Emotions play a vital role in teaching and learning and it is especially important to be responsive to the vast range of emotions that may surface in the classroom during challenging times. When entering the classroom, instructors and students alike bring with them all of their experiences and challenges. In this way, learning spaces act as microcosms of the larger “outside” world. In times of stress, it can be challenging to navigate these spaces, as an emotionally distressing event beyond the classroom can manifest itself in a classroom in ways that impede mental, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning of students (Cavanaugh, 2016; Cook et al., 2005; Darragh & Petrie, 2019; Eyler, 2018; Sitler, 2009).
This resource offers strategies for teaching during times of stress and highlights campus support available to help you and your students navigate challenges. Interwoven are excerpts from thank you notes submitted by Columbia students to their professors (through the CTL’s Thank-a-Professor | Thank-a-TA initiative), a good reminder of the gratitude students have for the things we do in the classroom to support them.
