The social, economic, and educational upheaval that has been occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, the concurrent and stressful conversation about race and racism in the United States, and domestic political turmoil has turned the world on its head. In these so-called "unprecedented times," traditional higher education appears to be on the verge of an uncharted transformation. In short, there is a lot going on in the world and at school, and students are finding themselves physically and emotionally smack in the middle of it all. This article details a pedagogical innovation that alters course structure by integrating measures of self-care and student engagement into the completion requirements. This change sets the stage for creating the in-class and extracurricular conditions in which students can best learn Spanish, despite external situations that may distract or keep them from their studies.