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  2020-05-01

  Humans of Covid-19 AU: Kate

  “Tutoring online is kind of bizarre. I'm used to having lots of two-way communication, and using body language to gauge students’ interests, and that's all very different on zoom. Cameras are often turned off and muted, so you just have to assume that people are alive and with you. I’ve really had to back myself and keep going. And you can’t crack jokes because there’s no one to laugh along with you, or you have to laugh at your own jokes Many tutors are certainly feeling disconnected towards students, university and the faculty as a whole. It is making us realise how important physical presence is in terms of forging purpose. Although we assume we are superior to the natural world, COVID19 is forcing people to realise the fragility of our systems. The shut down of certain supply chains has revealed how interconnected everything is. It has also forced us to understand what we need to live, rather than what we want to live - it has made us all question what our actual basic necessities are versus our learned needs. People's behaviour has become more environmental by accident. We just need to hope that there is not a slingshot back to old habits.” Instagram post on Kate, university tutor, and her experience during the pandemic, which was created by a psychology student living in Melbourne who was interested to hear about how COVID-19 was impacting on different peoples’ lives.