Episode 2 of 2 with Dr. Ryan Pickering: We extend our conversation with topics such as taking pride in “imposter” skills, recognizing imposter “syndrome” as a systems issue, studying upper-class vacations and hobbies, extreme isolation in the academy, working-class ways of knowing and being as strengths such as a sense of agency and “figuring it out,” questioning the idea that low-income people do not understand finances, institutional moves to “keep out the poors,” frustration with institutional waste, and our need for something rare = allies to working-class faculty.

Episode 1 of 2 with Dr. Ryan Pickering: We cover the distinction and overlap between low-income and working-class. We dig into our perspectives on the idea of a working-class culture, internalized classism, shame and the idea of “escaping” into education, unlearning Mainerrisms, hiding who you are for survival, working-class norms to help others but do not seek help, academic perfectionism as a strategic for hiding class identity, passing shame to our families, and the extensive emotional labor and physical self-policing we do to assimilate into the academy.

Dr. Chris Hakala and I tackle how to define “social class” and the impact of class on our educational experiences. We covered a lot including: social class as a psychological variable, the power of an affirming teacher in childhood, how a friend’s skis can change your life, how our working-class backgrounds affected life as faculty members, working-class work ethic, elitism bias about degree pedigree and status, keeping family and the academic career in separate spheres, class code-switching in the academy, and wearing jeans to work…on purpose.

Want to make long-lasting institutional change? Dr. Emily Keener describes the road to convert a standing learning goal into a university-wide required DEI cours. They outline the components of the carefully designed training and certification that faculty must complete before offering a course within the DEI GenEd requirement. We talked about the common confusion between inclusive teaching practices versus the critical pedagogical skills needed to teach content about social justice, systemic power, and intersectional oppressions. They shared insights for navigating institutional structures, building a broad and deep coalition, and the essential partnership with the campus teaching center (YEY!).

Leah Warner outlines the components of an interdisciplinary required gened course on social identity, social power, and social change. She describes student engagement in projects focused on change, as well as the roadmap for how a network of faculty successfully implemented this social justice course. Leah shares insights for understanding invisible walls within institutions that can stall change, how to utilize formal paths for organizational change, and the value of anchoring that change within institutional structures for maximum longevity. Seriously, I learned a ton from this interview!

Dr. NiCole Buchanan guides us on a journey to intentionally craft our service choices with 6 steps for saying no and setting healthy boundaries. We tackle the values-driven “no,” letting go and saying goodbye to what does not serve us, and getting away from our patterns of always doing for everyone else. Sometimes we even need to say no to what DOES align with our values. NiCole shares practical tips for tracking, reflecting, and making better decisions about your service.

Dr. Jordan Wagge and I had far too much fun on this one. We covered quite the range of topics including: white women educators moving from a savior complex to a critically reflection pedagogue, getting a broader range of students into research labs, moving from sage on the stage to a tour guide approach to teaching, expectations of professionalism in the academia, anti-fat bias, whether the full moon causes strange behaviors, and how academic messages can squash creativity. Whew! Lots to discuss here!

Dr. Michelle Nario-Redmond shares how she came to recognize extreme academic neglect of disability as a group, identity, and culture. We discuss the power of connecting to one’s disability community, disability culture, and the historical fight for civil rights. She provides an overview of the most common myths and stereotypes that alter the way we view disability. For educators, she offers a warning about disability simulation exercises, the lack of evidence supporting the effectiveness of these approaches, and the harm they can cause. Her 2019 book full of activist pages, Ableism: The causes and consequences of disability prejudice, is a must read. We concluded the episode with Dr. Nario-Redman’s pedagogical advice, as well as broader corporate inclusion of disability, and how allies can help advance disability equity in educational and workplace settings.

Dr. Simon Howard, AKA SiHow The Doctor, brings his perspective on navigating the academy, pressures to turn down your authentic self, and making an intentional decision to bring your full authentic self to your faculty role. We talk about hip hop as a survival tool, pedagogical approach, and valid scholarship. Dr. Howard shares his award-winning psychology of racism playlist assignment (SPSSI teaching award 2022).

Dr. Sarah Cronin openly shares about her journey with disclosure of her own intersectional identities within her teaching practice. We cover identity and emotional safety, power, privilege, institutional context as relevant factors in the decision to disclose, and the need to unpack imposter syndrome. Sarah shares her perspectives on the pedagogical advantages to instructor disclosure while offering advice on practicing "boundaried generosity." We close with some discussion of anti-racist pedagogy and emotional labor in relation to identity.