WORDS OF HOPE F R O M H A P P Y VA L L E Y
In a time of great uncertainty, many are looking for motivation. To get through the pandemic, Penn State students have sought out inspiration from all over. But what advice do our very own professors have for us? They may be caught up in the pandemic as well, but many are eager to share inspiration and advice for their students. V:
What words do you live by?
JOHN AFFLECK, Professor of Journalism in
the Bellisario College of Communications: Be here now. John Lennon was asked, “What’s the message of rock ‘n’ roll?” and that was his answer. Don’t live in the past with your memories and regrets or in the future with your fantasies and fears. Just be present to the people around you, be engaged in whatever you’re doing and you won’t need to have regrets and your future will be better. JESSICA MENOLD, Assistant Professor of
Engineering Design and Mechanical Engineering: Never stop exploring. BRANDON SCHWARTZ, Assistant Research Professor in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences: From the movie “Reservoir Dogs,” “So you had a few bad months.You do what everybody else does. I don’t care if it’s J.P. Morgan or Irving the tailor.You ride it out.” CAREN BLOOM-STEIDLE, Associate Teaching Professor of Criminology and Sociology in the College of Liberal Arts: Be kind and think positively. Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. The more positive you are, the more you will see the positive in others and things around you. JOHN GERSHENSON, Director of
Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepre38
neurship (HESE) in the College of Engineering: Go, do, change. There is ample opportunity to have an impact on the world around you at any level if you leave your comfort zone and go to the problem. Do the hard work and focus on the change you want to create. This semester this will be more true than ever before. NOEL HABASHY, Assistant Teaching Professor of International Agriculture in the College of Agricultural Sciences: In regards to the current global pandemic, I try to be smart, not scared and not stupid. There’s so much we can’t control, but we can be smart about what we can do and not live in fear. JERRY HARRINGTON, Professor of
Meteorology in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences: When it works best, education provides you a framework for seeing the world and for living a good life. I think Thoreau captured this best: “It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” V: What have you learned from teaching online last semester, and what do you plan to do to set yourself up for success this semester?
vironments was really critical for me. I’ve tried to be patient with students and cultivate a welcoming and inclusive online classroom to support them in their education and their lives in general during this time. BS: Teaching online makes it harder to promote class interaction and measure the class’s engagement while you’re lecturing. I’m embedding a lot more illustrative videos, gifs and images into my slide decks this semester because I think it will help keep everyone interested. CBS: I learned that students, and I, need the per-
sonal connection that teaching and learning in person provides. It takes more work, but we need to stay connected. I’m a big proponent of learning through discussion — listening to and sharing with others who think differently than we do. I learned that you need to focus on continuous engagement online. Even the best of students have difficulty focusing in this situation. I will add significantly more engagement opportunities like questions, pauses and polls.
JG:
There are lots of opportunities that come from being on Zoom that aren’t possible in a traditional classroom. I was able to have visitors to class from Washington, D.C. and Boston — something that would have been less seamless in person. NH:
JA: Segmenting your life is key. Pay attention to all the areas of life that help you succeed. Set aside time to rest and eat well.You can’t live off junk food and coffee. Find something you like to do and set aside time to do it. Stay motivated to get your work done and set a time for it.
JH:
I learned that I don’t like Zoom very much. Teaching and learning online has its challenges, but I think students can learn as much remotely as they can in person. It just requires diligence, hard work and flexibility on the part of the instructor and the students.
JM: I learned the importance of empathy and
V:
patience. Empathy for my students and the struggles they were facing transitioning to online learning en-
JA: The difference between an average runner and a
Any other advice for PSU students this semester?
