Retiring during COVID-19: Opinion

“We of the current retiring class leave academe at what seems like an inflection point,” writes Patrick Scanlon upon retiring during COVID-19. The author describes how most instructors have “retired” in a way behind plexiglass or through teaching through Zoom. Scanlon says that the separation from campus due to the pandemic has sharpened his feelings about retirement and made him realize how much he will miss the physical aspects of education. “I think the experiment is demonstrating how badly we need those physical realities of the educational enterprise -- how much we miss them,” writes Scanlon. “How much I’ll miss them after finally, at the close of this semester and of my career, I’ll turn in my final grades and say goodbye … by hitting Enter.” Inside Higher Ed (International)