Tutor Roundtable Discussion on Remote Instruction

Articles across the internet are convinced that they’ve got being a socially-distanced student down to a science, and know the “right” way to handle transitions to online classes and other kinds of virtual schooling. But in reality, everyone has a different relationship to technology, education, and even their home that has become a de facto classroom.

We can’t and won’t claim to know the best way to smoothly transition to higher education in the time of coronavirus, but I did sit down with a few fellow tutors (who are also students in various now-virtual classes) to get their personal perspectives, so that you can take what works for you, consider what sounds helpful, and respectfully ignore the rest.

At the very least, know that every student here is having trouble adjusting and you are not alone in your isolation, messy room, or apocalypse movie addiction.

Sarah: Do you have any study habits or strategies for handling online classes?

Charles: The primary study strategy that I've found useful in online classes both before and during the current situation is to maintain a clear separation between time spent on coursework and personal time.

I try to block off a certain amount of time for classes and work only within that period. Having this time helps keep me focused on the work I need to do and keeping the work confined to this time helps me enjoy relaxation and personal time more. Otherwise I find that I'm completing assignments at odd hours, or worse yet, at the last minute.

Alexis: Turning on email/phone notifications for grade changes and announcements on Canvas really helps to keep me reminded of assignments due.

Also, keeping a checklist/to-do list for each week keeps me up-to-date on what I’ve already done and what I need to do. I always write due dates next to all my assignments so I can complete them within order of importance.

The simplest piece of advice I can give for tackling classes online is just doing every single assignment. As long as all assignments are completed, you’re more than likely to have a better grade. Try your best not to miss any assignments at all.

I also try to make sure I hit all attendance requirements to avoid a low grade or class drop.

Sarah: Okay, so I’m definitely seeing a theme of staying super organized and on top of assignments. I think that’s one thing that studying from home amplifies, that ability to just kind of zone out and disconnect from your schoolwork. Staying connected to instructors and classmates seems really important right now.

Mahasin: ​For me, implementing a study plan is the best course of action. The study plan is a schedule of when I will be in class and when I will study. It has the same level of importance as my work schedule.

Sarah: Yes, keeping a clear separation between work or school and personal time is such a struggle when all of it takes place at home!

Rachel: I try to get to my desk in my family’s office/music room to study about the same time every day. The accountability and time pressure of waiting for students to come in [to the Academic Resource Center at work], or having my family walk by keeps me more alert and on task than if I were trying to study in my bedroom or on the couch near the TV.

I also really like to have music, an audiobook, or a podcast playing in the background! It keeps things interesting and I can turn it up or down or off if I have to focus differently.

Emilie: I think that something that has been really important for me is to create my own very detailed schedule. I look at everything I have to do that particular week and plan out time blocks to work on each item. This has really helped me to stay organized and to also help my procrastinating.

I think another thing I have done is to also schedule frequent breaks. It has been really helpful to take that time away from my screen.

Sarah: Yes, breaks are so important! It’s easy to feel like everything is a “break” when you’re sitting on your couch, but letting myself take a break from staring at a screen or being in the ‘trying to get things done’ mindset is a really refreshing reset.

Sarah: So speaking of those breaks, what's your favorite way to step back and destress?

Emilie: I have been enjoying doing a lot of different things during this quarantine. I am a pretty crafty person, so I have been painting flower pots, knitting a Baby Yoda, and drawing. I have also really been enjoying baking some new cookie recipes.

Sarah: Knit Baby Yoda!! I love that. I have been known to bake a loaf of bread or two in this quarantine, too. It’s nice to do hands-on things to contrast with all the screen time.

Alexis: My favorite way to step back and destress is to cuddle up in a big pile of blankets and binge watch shows on Netflix. That or a nice long walk down the street while playing some of my favorite music. Both are really great destressors!

Mahasin: Right now, I destress by watching apocalypse movies. 😏

Sarah: I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries about “unpleasant” things, too; I have no idea why that sometimes works as a destressor, but it does.

Rachel: I’ve really depended on going on walks the past couple months as the weather has gotten warmer. I like walking in my neighborhood and seeing the flowers and trees change throughout the seasons while I listen to an audiobook or podcast. I live near the James River, so I enjoy walking down to the shore to see the waves and any crabs or birds on the water.

Sarah: Getting outside isn’t built in anymore and I’ve had to make myself start sitting on my porch just to get some fresh (humid Virginia) air.

Sarah: What do you do to stay connected with friends and loved ones?

Emilie: I mostly FaceTime them when I can. I used to just call or text my family and friends, but lately I have been trying to make it a point to see people face-to-face even if that is through a screen.

Mahasin: ​​I have a texting circle. Five of us text four other ladies and then have those four women each text another four people. The second set reports to the original five of us on Wednesdays with a note if anyone is sick or has good or bad news that they've heard from and then the original five of us all text each other on Fridays.

Sarah: Ooh, very organized! Apparently I need to up my group texting game.

Alexis: Lately I’ve been hitting two birds with one stone by going through old boxes and sending pictures of what I find to who it reminds me of. For instance, I found a notebook page that a high school friend and I used to write notes back and forth on and sent it to her. We both had a great laugh about it a few days ago.

Rachel: I’ve been doing a lot of texting, instant messaging, video calls, and sending memes and jokes. A new thing we started recently is recording reading books out loud to send to each other, like making our own personal audiobooks with side commentary and jokes as we go through each chapter.

Sarah: I love that everyone is coming up with more creative ways to connect! I’ve been writing snail mail letters with enclosed tea bags for later “virtual tea/coffee” meetings.

Sarah: So, back to schoolwork: what does your "classroom at home" or study space look like?

Alexis: Depending on the day, it’s either a messy desk or my sleeping quarters become working quarters. Let’s also not forget to add my cat sleeping on my lap or walking across my keyboard seven times a day.

Mahasin: ​Kitchen area. I sit at a long wooden table. My kitchen and den are connected, so when I feel isolated I can sit at one end and have that background noise. But when I want real privacy I just move to the other end of the table which is blocked by the wall, put on my headset and it is like I am alone. I also can open the back door and get some fresh air or sunlight. I do not study in bed or on the couch.

Rachel: I have a jar of pens and markers, mini-stapler, white-out, a pile of sticky notes in four colors, some books and notebooks (including an Adult Coloring Book of floral patterns), my laptop, some coffee or tea, and some origami paper. When I need a break, I like to color in the coloring book, scribble or doodle on a scrap piece of paper, or make cranes and flowers when I’m stressed and need to fidget while I’m listening to something.

Emilie: I mostly work/study in my room. Last year I purchased a nice desk and I had no idea then that I would end up using it every single day. I really like to work somewhere that has good natural lighting and has art or lots of color everywhere. My room just happens to tick all those boxes.

Sarah: I’m jealous of these desk setups. I actually just rearranged my room and got rid of the desk because I never used it right before all this happened, so I’ve been working with a lap desk on my bed or at my kitchen table.

Sarah: What's something exciting you plan on doing when social distancing/stay-at-home is over?

Alexis: As soon as social distancing is over, I’m going to have a sleepover with 3 of my best friends and give each of them a million hugs.

Sarah: There are so many hugs owed around the world just adding up.

Mahasin: I had planned on going to the Star Trek Convention in Los Angeles, California, but that seems to have been pushed back and may not even happen now.

Rachel: I can’t wait to go back to the library and bookstores, walk through malls and shopping centers, and eat at restaurants and in food courts! I really enjoy people watching wherever I go, and I also like sketching them as they walk past and overhearing interesting conversations. I also really want to travel again. I’d love to visit Canada and Mexico once things settle down and I have a passport again.

Sarah: I miss cafes and coffee shops! I used to spend whole weekends sitting in cafes and writing or visiting with friends. I really want that back.

Emilie: Graduate!! My best friend and I are graduating at the same time and we had been planning a huge joint graduation party with all our friends and family. We are planning to postpone it until it would be safe for everyone to attend. But one thing is for sure, there will be a party!

Sarah: I’ve been surprised by how much we all miss little mundane things. Also, sometimes it’s really hard to be optimistic about what’s going to happen, especially in the face of missing events... I think on some level it’s helpful to just let ourselves feel disappointed.

Sarah: How has your routine changed since this began in March? Feel free to discuss any good or bad consequences and results.

Charles: Since the quarantine I would say I'm actually a little more social than I was before. Whereas before I was constantly going back and forth between work, classes, and home, now there's more time to catch up with friends and play games.

On the flip side, it means that it's fairly rare for me to leave the house. I'm lucky in that I'm currently in an area where I can go outside without coming near or endangering anyone, but cabin fever does start to set in at times.

Alexis: My routine is actually much more self-oriented now that there is less running around. But I’ve also had to learn how to force myself to keep a schedule instead of sleeping the day away.

Mahasin: Working at home is less stressful, but working on Zoom is time consuming and I find myself very tired at the end of the day in a way different from driving the 35 miles to work. Go figure—it's mental stress.

Rachel: I don’t have to drive to school in the morning, so I can sleep in a lot more than I used to. Unfortunately, my sleep is still not as good now as it was before the pandemic started.

I don’t get out of the house very much anymore so in some ways it’s much more restful and my pace of life has slowed. However, I feel like I get very restless unless I make sure I’m taking walks regularly, and I can tell that I’m not in as good shape as I used to be because I’m sitting at home for work and school so much.

Emilie: Going to the gas station or grocery store is just a party now. My nightowlness has definitely gotten worse; I’m now staying up way later than I should be to have any hope of being a functioning human the next day.

Sarah: I don’t think any of us banked on how different just usual routines of socializing, exercising, and relaxing would look. I never expected to be this excited to run errands.

Sarah: Any unexpected difficulties or annoyances that people could relate to?

Charles: Related to the socialization thing, one thing I've noticed is it is a little tougher to find some quiet time. Often I get caught up in discussions with friends or people are texting me, so at times it can be tougher to have a moment to myself than before this whole thing started.

Alexis: 24/7 fights with siblings. And my sleep schedule is doomed.

Mahasin: ​I don't like messes and I find having three people working at home creates a constant mess of little things here and there and of course the work area messes of paper, computers, pens, headphones, mics, notebooks, etc.

Plus, since everyone is particularly exhausted by the end of the day they are not quick to clean up so things end up staying somewhat disheveled throughout the week.

Sarah: Yeah, I would have thought being home all the time would make my house cleaner, since I have to see it and I have no excuse about being out and not able to clean up. Not so at all.

Rachel: Getting my medication from the pharmacy while not freaking out about contagious virus particles has been an exercise in being careful and wise but also talking myself down from anxiety every month. I’ve been going through the drive-thru and trying to wear a mask while I pick up the medication, and then wiping down my cards and disinfecting my hands as soon as possible. I know that the risk is still relatively low but my brain irrationally doesn’t think so.

Sarah: Alright, on the brighter side, have any silver lining side effects or funny/good experiences come out of this?

Alexis: I can wear whatever I want to work and school, I can bring my cat to work with me, and I’ve finally discovered being ‘busy’ is not the reason I’m not running everyday.

Mahasin: I have saved SO MUCH money on gas. My drive to work is extensive (70 miles daily), so this has been quite a savings.

I’ve uncovered quite a few new TV series that I otherwise would not have noticed.

I write a lot more and just performed a radio play this past weekend so the situation opened up virtual performances for me in a real way. I usually work solely with local actors to perform my work, but now I can literally reach out to people across the country who are looking for something to do. I had three TV actresses in my play this weekend that I wouldn't normally have access to (they don't even live in VA).

Charles: One silver lining is I've gotten to play games with people I never had a chance to before. I experienced my first Dungeons & Dragons campaign and got to play a few other role playing games with friends. I've also begun streaming some of the old 90s adventure games I grew up with. It's given me a chance to share some of the video games that I grew up with with others. That's fun. I've also gotten to spend a lot more time with my family. That was something I was often too busy to do in the middle of a semester.

Rachel: I really have enjoyed having two of my younger sisters home from college. I was not expecting to see them a lot this year, but one had to move back in March and complete her courses online, and the other was allowed to graduate early and will be here until August when her grad school starts. I’ve treasured this extra time with them. We've been doing movie marathons and laughing at TikToks and YouTube a lot. 🙂

Sarah: Thanks for giving a glimpse into your mid-COVID thoughts and routines! It’s way too easy these days to feel like you’re not doing stay-at-home “right” by being perfectly productive or focused, but honestly, I’m just proud of us all for existing through a worldwide pandemic. Everything else is a bonus achievement.

In our de-stress time during quarantine, we have enjoyed cooking/baking new recipes. So we wanted to share some recipes with you all provided by the ARC Team! We hope this helps you to relax and to take a break from all the hustle and bustle of your summer classes.

Connect with us and share your recreation of these recipes!

Alexis (Writing Tutor) - Chocolate Eclairs

I've made this dish since I was in highschool and I've thoroughly enjoyed making it. I love sweets and pastries and this is definitely one of my favorites. If you want more of a vanilla taste, you can add a drop or two of vanilla extract to the filling. And if you don’t have the usual piping tools, I use a ziplock baggie with the corner snipped off.

Try Alexis’ recipe here!

Sarah (Lead Writing Tutor) - Summer Squash Soup

I came up with this a few days ago because I wasn't sure what to do with all the squash in my fridge. It's based on a soup they have at my favorite cafe in North Carolina, where I would usually go this time of year to the mountains with my family. If you're not a baby about spice like me, you can add cayenne pepper to this.

Try Sarah’s recipe here!

Jessica (STEM Tutor) - S’mores Cups

I made this recipe a lot when I was younger, and it's a simple but great recipe that is perfect for sharing with family and friends. :)

Try Jessica’s recipe here!

Emilie (Writing Tutor) - Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

These Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies are without a doubt my favorite cookie of all time. The browning of the butter and the toasting of the oatmeal gives these cookies such a depth of flavor (is your mouth watering yet?). The original recipe doesn't include the cranberries or toffee bits, but in my opinion they really add something to the cookie. I hope you enjoy recreating this recipe!

Try Emilie’s recipe here!

Rachel (Writing Tutor) - Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole

My mom made this a lot for us while I was growing up, and it's still one of my favorite comfort meals. I learned how to make cream of chicken soup from scratch while I was living in China as an English teacher because cream of chicken canned soup is not common in grocery stores in Asia. I missed this casserole so much that the extra trouble was worth it!

Try Rachel’s recipe here!

Daisy (Writing Tutor) - Fudge Recipe

It is a quick and delicious way to contribute to a family dinner, or, when cubed and put in a cute container, makes an easy but thoughtful gift. Just expect everyone to want some, and to blame you when they put on a couple of pounds, lol.

Try Daisy’s recipe here!

Shiann (Writing Tutor) - Lumi Bars (Quincy’s Tavern)

This recipe is something I enjoy making and eating, of course! I typically eat chocolate desserts, as I love chocolate. But this one brings in nice citrus flavors and is a nice change amongst all chocolate desserts I enjoy. You can also add in a bit more lemon if you desire, I add in more because I like a strong lemon flavor.

Try Shiann’s recipe here!

Things to Talk About Instead of Coronavirus

During the first week of quarantine all I heard was “Coronavirus this”, “Covid-19 that”, “I can’t believe this got cancelled”, “What’s going to happen to the economy?”, “What is the reasoning behind stocking up on toilet paper?”, etc. Of course, I listened to my friends and family rant about these subjects, because it’s the kind thing to do. I even ranted about some of these subjects myself because I was also worried about the times I was living in and how they would affect my future. However, after the first week of quarantine I got tired of hearing about coronavirus. At one point it seemed to me that a conversation not revolving around the pandemic seemed worlds away. It’s effecting every part of our reality, so finding something else to talk about seems impossible. With this in mind I decided to write a blog post listing some topics to talk about besides coronavirus.

Now, I have seen some articles, twitter threads, and even entire social media accounts dedicated to reporting news that is not about the coronavirus. While I thoroughly enjoy that type of content, I decided that it would be more fun to list topics that would spark a fun debate amongst friends because talking about the news all the time is boring.

Watch the show “What Would You Do?” and actually imagine what you would do.

This tactic could work on any show, but “What Would You Do?” is a show that is similar enough to real life but ridiculous enough that when you imagine yourself in these situations you don’t feel like a complete lunatic for doing so. Plus, that’s the whole point of the show, so by participating in this activity you will make John Quinones very happy.

Cast a live action version of your favorite book or cartoon show/movie.

People have been posting threads of pictures and videos of who they would cast to play their favorite characters in their favorite book or cartoon for years. In fact, it is currently a trend on TikTok to make these types of videos, but I want to encourage people to bring this debate to their friends and family members in normal conversation, because debating people you know in person has the potential to be more fun than debating random strangers on the internet if you give it a shot.

Take a trip down memory lane and look back at all the cringey trends you participated in.

Of course, looking back on old pictures of you at your worst does have the potential to send you into an existential crisis, but if you do it with a friend or family member you’ll feel better knowing that you weren’t the only idiot wearing mustache shirts and knee high converse.

Discuss which tweets, memes, TikToks, etc will be shown to future genrations’ when they are learning about this point in history.

Okay, I’m sorry, this talking point is technically related to COVID-19, but it’s a fun topic. It’s an undeniable fact that the coronavirus is the best thing that has happened to memes since the 2016 elections, and I know I’m curious which memes educators will deem important to 2020’s history.

Dream where you will travel or what you will do when all of this mess is over.

I know that quarantine cancelled a lot of people’s plans, so making more plans seems like you would just be setting yourself up for disappointment. However, even though the world is in a weird place right now and we have been forced to look at everything from a practical standpoint, that doesn’t mean we should allow ourselves to stop dreaming. This is the most time some of us have had to just stop and think about anything we want. So, I encourage all of us to start thinking about what we want out of our lives so when the world is finally back to normal, we can seize the day instead of drowning in the busyness of our regular lives.

Our reality is kind of scary right now. It’s easy to binge a show or scroll through your choice of social media for hours to escape reality, but it’s important to remember that we can entertain ourselves without technology or a list to dos. This list is meant to remind people that it is possible to use your brain for more than worrying about what’s going in the world. We all have interesting thoughts that the world, or at least our friends, would love to hear.