The world of education, like every other aspect of life, was changed probably forever by the experiences of teaching and learning during COVID-19. As educators and students return to some form of normal in which teachers and students have a relatively clear understanding of what it means to attend classes at the university, I believe that we can improve education based on our experiences of teaching and learning during the pandemic. In this article, I try to acknowledge what I had to learn to be a more effective online educator, and I attempt to share some thoughts about moving forward. Many educators, with whom I have discussed some of the issues of returning to our new normal, agree with me that we should not lose this opportunity that we have to improve our institutions for our students. Clearly, if we as educators emerge from our stress-filled experiences stronger and more knowledgeable, our students will surely become more effective learners. During COVID-19 I learned some important lessons that have helped me to be more individually effective with students, and I learned that communication and flexibility skills are keys to helping our students to prosper. I do not want to just go back to a new normal, I want to be more effective as an educator in our new normal university.