Fifteen years of teaching online courses has taught me many things, but nothing prepared me for the wave of shared pain and loss I witnessed during the pandemic. As campuses closed down and students scrambled to finish their degrees from bedrooms and kitchen tables, I felt a deep sense of responsibility not only to teach but to mentor hearts in crisis.
I watched students try and adjust to sickness, job losses, and isolation. Many of them emailed me in tears, uncertain if they could keep going. It’s what psychologists call “shared trauma,” when a group of people simultaneously faces and processes a collective hardship. I realized how much we all needed grace during times of crisis.
Ministering to Hearts
One young man, overwhelmed by caring for his siblings while his parents battled COVID-19, wrote: “Professor, your kind words were the reason I didn’t drop out.” I had no idea that a few sentences of encouragement would keep him moving toward graduation.
That email reminded me that teaching is as much about ministering to hearts as it is about content delivery.
But kindness is not always soft. Sometimes it requires teaching hard lessons about professional conduct and tone. Ephesians 4:2 says: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love,” but in that same chapter Paul also says to “speak the truth in love” (4:15).
My First Instinct
For example, one student demanded, “You need to grade my assignments right now,” even though the assignment for the class wasn’t yet due. My first instinct was frustration. But instead of quickly reacting, I paused, prayed, and chose patience. I explained that grading happens after deadlines pass and encouraged her to communicate respectfully, which would be a vital skill for her future career.
In those moments, the Lord reminded me of Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Small Acts of Kindness
God’s mercy and kindness flow endlessly, a constant reminder of His love for all. As a professor, I strive to reflect the same compassion and patience that our Heavenly Father so freely gives.
Looking back, I see how shared trauma created unexpected opportunities for ministry, even in the virtual classroom. Whether through a word of grace, a deadline extension, or a gentle correction about tone, God invited me to reflect His love in tangible ways.
These small acts of kindness reminded me, and hopefully my students, that Christ is present even in the hardest seasons of life.
James L. Cartee, III
Communication
Grand Canyon University