| You may be a college student headed back to finish up the semester right about now, or the parent of one. This time last year, that might have meant moseying to the bedroom for a few more Zoom classes before exams. But now, many students are learning in person again. A welcome change, right? Not for Neil Reisner, a professor of journalism at Florida International University. When the pandemic hit, he pivoted to remote teaching just like the rest of academia. Unlike the rest, he found he quite liked it. "Zoom turned out to be a safe space that let students share their concerns, loves, losses and fears as the pandemic raged, in ways I've never witnessed in person," Reisner writes in a column. He shares moving anecdotes of students who spoke about heartbreaks, who decided to seek therapy, who came out as bisexual — all made possible by the comfort their little video squares provided. After nearly a full term back in person, though, Reisner has witnessed that intimacy melt away: "They'll come to class, they'll learn (I hope), and they'll leave." The long-sought return to normal isn't all it's cracked up to be. With winter break bearing down, what's a professor to do?  (Paige Stampatori for The Washington Post) We lost a certain intimacy coming back in person, and it's not returning. By Neil Reisner ● Read more » | | | | The time to prepare is now. By Megan McArdle ● Read more » | | | | The nation's capital has tough gun laws. What needs to be addressed is the source of the rage. By Colbert I. King ● Read more » | | | We're lying to ourselves if we contend that keeping discussions about race out of the classroom will protect our children. By Candace Howze ● Read more » | | | | The right to vote should not be a partisan issue. But it is. By Eugene Robinson ● Read more » | | | | Books follow you home and pry open your head and rearrange the things inside. By Alexandra Petri ● Read more » | | | Tips for understanding people whose life experiences differ from our own. By Richard A. Friedman ● Read more » | | | |
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