Tiny Teaching Stories: Weight

[nancy_sommers]

Today's Tiny Teaching Story is by Christine Cucciarre, Professor of English and Director of Composition at the University of Delaware.

Weight

I read the want ads during the pandemic. At the end of each Zoom class, I clicked “Leave Meeting,” and cried. Maybe I could drive a truck. Sling mulch at Home Depot. Stock shelves at Target. Just to go to work. Leave work. Be home. No torment of failing my students, failing myself.

Fall semester I returned to the classroom. Walk to work. Teach. Return home. Repeat. Still, no lingering with students, office conferences, chatting with colleagues in the copy room. 

The sudden weight of the pandemic was so easy to put on, but it’s so hard to take off.

Submit your own Tiny Teaching Story to tinyteachingstories@macmillan.com! See the Tiny Teaching Stories Launch for submission details and guidelines.

[april_lidinsky]

Wow, does this hit home. Thank you for putting this feeling into words. 

[RogerLeen]

This piece beautifully captures the heavy emotional toll of the pandemic and the yearning for normalcy in simple, powerful words. The metaphorical and literal weight resonates deeply, something many of us can relate to. Thank you for sharing such a raw and honest reflection. It’s a reminder of how much resilience it takes to navigate these times.

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