Emails in a Pandemic

“The weekend of Spring Break began, and after chatting with my office mates, I started to move my class online for remote learning. As I began to reinvent my syllabus, I finally realized the reality of our new situation. I was sad for two days in a row and didn’t make much progress. My sadness took me by surprise because from all outward appearances, I wouldn’t call myself emotional or emotionally attached to my undergraduates. It turns out I was. I was attached to them, to that room and to those desks, and I wanted to see them again.”