By Matti Pennington | Reporter
Online classes have made me feel disconnected from my teachers. I miss knowing them.
I remember when I returned home for the first time after my freshman year and all of my friends were complaining to me about how they had no relationship with their teachers anymore. They complained about sitting in a huge lecture hall listening to a professor and doing assignments that would be graded by TAs.
I had a totally different experience. All my teachers at Baylor made me feel super welcomed and let me know that they were available to help me at any given time, even in my big lecture classes.
I would go to office hours and actually got to know my professors. By the end of the semester, I was not just a random kid sitting in their class. I was known by name.
Since COVID-19 took over the world and I started to have many classes online, I now understand how my friends felt.
I could not describe to you what some of my professors look like or even tell you their name.
In asynchronous online classes, I watch videos and lectures on my own time. I have not even exchanged so much as an email with some of those teachers.
In my other online classes, I have seen my teacher via Zoom, but it is still not the same as being in the same room as them. It can be so intimidating asking questions over Zoom, and it is not like you have the chance to go up and talk to them after class.
How am I supposed to make connections with my teachers when learning online?
I think that Baylor is doing a great job at opening up as many classes as they can, but I miss how things used to be.
I hope as classes start to be more in person, I will finally feel connected to all my teachers again.
