Chaos, Covid, and College: Returning to Learning in the Midst of a Pandemic
Students are returning to various types of campuses after 18 months of off-campus learning. Administrators, faculty, and staff are tentatively returning to their offices and classrooms. They all come to a campus that may appear familiar, but underneath all the excitement and trepidation are new rules about masks, vaccinations, social distancing, and mandates from the administration that can change day to day depending on the infection rate. Add to that the politics of a pandemic and you have a stew that impacts the community’s mental health and ability to learn and grow.
Dr. Francis will briefly address the mental health challenges of returning to school in the midst of a pandemic and the uncertainty of infection in the face of ever changing guidelines and politics. He will challenge the participant to consider not just the student as learner, but as a developing adult who is preparing to enter society that struggles with how to care for one’s self and others.