One of my students in class last night: "I never thought I'd say this, but I miss being in a classroom so much." 1/n

Her comment prompted an interesting discussion. Everyone agreed that they much preferred being in class as opposed to online teaching. A lot of their reasons focused on physical chemistry in the classroom, 2/n

while some students also mentioned that there are no distractions in the class itself (when it comes to screens in class, I'm a total authoritarian and don't allow them; obviously, that's no longer the case.)

I didn't say anything while they talked, just listened. But it was all the reasons we as faculty often oppose online education. Which, to be honest, was gratifying to hear. 3/n

In the face of so much propaganda about online education, it's sometimes hard to remember there's a reason we value being in a classroom. 4/n

And I say this as someone who's been pleasantly surprised by how well the transition to online instruction has gone. It's still no replacement for the real thing. 5/5