The Lessons of 2020 by Mary Kovach, Ph.D.

2020. The first year in recent history that means more than a segment in time. In order to protect one another, the world voluntarily shut down. We went inside our homes and didn’t leave for months. We missed human interaction, physical touch, and everyday life as we knew it.

In time, more organizations were able to transition their employees to operate remotely. Schools finished the academic year as best they knew how—without graduations, proms, or other celebratory occasions. We created car parades to remind one another we cared. Everyone began the transition—wearing a mask, social distancing, respecting one another’s sensitivity to this new normal, and learning the art of connecting through video conference.

In higher education, it was a similar transition. In the fall of 2020, some campuses began to re-open but under severe restrictions with the hope of operating with minimal COVID-19 spread. Students were required to sign pledges, wear masks both indoors and outdoors, social distance, and adhere to other guidelines to remain on campus. New task force teams were created to manage and inform. Many of the traditional face-to-face classes no longer met in the physical environment but in a virtual space. This allowed students to interact with professors as they would in a traditional class, but they were not physically in the same place to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Our homes became our classrooms. Classes previously offered as an online-only option became very popular and quickly filled.

I felt the thirst for normalcy in every class I taught. Students wanted lectures; that’s what they told me in our first class, verbally, and in front of their peers (that’s not normal). They wanted assignments; they wanted to be distracted from the fear of what could be, but to also interact and socialize with one another.

Everything was different, but we made it work. Collectively, we made it work. We began and completed a semester like no other: we never met in person, but we interacted, communicated, and connected.

Grades were fantastic. Students remained engaged throughout and were a little more tolerant of unexpected glitches. Students proactively started to plan and schedule classes for the winter term and spring semester. They looked ahead and started planning for their futures. They understood that this situation was only temporary. Learning to function and transition during a global pandemic created the acceptance of new delivery methods to teach classes. Classes became more dynamic and educators had the flexibility to try new techniques, new assignments, and new ways to interact.

While 2020 was something special, it demonstrated how we show resiliency through adversity. That is one big lesson we will take from 2020.

Mary Kovach, Ph.D. is an associate professor and author of Don’t Cut the Basil: Five Generations of Authentic Italian Recipes, www.cugineincucina.com. Find her on YouTube at “Dr. K – The Management Professor,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDPCYawq-R8.