Profs Pen Haiku about Teaching Online, Social Distancing

Author: Carroll University

Published Date: 4/16/2020

Categories: Pioneers Persevere Social


At the prompting of Provost Mark Blegan, professors across Carroll's three divisions—the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health Sciences and the School of Business—stepped away from the computer screen and penned haiku about their experiences teaching online over the past month. The traditional Japanese-style, composed of three phrases of five, seven and five consonants, produced some unexpected and creative results—it also proved that some professors are better at counting consonants than others! We hope these poems provide a nice pause from your current routines.

Only a select few of these haiku were chosen to receive awards. Judges were blinded to authorship, and to each others identities. They took their work seriously!:
  • "How We All Feel" category: Dan Becker and Kristi Lampe
  • "You Got This" category: RoseAnn Donovan
  • "Virtual Ethos" category: Lara Karpenko
  • "Biggest Smile" category: Colleen Brown and Timothy Hannon
  • "Most Creative Use of a Faculty Update Email" category: Barb King
  • "Our Mothers Know Best" category: Kimberly Redding

College of Arts and Sciences

Ellen Barclay
Robins weave nests outside
Kitchen table is my view
Spring, forbidden us

Dan Becker
Canvas, Loom, and Zoom.
Gaining confidence daily.
My webcam's on? Sigh.

Colleen Brown
It touches the soul—
The simplest act of kindness—
A smile—deep—grinning!

RoseAnn Donovan
Spring 2020
An old dog learning new tricks!
It's a whole new world.

Dolores Greenawalt
Carroll's faith is strong
This spring as we are online
All of us shall thrive

Kevin Guilfoy
I've asked many kids
They do not know what to do
If they should get sick.

Timothy Hannon
My student asks me
I reply eloquently
They smile virtually

Aimee Hubiak
First on campus we
Then Big Blue Button and Teams
CU again soon 

Rebecca Imes
I teach my students
My kids run amok on screen
Modern parenting

Lara Karpenko
Working in isolation
And speaking to screens.
Still, we manage to connect

Barb Kilgust
Sidewalk detritus
Tossed latex gloves and frayed fear
Stay six feet apart.

Barb King
My thumbs are tired now.
Or simply too big to type.
No more emails. Cheers.

Kristi Lampe
Days blend together
Technology overload
Missing my students  

Kimberly Redding
"Stop! Look with your eyes!" 
(Mom shopped with four kids in tow)
Wise words from the past

Marie Schwerm
Late, "on-line on-time"
New technology breaks neck
Chill, when steaming up

Thomas St. George
Math is online now!
Give me thumbs up or down, please?
Boom! My kid is loud!

Gail Vojta
Nine a.m. meeting
Have coffee, clean shirt, then click
May the tech gods smile

James Zager
COVID-19 came
COVID tried to stop CU
COVID-19 failed

College of Health Sciences

Jason Bennett
Isolation
Virtual Interaction
Intellect (dis)connect

Jessica Brown and Dan Shackleford
Carroll U Ex. Phys.
Our students, helpful rehab
For clients at home

Peggy Kasitmatis
Birch glow, tulips nod.
Earth is secure in her strength.
She suffers us fools.

Teri Kaul
On the deck we sit
Branches blowing In the wind
Sipping wine off the vine

School of Business

Katie McCarthy
Carroll orange is
Sunshine when working online
For all our futures.

Mary Ann Wisniewski
Carroll Pioneers
Tackling this new frontier
In pajama pants!

Connect with #CarrollU

Panoramic View of campus