SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- When professors at San Diego City College weren't prepping for fall semester, they were getting in on a little TikTok action thanks to English professor Christy Ball.
"I watched a lot of TikTok this summer, I fell in love with all the silliness in America and I really needed it when all the bad news was coming and coming," Ball said.
She teamed up with 30 of her colleagues "to let students know we understand this isn't the ideal learning environment but that we believe in them, and we are so committed to their success and we're going to work with them the whole way."
Together, they created a 2-minute TikTok-inspired clip with messages like "We're in this together," "You're not alone," and "We are listening."
The video's editor and SDCC English professor Kevin Gossett said, "Putting something out like this is a good reminder that we're ready for this. We've been doing months and months of training in so many different ways just for this moment to support you."
Gossett said it took a few weeks to edit the video but the hardest part was teaching writers how to TikTok.
"I did zoom recording sessions where I was walking them step-by-step. I'm like 'Throw it in air so it looks like someone threw it at you' because a lot of people didn't understand 'film magic.'"
Ball added, "We recognize this is super strange seeing your class and their kids in the background, pets everywhere, so we wanted to play with that and have fun with the video."
Overall, Ball said she wanted one message in the video loud and clear: "We care more about their well being than we do the assignment, we know we can help them get the work done. We're being very mindful about the changing environment and responding to it in a way that's very compassionate."
