Professors are people too
“Animals are living, sentient beings who can experience pain and distress. Researchers don’t want to inflict pain and distress if it can be avoided, but lack of knowledge is sometimes an obstacle, which is why we need to learn more about what animals need and how to provide for that in different situations.”
“When I say I do atmospheric science, most people think I work on either weather or climate change. My current work is on neither of those!”
“Students are quite surprised to find out that in mathematics, too, writing matters. In mathematics, too, context is everything. In mathematics, too, audience is important. [….] I try to be gentle while we together dismantle these prior misconceptions.”
“Social justice is a huge part of a competent counselor identity. As a counselor educator, I take great pride in helping my students connect with their own humanity, their own oppression, and more often, their own privilege. [….] Even if they don’t become counselors, my hope is that they at least become better human beings.”
“Which, or whose, history a site is telling is so important–communities need to think more critically about this when they are planning exhibits and calling for volunteers. And this logically extends to the history we teach in schools.”
“I think that sociology’s real contribution to society is demystifying things that we take for granted or believe are true even when they are not. For example, my students are often surprised to find that the crime rate overall is at a historic low [….] This is at odds with media representations of crime, which they’ve internalized their whole lives. We unpack why this myth exists, and what its existence tells us about what our society thinks is important.”
“I worked many service and blue collar jobs — waiting and bussing tables, retail, motel room maid, factory worker, food service employee, elevator operator. They impacted my interest in labor history and they also affect how and what I teach my students. ”
“The debate between different perspectives on human nature, society, justice, etc. caused me to go to grad school and become a professor.”
“Class is usually quite noisy, as students within groups argue with each other excitedly in preparation and then watch others’ presentations intently, looking for mistakes. I use student-centered learning, and though I do end up talking, it’s usually in reaction to questions students have or claims they’re making.”
“I come from a context where women are not supposed to have that calling, and I wonder if I went into higher ed in the first place because it was a way to scratch that itch for connecting with people around big ideas. Funny thing about self-knowledge, right?”
