“Put Your Own Life Jacket on First”: Experiences Adjusting to Teaching Professional Social Work Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

  • Annette Grape College at Brockport
  • Margaret Lane The College at Brockport
  • Leanne Walters Roberts Wesleyan College

Keywords:

professional education, COVID-19, online learning , lived experience

Abstract

We present the experiences of three master’s-level professors from eclectic professional backgrounds as we navigated the cancellation of in-person learning due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Our narratives highlight the intense emotional and professional toll negotiating the unchartered territory of moving to an online format while balancing student needs and upholding academic rigor. Focusing on creating safe spaces for students to be heard, adjusting course format and content for a virtual platform, and embracing the experience of moving from expert to novice enabled us to thrive at a time of crisis. Questioning our teaching methods and re-evaluating materials for critical content has influenced our teaching in unexpected ways and given us a roadmap for challenges that may lie ahead.

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Published

2022-03-02

How to Cite

Grape, A., Lane, M., & Walters, L. (2022). “Put Your Own Life Jacket on First”: Experiences Adjusting to Teaching Professional Social Work Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 28(1), 65–74. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1889