Mommy/Prof

 So, New School is of the "pandemic schmandemic" persuasion in which wearing masks was getting in the way the much hyped college experience, and thus, the masks had to go. 

I was not thrilled about this, but nobody asked faculty. 

Then I had a student who had immunity issues and now needs to be taught remotely. Fine - I need to be accommodating of difference, etc. 

Then, this week she logs into our class on Zoom (she gets the lectures that way, and I send her bespoke assignments for group work), but doesn't mute herself. And my entire class got to hear her bragging to someone about how she gets to take her classes in her pajamas because she fooled all her stupid professors. 

 Perhaps you saw this about Florida doing ... something ... to tenure. It's kind of hard to tell from the article, but it seems like in addition to the yearly reviews and firing for cause that Florida tenured folks already enjoy, they will now be called on the carpet in front of the Board of Governors every 5 years for a possible firing so ... parents can get what they want out of education and students can be sure their course in what America really is, is not secretly replaced by a socialism class? It's hard to tell from the quotes in the article. 

But it brings up the point that having opinions as an academic seems like it's getting more perilous, particularly at state schools. 

It drives. me. nuts. to see people equate higher education 1:1 with skills training for jobs, but perhaps I'll save that argument for a later day. 

But I will say that there seems to be a category of media called filling the 24-hour news hole with panels of people who "react" to the news. You see it from both conservative and liberal perspectives. 

I think I should apply for that job. I can give my unthoughtout opinion on the news of the day. I have a lot of opinions, actually, and little opportunity to share them. My catchphrase can be "That's ignorant because..." Must see TV. 

 0 percent of my students wear masks, and we're not doing much asymptomatic testing at all. Still, we are up to 32 cases on campus. I'm still wearing my mask. 

 Imposter syndrome, that is. Some days I feel like I am really on top of things. Other days, like I'm really just a hack who is getting away with a lot. Today is the latter. 

 We just started Spring Break at New School, and got a late Friday afternoon email from our dean encouraging us that we should plan on taking at least one day where we don't do any work for our jobs. 

And I laughed and laughed. 

I'll be taking several days and feeling not at all guilty. 

Is this YOUR anthem, too?

 NewU is going mask optional. I was really hoping it would go the way Spouse's school did and at least require masks in instructional spaces. 

Our area is still listed as high spread by CDC. My campus can't do wastewater testing for some reason having to do with how the plumbing is constructed. 

We don't do surveillance testing. 

So cases look like they are really down on campus, but there's no way to actually know because we aren't looking for it. 

We are following the grand university tradition of acting stupider than we should be - as if we don't understand data and how to use it. 

I have people in my family with pretty meaningful health problems and my getting COVID is a bad idea.