“I love you all”: Centering a critical theory of love while teaching during and after the pandemic(s)

Abstract

Informed by autoethnography, this scholarly personal narrative highlights my pedagogical practices and reflections from students during the 2020–2021 academic year amid the COVID-19 health and racial unjust pandemics. Specifically, by employing a critical theory of love and social sustainability, I share how I engaged in love, care, humanizing, and culturally engaging and sustaining practices that positively affected class discourse and relationship-building among graduate students and myself. The findings highlight some of my personal reflections, thoughts, and feelings while teaching during the 2020–2021 academic year and some email communications received from graduate students that year, condensed into three identified themes: (1) moments of transparency and engaging in critical topics transparent and not asking the students to do anything I wouldn't personally do, (2) offering grace and being flexible, and (3) checking-in with students. Recommendations for instructors are offered to better support students in online formats.