In my piece, I do discuss the systemic reasons why professors are sometimes not as compassionate as…

In my piece, I do discuss the systemic reasons why professors are sometimes not as compassionate as they ideally would be. That said, as educators we have a responsibility to our students, in a way that our students do not have a responsibility towards us. We can do a lot of damage if we remain ignorant. I want to change that ignorance. This piece is an attempt at that. I’m not going to excuse damaging behavior, much as I can see the external causes for it. And I’m not afraid to make a few professors feel uncomfortable as they read this — the consequences of them being judged a bit by me are far less than the consequences their judgementalness have on their students. One judgement causes brief discomfort. The other can ruin an academic career. We have to all work to help ourselves and our peers to do better.