Nostalgia

What I miss about the jobs I have had in R-1 institutions is feeling like an adult. You work calmly with adults. Elsewhere being constantly badgered, accused, pulled down, yelled at, interrupted, and having to work through the frantic irrationality of others really drains and disorients me because it activates the traumatized state of childhood, … More Nostalgia

Des nouvelles

I have decided I will not be so self-destructive and that I will put aside fear — and also guilt / shame. These last will not be replaced with paranoia or a “the hell with them” attitude, either, but with fearlessness and therefore empathy. Axé.

I will

Grade Post to Moodle Get mail Buy paint Go to appointment #1 Go to work group, there to write letters of recommendation Go to gym. What I want to do is keep writing. I’ve spent a lot of time on research and writing lately and it is good for me, but I am terrified someone … More I will

That third post

I wrote this, and with Clarissa wrote a sequel, but there is a third that must come. Some questions: does anyone believe in shared governance any more? or academic freedom (or do they only believe in free speech)? If the university is corporatized and the administration ignores mechanisms for shared governance, do institutions like Senate … More That third post

Leaders

People get angry at leaders and accuse them of things. I know this about teaching and about being a department chair. New teachers are shocked when students oppose them because they are the teacher, and new chairs are surprised at the hostility they discover–especially when really, they are working hard to support the department and … More Leaders

Le vendredi

I am perfectly well, perhaps the best ever, but so introverted. It is possible that other people have these phases as well, when they are on sabbatical. I am not working on teaching, research or service, I am going through my books and creating a more amenable, and also more up to date work environment … More Le vendredi