Lesson #32: Call a Spade a Spade

Happy March! Spring, sprang, sprung...We just want the weather to be consistent! Speaking of the opposite of consistent, ain't it wild to be a human being at this particular moment in time? This week the duo begin with the blue and yellow elephant in the room and attempt to make sense of how we – as educators – approach and handle situations that are beyond our scope yet affect us all directly. If anyone has figured out how to address global catastrophe with poise and collectivity, then please message us! It isn't all dread, though. The duo acknowledges the sliver of silver lining in U.S. higher education happening across institutions, like U of Chicago, where departments dedicated to actual people's lives are popping up with the potential for real promise. We'll wait and see... Did you hear about what's going on down in Texas regarding tenure and Critical Race Theory? An absolute mess, really. CRT is (unsurprisingly) the phrase among far-right and conservative groups aimed at keeping white feelings from being stirred too much. The duo sit with the disingenuous arguments being launched in Texas and think through the other, equally valid arguments that might be made against tenure. To be clear, we're NOT advocating against tenure... Drop us a line sometime! [email protected] Further Reading: “Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity established at the University of Chicago,” University of Chicago Jennifer Ruth, The Increasingly Authoritarian War on Tenure, The Chronicle Colleen Flaherty, ‘A New Low’ in Attacks on Academic Freedom, Inside Higher Education Kate McGee, UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell defends faculty tenure after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proposes to end it at all public universities, The Texas Tribune Texas lieutenant gov. seeks tenure changes at colleges to stop critical race theory lessons, The Grio Christina Valhouli, These college dorms have infinity pools and tanning rooms, Fortune What We're Reading: Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre, Curious about George: Curious George, Cultural Icons, Colonialism, and US Exceptionalism Natalie Lira, Laboratory of Deficiency: Sterilization and Confinement in California, 1900–1950s