2020 was not a fun year and 2021 is shaping up to be unusual as well. After a catastrophic spring semester and months of uncertainty, New York City seems, at the beginning of the spring semester, like things could be settling down a bit. At least for now.

However, we are still in the middle of a crisis. Some of us have come down sick ourselves. Some of us have lost loved ones. Some of us are struggling with financial pressures amid unprecedented unemployment. Some of us who seem relatively okay are not really okay. Quarantine is hard on everyone.

You are all doing something amazing by trying to continue your studies during this time and I am proud of you for just signing up. It will be another unusual semester, to say the least.

Distance learning was still new to many of us in the Fall and we will still need to be patient and flexible this Spring. Our class is following a sort of flipped classroom model, which hopefully means you won’t have to spend hours and hours on Zoom every day! But this means that you must carry even more responsibility to stay on top of your work and remain engaged when we meet. Try not to let your work slip. Do your best to follow the week-by-week schedule.

That being said, your health and your well being should be your priority. If something comes up that interferes with your work for this class (for example, if you fall sick or if you must care for someone who is sick), let your instructor know what you need. We will do our best to make adjustments and find a solution that works for you.

You can contact the college’s counseling center with the information here. If you would like to discuss something with them, they can let your instructors know what you need without sharing confidential or private information with them.