teaching during a pandemic

[from this twitter thread]

really don't understand profs or admins who're saying rn that students who are living in other countries and have 7-12 hour time differences should still... be able to attend class... as usual??? why would we want them to?? NONE OF THIS IS HEALTHY.

tbh the last thing on my mind is whether classes are fully enrolled. & yet i've gotten email after email about this! & i'm like, maybe our work as teachers shouldn't depend on classes "making" & should be ALL about supporting students & ourselves in the most actually human ways.

what makes me so angry is witnessing profs and admin express suspicion over students' ability to perform academically. like some students are lying about time zones or other difficulties. are you fucking kidding with me? we're in a PANDEMIC.

& anyway, "academic standards" is a totally racist, sexist, homophobic, white supremacist construction. i'd rather my students enjoy learning like, one beautiful thing each class, than ensure they meet a set of standards that look good on paper but just add to their stress.

there's such an insidious idea in academia that students *should* experience a high level of stress every semester. otherwise, they're not working hard enough. this is totally u.s. capitalist productivity bullshit. work can be enjoyable, rather than punitive. what a concept!

of course, a lot of the ppl working in academia actually hate students and hate education. what they love is prestige, power, & their own careers. i don't get why they'd treat students so horribly otherwise. it's enraging.

i hated feeling not smart enough, not good enough in a class. like what i said was bound to be wrong. like every aspect of my behavior was being judged. i don't ever want to make a student feel that way. if you're a teacher who does, you're a piece of shit & should stop teaching.

i came from a family of immigrants & for years felt too unimportant to speak up in a classroom—my parents told me not to share my thoughts & some teachers read this as robotically quiet. so i was punished for not contributing in the verbally exuberant ways my white peers did.

i want to always find/build ways for every student in my classes to contribute, however makes sense for them. & that means asking them what their needs & interests are. & listening. not presuming to know. learning, always.