now What?

CAITLYN GRANT Co-Senior Editor

With COVID-19 rates fluctuating around the world, everyone has been affected in some way. I know these words have been said thousands of times before, but COVID-19 was an unprecedented situation that, for better or worse, has changed the way we experience education (from both a student and teacher's point of view). What we know is always changing, and until we are back remotely where we used to be, we will have to continue to adapt, and this will be important until, and even after we reach a relative normal. We know this adaptation is possible because we've seen it over the course of the last eight months. We can now only hope to see even more progress being made.

MAIA CORSAME Co-Senior Editor

With having to adapt to so many changes, this issue has been a challenging one to compile. COVID-19: Now What? shares numerous stories and experiences of how people have been adjusting and coping with the pandemic. It’s our most personal issue and it serves as a space for mourning and healing. We’re all on the same boat as we try to find our way through these tough times. But by working together, we’ll be able to get through this.

JEAN KIM Co-Senior Editor

COVID-19 upended people's lives and the entire education system. It has created challenges and barriers as well as generated creativity and innovation. Now what? Now it is time to make education more attainable and equitable. Now it is time to make students' mental health a priority.

Now it is time to provide more support for teachers and value their profession. Now it is time for us to implement changes to ensure that education after the pandemic is more accessible and better than ever.

JAEHYUN LIM Senior Productions Manager

This has been a crazy part of our lives! For this issue, we really wanted to focus on people's reactions to the pandemic. A little venting and reflection work wonders! Everyone had different responses and coping mechanisms, and it was interesting to see the support everyone had for one another. Despite the pandemic revealing the issues that were already bubbling under the surface, I like to look for an optimistic view of people.

Appreciate the workers that make our lives running as "normally" as possible, empathize with others, and most importantly love yourself!

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Executive Final Thoughts BISMAN KAUR Associate Productions Manager

& Public Relations Manager Now, we look forward to building a better tomorrow while recognizing the beauty that emerges in the face of adversity. The global pandemic brought about noteworthy and necessary changes in educational practices by encouraging teachers to think outside the box — or rather, think outside the classroom. We may be physically distanced, but we continue to create communities and bonds through education. We may wear masks, but we find unique means of representing ourselves. We may feel isolated, but we are not alone. In these times defined by ambiguity, our collective voices are our greatest strength.

RACHEL BANH Associate Productions Manager

COVID-19 has made an impact on everyone. For myself and for many others, this has been a difficult time. This issue shows how COVID-19 has negatively and perhaps positively affected members at U of T, including both professors and students. I hope this issue resonates with our readers and lets them know that whatever they are going through right now, they are not alone.

DEREK CHOI Associate Productions Manager

COVID-19 is having and will continue to have countless repercussions on institutions and the way we interact with them. Healthcare, government, law enforcement, and of course - Education. As educational institutions at all levels change and adapt to the COVID-19 crisis, it is important to continue to keep in mind what else can and should be done to make schools a safer place for everyone involved, and how the challenges of this year may affect our lives even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

KAYLA PACIOCCO Associate Productions Manager

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The COVID-19 pandemic is a daunting problem in Canadian society; it has changed the way in which we operate our institutions, especially the education system and those within it. Students now have a mixture of online and in-person classes while teachers have had to become creative in their teaching methods. While this is difficult and unprecedented, education is an ever-evolving field that is never idle. COVID-19 is but another obstacle that educators and students will overcome together and within this issue, our writers explore this through a myriad of topics that investigate, advise and bring forth new ideas. It is easy to become discouraged in a time such as this however, this magazine hopes to inspire innovation and creativity to all its readers.

Hey, Teach!

FALL 2020

COVID-19: Now What?

YIANNIE LIN First Year Representative

"I’m tired of being patient,” a student at my placement school told me one day as we discussed the topic of COVID-19. It struck me how close to home their words hit. Navigating life at the University of Toronto as a first year from Hong Kong was intimidating enough. Yet after being thrust into the uncertainty of virtual learning, the self-deprecating “Zoom University 2024!” memes I saw were becoming a little too true.

However, I’ve come to realize that amidst this all is an invitation to pause and reflect on myself, the world around me, and the little things in life that make me smile. Whether I’m watching my professor’s endearing yet hilarious skit video, or doing interactive quizzes on Mentimeter, it has been inspiring to see how education has continued to move forward in more innovative ways than ever. As I watch what we previously deemed impossible become possible, I’m reminded of what we can achieve when we all come together.

JULIA HU First Year Representative

This year has especially proved the flexibility of educators and students.

Although my fellow first years and I are currently attending university from varying parts of the globe, it was a pleasure to get the opportunity to hear so many of their voices in this issue. My hope is that once the pandemic is over, mainstream education evolves to be more receptive of technology based learning whilst students and educators never take for granted the value of face-to face learning.

JAEMIN HWANG First Year Representative

Being a part of the preparation process for this issue amid the pandemic reminded me of the importance of recognizing the obstacles and essentially asking ourselves: now, what? We continue to experience countless challenges posed by the pandemic, leading to fatigue and hopelessness.

Nevertheless, we must face these obstacles instead of ignoring them in order to move forward with a sense of control during uncertain times. I hope that students’ voices in this issue inspire readers to embrace their experiences from the pandemic and envision great potential in their future educational path.

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