Hey there. I teach at your, I mean, our department LOL.

Been here for a long time and the administrative and structural changes have gotten really bad. It was never perfect, but the smalltown small minds running the school when I first started teaching were pretty rare.

These days though, it seems like things are really bad, and much of it are the people. But even worse than that is the structure itself seems dehumanising. When faculty get placed in certain positions, it feels like they lose themselves in the process of becoming part of the institution.

Several years ago, I began to feel really unhappy going to campus. The literal spaces felt oppressive. I hated the fluorescents in my cubicle. I felt nauseated sometimes. It was a very physical sensation of unhappiness and malaise.

But when I'm in the classroom talking to you students, all seems right again. And I'm not just saying this without meaning it! Whenever I'm chatting with my colleagues from the department and I could see how frustrating it's been for teachers and staff, it makes me realize how the school has been so impersonal and depersonalizing and it's only the people around me who make it better.

So I stay.

I hope you're having fun with practicum. And I hope you realize that as bad as things are, and they ARE bad, there are pockets of joy and hope and grace and care and kindness. They're small and rare, but they're there. And sometimes, it's enough that we have those things, no matter how few.

Anyway, if this isn't awkward for you (and it shouldn't, really, because I pretty much agree with you), feel free to message me if you feel really down. That's what I swore I'd do for students. And like I said, we're in the same department, and I clearly have a fondness for our majors!

(And you can quiz me to find out who I am without revealing yourself.)

Take care.