I love walking my dog. We travel to different nearby parks and enjoy exploring them together. At the end of November, however, I was walking him and stepped in a hole. I went down like an axed redwood and ended up with a fractured right fibula.

So now I’m in a boot cast and using crutches. I work from home, so I didn’t think this would have much of an effect on my work life.

Was I wrong! I’ve managed to do my job to my usual exacting standards, but it definitely requires some accommodations. Just getting my lapdesk out of my office closet takes planning. I must get up, put on my boot, put on the one shoe I have that is the same height as my boot cast, get my crutches, work my way into that room, open my door, and then somehow manage to carry the lapdesk to my bed. No problem.

But then when I must teach, I need my lap desk, my headset, my camera, relevant textbooks, my notebook, my pen, and my USB extension plugin. Since I could only carry one of these items at the time, it took me much longer than normal to set up for my classes.

I did figure out I could use a tote bag for some items and carry more at the time. And my husband and daughter were eager to help whenever I asked. I just didn’t like asking them for help.

So what’s the point of this post? As teachers, we need to remember two things:

1. Some students may require a bit more time for an assignment than others.

When an assignment is due, give students who are late a grace period if possible. Even better, talk to them and find out what is going on in their world. It can be difficult to get your assignments in when your little one is in the hospital, you’re working double shifts, or one of your elderly parents is ill.

Other students may have difficulty using the online LMS. When that happens, consider allowing students to email their work to you. You can then post it for them. I’ve also made short videos showing them just how to submit their work and texted the videos to them.

2. Students may be afraid to ask for help.

Rather than waiting for a student to ask you for help, when you notice they haven’t participated in your course for a few days, reach out to them. Call or text them to let them know you’re concerned.

My students respond well to texts that say something like “How’s it going?” or “Is everything okay?” When you keep it simple, they feel less attacked and are more likely to talk with you and let you know why they haven’t submitted their work.

Building relationships, especially in online courses, brings a human element to your class and makes your students much more likely to be successful.