Dr. BJ Condrey

For the first time in nine years, I have returned to teaching in person rather than exclusively online. This semester, University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg offered two sections of the same course—Ethics and Good Living—on Tuesdays and Thursdays. With roughly forty students in each section, I cannot adequately express the joy of being in front of people again.

Don’t get me wrong: online education is important and deeply valuable. I continue to teach online at three other colleges and universities, and I work hard to help the School of Religion at Hampton University build its programs. All of that work is a genuine joy.

And yet, there is something about being in person. In the flesh. Shaking hands. Watching students turn their chairs to engage one another in small-group discussion. Seeing someone standing to present. Yes, some of this can be done on Zoom—and done well. Still, I can’t escape the sense that being in a room together, bodies included, is special. It is human. Presence gives added texture to words, tone, pauses, and reactions in a way that screens simply cannot replicate.

There are no artificial backgrounds.

No one is trying to join class while walking, sitting in a car, or dialing in from a public space.

It’s easier to read the room—to know when to pivot, linger, or press forward to keep attention and invite deeper engagement.

I entered the world of philosophy because I wanted to make a difference—to invite people to read carefully, reflect honestly, think deeply, slow down, and engage questions that matter for living well (what Aristotle famously described as eudaimonia).

It is a profound joy to be with people, around people, and in front of people again.