“Even for the most experienced instructor, determining the best ways to establish and strengthen relationships with students in higher education settings can, at times, be difficult” (Strachan, 2020, p. 53). And these are difficult times. All of us are tired of life unlike what we’re used to, most especially college life—lots of empty classrooms, no sports, fewer extracurricular activities, closed campus offices, teachers seen online rather than in offices—the list of what isn’t the same just goes on and on with no end in sight. Students have always needed teachers who care, but do they need a different kind of teacher care during these difficult days? Or is what they need the same authentic concern, only it’s more challenging to deliver when connections are no longer face-to-face? Perhaps a quick revisit of what’s involved in caring about students will help us answer that question.
