Geniuses are inherently fascinating. The notion that a lucky few have innate abilities to push the boundaries of what’s possible and rise far above us mere mortals gives hope that humankind can progress to unimaginable levels, even as it reminds most of us that we’re
Recently, a student sent me a political news article with the comment “Things are falling apart.” I didn’t reply right away, because I sensed they were looking for reassurance—and deep down, I felt that no matter what I said, they wouldn’t believe me. It’s hard
In teaching, unaddressed countertransference has profound implications for educators and students alike. Consider the story of my past student who experienced heart-wrenching life circumstances during the semester: He lost both parents and became the primary caregiver for his younger siblings. Naturally, his GPA fell significantly
Just ahead of the spring semester’s start, I received an email from a colleague who had been on a yearlong sabbatical, and the subject read, “Returning, somewhat trembling, to that brave new world.” The body of the email went on to acknowledge the growth of
“Did you hang up my Hamlet drawing yet?” my 11-year-old daughter asked me. “I sure did!” I replied. “Right on my office door.”
Just months earlier, my answer would have been markedly different. But this was the beginning of 2024, and my mentoring goal for
Over the past several years, I have had the deep privilege of participating in The Way of Remembering (WOR), a spiritually grounded journey to Benin that looks at intergenerational trauma and healing through the lens of African ways of knowing. Benin is a beautiful country
I’ve often felt that a teacher’s life is suspended, Janus-like, between past experiences and future hopes; it’s only fitting, then, that I’m preparing for this new year by looking back. Here’s a countdown of last year’s gratitude journal entries that reminded me how kind, clever,
Like millions of people, I play Wordle each day in The New York Times. If you are unfamiliar, Wordle is a logic game in which you get six guesses to figure out a five-letter word. After you submit a guess, you get feedback about each
I don’t usually gasp while reading how-to books for new professors. But then, I don’t often encounter revelations in them as jaw-dropping as Marybeth Gasman’s: “When I was a tenure-track faculty member,” she states in Candid Advice for New Faculty Members (2021), “I wrote in
It happens every time. Months ahead of the event, I sign up to attend a teaching conference and essentially commit to spending three days (sometimes more with travel) away from home. Then the semester starts, and I get caught up in the whack-a-mole that is
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