Staying on Course During the Pandemic Storm: Challenges and Opportunities

Authors

  • Essie Childers Blinn College, Department of Humanities

Keywords:

COVID-19, developmental education, higher education, student support

Abstract

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36896/3.2sc1

Figuratively speaking, I would like to compare higher education as the train, the mountain as COVID-19, and the little blue switch engine as CASP. Hold those thoughts for a moment. The landscape of higher education has changed dramatically amidst the pandemic. We, as a nation have experienced COVID-19 illnesses and deaths. There has been a rise in police brutality with conflict between people of color and the police. For example, consider the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Also, we see crises in the economy and public health sectors, continued segregation in housing and public education, loss of jobs, students moving out of dorms to switch to remote learning, and the list goes on and on. However, life continues to happen, and students must continue their education. It is no wonder our students need our help to navigate through this pandemic.

Author Biography

  • Essie Childers, Blinn College, Department of Humanities

    Essie Childers is the recipient of the CASP 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award. Recipients of this award must have 20 years of experience and made outstanding contributions in the field as well as have contributed significantly to Texas Association of Developmental Education (TADE) and Texas College Reading and Learning Association (TxCRLA). Childers, having taught for 32 years, is known for mentoring and encouraging students to visualize success to reach their academic and personal goals. For the past 13 years, she has taught learning frameworks and integrated reading and writing courses at Blinn College in Bryan, Texas. Childers is past president of the Texas Community College Teachers Association and in addition to her lifetime achievement accolade, she has received numerous institutional, alumni, community, state and publisher awards for her long-time advocacy and support of students. Childers currently serves on the Quality Enhancement Plan Development Team at Blinn College and is a Senior Fellow of the first Blinn College Future Works Academy. Adapted for J-CASP, her CASP 2020 keynote address focuses on challenges and opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

Burger, E. B., & Starbird, M. (2012). The five elements of effective thinking. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400844562

Fox, K., Bryant, G., Srinivasan, N., Lin, N., & Nguyen, A. (2020). Time for class - COVID-19 edition part 2: Planning for a fall Like no other. Tyton Partners. https://tytonpartners.com/library/time-for-class-covid-19-edition-part-2/

Piper, W. (1991). The little engine that could. Platt and Monk Publishers.

Plotnick, R. E. (2012). "In Search of Watty Piper: The History of the 'Little Engine' Story". New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship, 18(1), 11-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614541.2012.650957

Downloads

Published

2021-02-15

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2: Fall 2020/Winter 2021

Section

Special Contribution

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: 

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

How to Cite

Staying on Course During the Pandemic Storm: Challenges and Opportunities. (2021). Journal of College Academic Support Programs, 3(2), 2. https://jcasp-ojs-txstate.tdl.org/jcasp/article/view/147

Similar Articles

1-10 of 82

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.