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I wonder how feasible it might be to teach without windows on the buildings. If you've ever travelled the world a bit (e.g. Egypt, India, Mexico, Göreme) you might have noticed that the absolute best spaces to be in on the planet are where there is no major indoor/outdoor difference.
There's probably a nifty postmodern riff one can do on the Western metaphysics of the indoor/outdoor distinction (e.g. knowledge and ideas Inside, disease and barbarians Outside, which becomes deconstructed as disease Inside, and health Outside or something Derridean like that : )
I know there'd be some work to do re: waterproofing electronics and keeping computers and projectors from being stolen, but wouldn't it be better to teach in the winter time in sweaters, touks and Lululemon gloves and just forego windows, which would also be more carbon neutral since you wouldn't have to heat anything?
Oddly Ideating,
Michael Filimowicz, PhD Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology School of Interactive Arts and Technology Simon Fraser University From: Christopher Pavsek <cpavsek@sfu.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2021 8:50 PM To: sfufa forum Subject: Teaching with a mask on A data point for those who are wondering what it’s like to teach with a mask on, written with half an eye toward those who are sceptical or dubious about the prospect:
I had the opportunity yesterday to teach a mini-seminar with incoming grad students in our MFA program. It lasted about an hour and 15 minutes and was in a generously-sized room in the Woodward’s building. A couple of students had to zoom in because they were out of town, which made things a bit more complicated, but not that much. In any case, as someone who freely admits to being happy to have a mask mandate right now, and who wishes we had a vaccine mandate (to simply put all my cards on the table), I have to say that teaching with a mask was not that big of a deal. Yes, it is not ideal and there are mild restrictions on _expression_ and communication. And yes, my face got mildly moist, which made me feel like I was in the grocery store a bit too long. And yes, at times I had to ask students to speak up a bit because their words were a tad muffled—everyone sounded a tiny bit like the adults in a Peanuts holiday special--but this challenge, I think, was exacerbated by the large size of the room and the distances at which we were sitting. But I don’t think it really hampered the flow of the class. It sure didn’t hamper my teaching any more than the fact that most of the students didn’t have their readings with them (which was the result of printing issues)! In short, it just wasn’t a big deal; not ideal, but not a big deal. I think I can handle this for a term or maybe longer if needed. In fact, one thing I felt yesterday, and which I felt the whole of last year while zoom-teaching, is that there is a spirit of generosity amongst students during the pandemic that is downright touching and which has made teaching in many ways more pleasant and rewarding than it has been prior to the pandemic. I really appreciate this: not only do students seem to really feel for us as instructors—I have had so many students express appreciation for our efforts during the pandemic—but they understand that stepping up a little bit more than usual right now is a kind thing to do, a generous thing to do, and I have taken a fair bit of inspiration from that. And I am not someone who naturally tends to take such inspiration from students. I am known far and wide as a grump. In any case, take my one little observation as you will. I found it reassuring and I am willing to see a bit of the positive in this clearly unfortunate set of circumstances. And not to sound like David Sedaris too much, but I am certain that my face will feel far better moisturized than it has during years of teaching in over-heated or over-cooled lecture halls and classrooms. Each seminar is like a mini spa treatment for which I am paid. Two tips from all of this: 1: Take more breaks during seminars to get out of the room and out of the building if you can so you can air your face. (I guess the same would be true for lectures.) 2: Remember that some of the students are anxious about the pandemic and are quite grateful for the mask requirement. Just my two cents. Chris |