As I sit here this morning fielding emails, texts and calls from former students, parents and my own regarding Coronovirus and college administration’s decisions, I feel compelled to share my own thoughts on how we should (in my opinion) be handling this with students. What reaction or behavior are we modeling?
This is a great lesson on adaptability, one that if handled properly will serve our young adults well in the future. You have to learn to roll with what life throws at you. If their schools send them home, they make the best of it and go online for as long as they have to. It is okay to sympathize and agree with them that the loss of some of their college “social” experience may be put on hold for a bit or lost in the case of graduating seniors; that stinks but it’ll be ok. Kids often mimic how they see the adults around them react to things. If you act like it’s the end of the world, they are also going to. Be calm, be sensitive and be rational in your words and decisions.
And … of course WASH YOUR HANDS!!
