Professors and students use mental health days to their benefit amid midterms season

Being at the midpoint of the semester along with no spring break, students and professors are more than ready for the two mental health days on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Given the ongoing situation with the pandemic, spring break was canceled to help limit travel and exposure from COVID-19. While it is not a full week, professors and students are looking forward to the two days off to catch up on grading, homework and taking a breather.

“Due to our current circumstances, I understand why spring break looks different this year. I look forward to the personal well-being days in March. They are a great opportunity for us to catch our breath, reflect and prepare for the rest of the semester,” math professor Ryan Baxter said.

“I plan to catch up on some grading and spend some time outside with my family. I have been teaching [from] my basement, so the time outside will be a wonderful break.”

However, some students are upset that they do not have a proper week-long spring break this year. The week serves as a time for students to relax without worrying about academics. It helps signify the midpoint of the semester and allows students to recuperate and to finish the semester strong.

“I think spring break is important for students to relax and prepare mentally for the rest of the semester and to finish off the year strong academically,” freshman communication sciences and disorders student Courtney Cook said.

“I understand why having the mental health days during the middle of the week would be beneficial to limit travel, but I am still disappointed. However, I will take any days off when we get them, so I am glad we get two instead of none.”

Cook mentioned that even with the two days off, she still feels confident going into the remainder of the semester since she was able to establish a routine to help her with classes this semester.

Freshman communications major Dean Kasson also expressed concern about spring break being canceled when a longer break is needed. 

“I feel like it is good to have some mental health breaks, but I feel like we should at least have one that is longer. I think two days is just too short,” Kasson said.

With the midpoint of the semester looking a little bit different this year, professors are finding different ways to see how students are learning the course material and to make classes more engaging to help provide more immediate feedback.

“Teaching online courses requires a substantial amount of work outside of class in order to make the classroom experience run smooth. Overall, my classes are more engaging this semester and I have found effective ways to seek immediate feedback from students even with mostly black screens looking back at me,” Baxter said.

Baxter prefers exams to cover a few topics at a time since he finds it more helpful to evaluate students over fewer topics to see where any learning gaps are that need to be revisited.

Philosophy professor Benjamin Keil, who is teaching four online classes this semester, also decided to not have a midterm exam.

“I tend not to assign midterm examinations in both my in-person and online classes. It has always seemed arbitrary to me that all or most classes have exams at the same point in the middle of the semester,” Keil said.

“Of course, professors should provide assignments at the time of the semester they think best. Students ought to be regularly evaluated so they know how well or poorly they are comprehending the assigned materials, but there are plenty of ways to accomplish that goal without giving examinations at the semester’s midpoint.”

Though the midpoint of the semester is different this year, professors and students can agree that the short, two-day break is more than needed to recuperate for the remainder of the semester.