What makes a great teacher during Covid times?

Humans have felt the need to adapt to ever-changing circumstances since the
beginning of time or human life, such biological and cultural adaptability is certainly
the key, for both teachers and individuals alike, to make the most of things during
Covid times.

Many students from all education levels have decided to drop out of institutions, unenrolled
from courses or have paused their studies or careers. As it is mentioned in the CNBC
article(1), many educational timelines have been disrupted and though many instruction
related centers, organizations and teachers have done their best to prevent this
disengagement from taking place, a different educational or learning experience may require
more resources, money, training and habituation to make them successful and compensate
or mitigate current circumstances. Furthermore, other repercussions that Covid-19 has
brought on have also affected said people in their daily life, health and pursue of their goals.

Among the aforementioned consequences: budget hardships and people trying their best to
make ends meet, while businesses and even public offices are closed, derived in financial
realities deteriorating. Unemployment has grown on a global scale and many have had to
find new jobs or simply get one to aid their kin on the difficult task of sustaining their home.
We may very well still ignore the whole length of the pandemic’s impact in education and to
what degree of disruption our system is being challenged with. (10)

Luckily for humankind, many technologies have been developed during the last decades,
making our journey towards partial or complete remote instruction transition in a smoother
manner than it would have prior to the invention of smart devices (computers, tablets,
phones, etc.) and the Internet. In fact, even the whole planet has taken a brief break from
the bondage that humans have been putting it through, in terms of climate and global
warming, since Victorian times: the invention of consumerism and capitalism becoming the
new norm. Although many tourists, international students and entrepreneurs have seen their
affairs truncated, at least some of our technologies have sufficed to provide alternatives to
the above mentioned and even made possible watching lessons’ recordings, when attending
is not possible. (10)

Nevertheless, human psyche is much more complicated than being able to get accustomed
to new teaching practices, and many individuals, from children and all the way to the elderly,
have had much more to cope with than making a living or passing an exam. Just like the
World Health Organization (WHO) warns, children are bearing with emotions similar to those
of adults: fear of dying, being afraid of losing their relatives or friends and some even fear
medical treatment. They may also express irritability and anger, and their deprivation of
social contact and support is rather alarming, when it comes to expectations of their mental
welfare. (11) Moreover, this virus’ ramifications have taken as big a toll on adults as on old
people, who are also frightened and plagued with uncertainty. From the latter, those with
cognitive decline or in isolation face a worsened mental health characterized by loneliness
and lack of understanding. (10)
The prospects for higher education and education in general look rather grim; they could
signify a disruption that could easily last another 6 months or even up to 5 years. There has
been a 15%-25% decline on enrollment worldwide and students’ progression and graduation
rates have diminished considerably. (12) Additionally, many of them are now withstanding a
direct impact on their routines and life structure, affecting those with pre-existing psychiatric
disorders to a higher degree or even triggering the awakening of said sicknesses. It has
been proven that spending too much time in front of a screen has dire results in our mood,
circadian rhythm and sleep patterns. (5) It can also cause eyestrain, blurred vision,
headaches, pain in the back and neck; and even undermines restorative REM states that
need to be reached while asleep to feel less tired throughout the day. (6) Some may even
develop computer vision syndrome, which, among the aforesaid symptoms, results in
fatigue, sore, wet or dry eyes and problems concentrating. (9)

On top of that, sedentarism or physical inactivity is the opposite of what our bodies are
designed to do, the human body is meant to move. Keeping our bodies still for too long
sabotages our cardiovascular systems and increases the risk of developing diabetes,
musculoskeletal pain and heart disease. (9) Over and above that, hormone secretion, sleep-
wake behavior, gene expression and cellular function are also bound to be affected,
augmenting the odds of contracting cancer or unleashing metabolic dysfunctions and mood
disorders. (16) General anxiety, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), major depression,
suicide and bipolar disorder (3) will inevitably become less rare if light pollution and exposure
keep rising, because both of them suppress melatonin concentration, chipping away sleep
time and quality. (16)

Aside from exceptionally vulnerable individuals, regular learners’ instruction is being

jeopardized as well because their rituals are at stake. Routines are key to devise
mechanisms that prevent impulsiveness plus oppositional symptoms and traits like tantrums,
anger, arguing, etc. (13) Those accustomed to face to face lessons and evaluations might find
current conditions disheartening; not only because they may not know what to expect but
also due to the importance of rituals to alleviate disappointment and frustration. (7)

On the other hand, humankind should take credit for its admirable capacity to biologically
adapt to, and even technologically innovate, appalling situations. While some may be prone
to pessimistically assume that the current state of affairs will impede their learning from
taking place, it has been proven that extreme occurrences are often followed by a
physiological process in which perturbations are subsequently adapted to return to
homeostasis or equilibrium. (14)
Resilience, adaptation, creativity and imagination need to be fostered to provide students
with tools and resources that may nurture their attempts to strive for success in their
careers. Not only that, there is a big spectrum of possibilities and opportunities that teachers
and other learning facilitators can implement to assist those being instructed. Great
instructors need to make themselves informed on what these measures consist of and
which ones are feasible in their corresponding context.

Among said measures, many educators have found time enough to create online resources,
share best practices, adapt their courses to a virtual environment, pay for memberships on
network related platforms (like ‘’Zoom’’) and assist others on how to use them. (15) Informing
those whom they are in charge of, accordingly, is also a good strategy to allow new routines
to settle and reduce bad habits; while also boosting effectiveness and efficiency. This allows
themselves and others to produce good habits and structures that are beneficial to learn
new skills, relax and reflect; while stopping to worry about what tomorrow may bring (17)
Being empathetic and giving love and attention to those who need it the most is crucial to
keep desertion at bay and stave disengagement off. (11)

Last but not least, everyone should also endorse self-nurturing (physically, mentally and
emotionally) by allowing ourselves to seek social support, have meaningful interactions with
others and create opportunities to decompress and relieve stress (13) It is also essential to
replace competition with collaboration (11) to cultivate euthymia and control dysthymia, as a
means to make these pandemic happenings less tragic and adhere to hope. (8)

Bibliography

● (1)
Abigail Hess, (April 29, 2020), Some students are considering dropping out of college because of
coronavirus, CNBC make it, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/28/students-are-dropping-out-of-
college-because-of-coronavirus.html
(2)
● Adnan Ajšić ( July 25, 2020), The World University Rankings,
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/virtual-way-go-most-academic-conferences
(3)
● Anne Kandler & Laurel Fogarty (August 31st, 2020), The fundamentals of cultural adaptation:
implications for human adaptation, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70475-3

● (4)
(April 16, 2020), Psychological impact of COVID-19, American Psychological Association,
https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/psychological-impact

(5)
● Christine Dearmont, How blue light affects mental health, Mental Health America,
https://mhanational.org/blog/how-blue-light-affects-mental-health#:~:text=Exposure%20to
%20nighttime%20lighting%20can,are%20known%20to%20affect%20mood.
(6)
● David Anderson and Rebecca Wilkin (Feb 8, 2019),What staring at a screen all day does to your
brain and body, Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/screen-time-effects-health-
vision-staring-at-screens-bad-for-you-2019-1
(7)
● Francesca Gino,  Michael I. Norton (May 14, 2013), Why rituals work, Scientific American,
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-rituals-work/

(8)
● Giancarlo Gianazza (October, 2020), Mid-term essay, second draft,
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HA3oKS4HVDo_LuMgvD_1kNkrbD6Hr1SG/view?usp=sharing

(9)
● Jane Milliff, Robert Abel Jr, Health Topics/Eye and Vision/Eye Care, Share Care,
https://www.sharecare.com/health/eye-care/bad-sit-computer-hours-day
● Keystone Academic Solutions, The impact of coronavirus on higher
(10)

education, The World University Rankings, https://www.timeshighereducation.com/hub/keystone-

academic-solutions/p/impact-coronavirus-higher-education

● (11)
(March 27, 2020), Mental health and psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic,

World Health Organization regional office for EUROPE https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-

 topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/news/news/2020/3/mental-health-and-
psychological-resilience-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

● Marguerite Dennis (May 9, 2020), Higher education opportunities after COVID-

(12)

19, University World News, https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?

story=20200507152524762

● (13)
Mariana Plata (Oct 04, 2018), The power of routines in your mental health, Psychology Today ,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-gen-y-psy/201810/the-power-routines-in-your-
mental-health
(14)
● Melissa Ilardo1,2,3 and Rasmus Nielsen2,3,4 (December, 2018), Human adaptation to extreme
environmental conditions, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7193766/

● (15)
Sustaining higher education in the coronavirus crisis, Edsurge,
https://www.edsurge.com/research/guides/sustaining-higher-education-in-the-coronavirus-crisis

● T. A. Bedrosian and R. J. Nelson, (Jan 31, 2017), Timing of light

(16)

exposure affects mood and brain circuits, National Center for Biotechnology Information,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5299389/

● (17)
The benefits of structure and routine, INSIGHT an education service partner,
https://workwithinsight.com/blog/benefits-structure-routine/

*This last link has been deleted but you can still read the article here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201127054901/https://workwithinsight.com/blog/benefits-structure-
routine/

English Language III - CeRP del Sur, 2021, profesorado de Inglés, 3er año.

Alumno: Giancarlo Gianazza - 51156579

Docente: Mercedes Alonso

Mid-term - Peer Review, Process Writing.