A Message from the CEILS Team
Dear CEILS Community,
No matter what your political affiliation or belief, January 6 was a dramatic and shocking day. The violence and insurrection that occurred in our nation’s capital yesterday is yet another in a long line of traumatic events and unprecedented circumstances that we have encountered over the last year.
We thank you for your ongoing compassionate approach to teaching during these times and hope that you will be mindful of your own needs and anxiety through all of this, too. It’s understandable that right now, your students (and perhaps even you, yourself) are distracted and finding it hard to focus.
CEILS has compiled the CEILS List of Resources for Teaching Through Traumatic Times, which was first written in response to the June 2020 protests for racial justice. This resource is also applicable to teaching through any potential disruptions.
A few highlights of this document include:
- Hear how students are feeling in response to current events
- Four principles to consider in creating a more equitable classroom
- Resources on how to educate yourself about race.
For further resources for how to address the election and other traumatic events in your classroom, please view this list provided by the Center for Advancement of Teaching (CAT).
We hope you are all staying safe and taking care of yourselves and your families. Please reach out if there is any way in which we can help support you through these continuingly turbulent times.
Warmly,
Rachel, Shanna, Jess, Katie, and PwintPhyu
The CEILS Team
Announcements
Congratulations to the Fall 2020 Out of the Box Cohort!
Out of the Box is an educational initiative led by Life Sciences Dean Tracy Johnson in collaboration with CEILS to provide resources and time to support you in rising to the occasion, to get from “good enough” teaching to deliberate and inclusive teaching tailored to the needs of your students. The faculty below demonstrated unwavering commitment to their students’ success. Congratulations on a job well done! Learn more about Out of the Box here.
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Winter Prep Workshops Slides and Materials are now available!

Featured Resources
During these unprecedented and stressful times, we urge you to embrace an attitude of empathy, understanding, and flexibility with your students, your TAs, and UCLA staff and administration as we work together to best support our community in the context of both recent and ongoing protests against racism and police brutality as well as adjustments to remote teaching during a pandemic. Please be equitable with your grading practices and consider what alternatives you might provide, flexible in your scheduling of assignments and live zoom sessions, and invest extra time communicating with your students. The following featured resources provide strategies and guidance on these topics.
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