I feel like everyone jut need to stay clean and take things serious. So that we don’t catch this virus.

You are welcome to share your thoughts in “Comments” and to respond to each other’s comments as well. -ss

B”H

Mar 13, 2020

Dear Class,

First of all, I want to say how much I miss seeing each and every one of you in person. Nothing can replace gathering, seeing each other, talking, sharing in circle time. That said, there is great potential in this time as well. I want to share with you some “pros” that may well come out of our writing and working in this new Online environment:

1)Writing can be more intimate than talking. The page (paper, screen, whatever we are using as a surface) slows us down, and that’s a good thing. It allows us time to compose our thoughts. We don’t have to rush to fill an awkward silence like we do when talking to someone in person or on the phone. We say what we mean, and what we might otherwise not be able to say in person.

2)Listening isn’t always the easiest thing in the world, either. When you are reading, you have more time to think over the other person’s thoughts and “digest” them, get in touch with how you feel about them. You also have more time to consider your response.

3)A well-considered response is often a better response. Other people will thank you for your effort. You may even gain more language and vocabulary in the process – and retain your lessons longer.

4)”Shy people” make great writers. Those of us who feel uncomfortable to speak aloud in class are often the ones who speak the “loudest” on the page. Being “quiet”… having a self-analytical personality…well, that’s just a recipe for being a good writer. Maybe even a professional writer. : – )

I will stop there for now. You get the picture.

I also want to say that I am facing a lot of challenges, too. During this recess I have to figure out how to give you the same, high level of instruction you deserve. I am doing a lot of learning on how to adapt our course work to the online environment. What’s more, you need to feel safe in that environment, just as you do in class. I am getting up to speed, so that by March 19 I can: Tell you what’s expected of you; Tell you when I’m expecting it; Tell you the format/how you can submit it; Keep a sense of community/communication open for you with other students; Make it possible for you to reach me when you need help. Oh yes, I also want learning to be fun!

As you know, I can be a pretty unorthodox teacher, and you can well imagine that I have a lot of adapting to do here. (Can I still get chalk on my pants Online?) I hope you will bear with me while I do it. I think this will be a good ride, and that we are all going to learn, so let’s all keep our class community strong during this crisis and come through.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for being such a great class.

-Prof. Schmerler

..and what’s more, we are “on recess” for the next few days. I will find out how the English Dept. plans to handle this situation, and also, inform you as clearly as I possibly can on how to proceed over these next few days.

Meantime, I am going to copy below, verbatim, the notice I just received:

All CUNY schools will have a five-day instructional recess March 12-18. There will be no physical classes on campus. Students and faculty will be working on getting ready to have classes delivered via distance-learning for the remainder of the Spring semester.

CUNY’s 25 campuses, including dorms, libraries, research facilities, and essential on-campus services will remain open.

During the five-day recess, we expect students, faculty and staff to finish their plans to transition all instruction to distance education. Starting March 19, classes will resume in distance-learning form for the remainder of the Spring semester.

As always, the health and safety of the University community remains our top priority. These measures allows CUNY to continue serving its students while alleviating pressure on our areas during this public health threat.

More details will follow.

Stephen M. Soiffer, PhD

Special Assistant to the President

City Tech (New York City College of Technology)/CUNY”

During this coronavirus I’ve felt very scared about riding the trains and being around so many people. Everyone is changing and there’s so much racism, which is not ok. People are wearing gloves and masks. Although, this virus can really only hurt older people and people with weak immune systems. I’m only really  worried about my grandparents. I’m coping this situation by washing my hands as much as I can and always putting hand sanitizer before and after riding the train. I’ve been trying not to touch my face as much as I can. I never thought this would ever happen. My brother works at my local hospital and he says there’s two people there who have been confirmed with corona and one is in severe condition. One positive thing I took out of this situation is that you have to be aware of your surroundings and if you feel sick you should go to the hospital before it spreads even more. 

I feel like the whole thing with Corona is very dramatic, social media and news media makes it seem more dramatic than it is. Many people are taking precautions that are a little too extreme. I see people wearing plastic gloves on the train, I heard the mayor suggested people not to ride the MTA when it’s too crowded, and I see many Chinese restaurants being empty, as well as racist videos on Instagram against Chinese people. Just last week I went to buy some chicken and broccoli and the guy blessed it with a couple of egg rolls, I just assumed I was the only customer he had that day so he was being nice. There’s ways to prevent Corona, stay clean and wash your hands several times during the day. It’s hard for me to not touch my face, but I’m able to resist it because I’m aware of what’s going on. Schools like John Jay and Saint Johns’s are getting closed temporarily because of the virus. I just got an email from the school addressing the rumor that a student was possibly exposed to the virus while administering a chest x-ray to a patient who later appeared to be symptomatic in the Radiologic Technology Department at City Tech, so who knows, our school might get closed next.

During the coronavirus outbreak I’ve been very discreet about the actions I make and individuals that surround me, especially in public places. There has been so many people with cases of the virus in such short time. I’ve noticed individuals taking serious precautions to remain healthy during these troubled times. When I went grocery shopping with my brothers in Bj’s all of the hand sanitizers and most hand wipes were gone; some prices even went up. I’ve also realized this weird obsession I have of leaning against the train doors to prevent myself from touching the polls. My advice to everyone would be to just take the proper response to remain healthy. Make sure you wash your hands when you get the chance and use hand sanitizer daily. Furthermore, the virus normally only affects individuals who have weak immune systems, so if you’re healthy you should be fine.

During this Coronavirus I feel very preoccupied and tense as it gets closer and closer it gets more real. The fact that something that started in one country is now spreading all around the world it’s surreal. I think that this hole situation has opened my eyes up , it’s made more cautious and more alert of the environment I’m on. Well how I’m personally coping with this is by washing my hands often and carrying hand sanitizer with me at all times. During this crisis I noticed that my mom bought bottles of hand sanitizer, wipers , And extra soap as if we didn’t have enough. I think this crisis has made people go into panic for example I’ve seen seen stores like amazon that are selling hand sanitizer for $50 to $70 dollars and its obscured but the reason being is because thats all people are buying now. Nevertheless it’s understandable since a crisis like this had not happened in years. The Advise I give is to stay safe and go to the hospital if your not feeling well. Last but not least the only good thing I got from this is that now I’m more alert of what surrounds me.

Yesenia Matute

During the conversation about the coronavirus, i agree and disagree with staying home. I agree that we should stay home because a lot of people are getting sick with the virus. We have all these new apps that can help us get our work done at home and we can all still communicate with each other by using these apps. i also disagree because i feel like we are  not going to accomplish as much work. We will accomplish more work in the classroom than at home. I mostly agree with staying at home because i don’t want to take public transportation. One of the reason i don’t want to take public transportation is because people cough, sneeze and etc  on their hands and the they touch everything spreading germs. the thing that helped me cope with everything is coming home and just being with my family. Also I cope by washing my hands all the time and using hand sanitizer. When I come home I always wash my hand and when I come out the train station I use my hand sanitizer. 

The behavior that I see  in other people is that they are worry to much or not worry at all. Some people need to be aware of thing more and some should stop worrying to much because that not good for there heart. The behavior that i see in my self is that I worry to much. I need to stop worry that one of my goals this year to  take it easy. When my mom was coming back from visiting my father from Ecuador I was very scared for her I was scared because i thought something bad was going to happing to her. I don’t know why i thought something was going to happing to her. One good thing that is coming out of this is that we need to be with or family and the people that we love because we don’t know when it would be are last day with them. In this world there always something happing. I am very thankful that i can wake everyday and do everything that I do because a lot of people cant do what we can do. I am thankful that I can be with my family every day and that I can see them everyday.

During this coronavirus situation I feel very tense, I feel like it’s made me more aware of my surroundings. Honestly the only way I’m coping with the situation is by washing my hands and using hand sanitizer frequently. During this crisis I noticed my mom bought a big bottle of hand sanitizer and placed it right next to our front door, she also bought a bunch of wet wipes and is constantly wiping the door knobs. I feel like this virus is causing people to make unnecessary changes to their lifestyle, for example many people who drank corona beer don’t drink it anymore because they think there is a link with the beer and the virus. The only advise I can give is, if you feel even a little sick or even under the weather GO TO THE HOSPITAL. Like I mentioned before the only good thing that happened to me since the virus started is; it’s made me more aware of my surroundings.

I think I was coping really well with the coronavirus situation until yesterday, when I started to feel…worse, sort of about everything. Even trivial stuff. Do I have enough waffles? No? Why is that important? How often can I wash my hands? It’s like I’m looking for reassurance from trivial things — things, that I know on a logical level don’t really help, and yet I want them.

Only one waffle left? Oh no! That’s my favorite tea cup, btw. I always need tea.

I’m definitely hibernating more than usual, and am watching way more TV than ever. It’s what I want to do, or so I tell myself.

I don’t think that hoarding or over-shopping or panicking are good ideas. No. Yet, to reassure my boyfriend, I went and did some more major grocery shopping, and took a cab home. I don’t want to be one of those people cleaning out the store shelves, but it’s almost like that behavior, itself, is what’s catching.

My brother has helped me a lot. He has been through so many things, and is much older than I am, and his phone conversations help me put stuff in perspective. He thinks that the more cases that are reported, the better things are actually getting, because that means that people are actually being properly diagnosed and that the countries’ health organizations are finally getting into gear and becoming more effective in stopping the spread. He also told me that lots more money is being allocated to stopping the spread, and that funding, itself, is going to help. He thinks things will get worse, but that means, in a strange way, that they are definitely going to get better. Should I believe him?

I burnt the waffle after all.

One good thing I am noticing out of all this: I really value community much, much more. I am so grateful for the fact that I get to see good people, in dedicated groups and settings, all the time. People who live in isolated areas can’t say that.