Field Journal 012: Notes from the Week in Learning and Teaching

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Field Journal: Notes from the week in Learning and Teaching

This week, Luke Green told us the story of grades. I got to learn more from a prior Teaching in Higher Ed guest, Sunita Suh, about defiance. I found out how weird I am (you're weird, too), shared some quotes about teaching, and remembered that for us to express our deepest care and potential impact, we have to not care in strategic ways.

Hoping to hear back from some of you on what has your attention these days (feel free to include photos, too, if they tell the story more effectively).

Listened

Episode 629

The Story of Grades with Luke Green

On the latest episode of Teaching in Higher Ed, Luke Green used Santa Claus as a metaphor for what that might tell us about grades. In his critique, he pointed out how the arbitrary nature of grades get exasperated when we look at GPAs. He shared how:

Usually, a grade works as a proxy of understanding a student's overall experience. And GPA is even worse, because you're putting all of your course grades into a meat grinder and spitting out one number.

Listen now →

Watched

Sunita Sah on Defiance

We don't have to be loud or aggressive to defy

From the video description:

Most people think defiance has to be loud, forceful, or aggressive. It doesn't. Drawing on her groundbreaking research and a defining moment watching her quiet mother speak up, Cornell professor and organizational psychologist Dr. Sunita Sah explains why we stay silent even when we know we shouldn't. She shares the Defiance Compass: three simple questions to help you build the practice of quiet defiance and speak up when it matters.

Why You Don't Need To Be Loud To Be Defiant

Tried

you probably don't look much like the average American. 1,000 randomly chosen Americans. 1,000 match you.

Finding out how weird I am

Thanks to a simple 7-question test

In a recent blog post, Seth Godin told us in no uncertain terms that we are all weird. See his short piece and take the 7-question test to be reminded of just how different we all are.

Wondered

A wide river with forests under a partly cloudy sky.

About Teaching and Learning Quotes

Here are some of mine

Last week, I wondered what some of your favorite quotes about teaching and learning were. It is almost as if we are having a holiday in the U.S. this week, where the largest percentage of listeners are... and no one had the time to share this time. Here are a few of mine.

Bonni

"The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy." — bell hooks

"Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher." — Parker Palmer

"We teach who we are." — Parker Palmer

"Great teaching is about so much more than education; it is absolutely a daily fight for social justice." — Arne Duncan

This week, I'm wondering:

What has your attention these days?

Hit reply to let us know what has had your attention in recent weeks. I'll choose a few to include in the next Field Journal. Let me know in your reply if you prefer to remain anonymous, as otherwise, I'll assume it is ok to include your name.

Noted

woman is wearing glasses and also has another pair on her forhead; she has a travel pillow around her neck and a highlighter sticking out of her headband

An Emotional Milestone

The We Do Not Care Club resonates with many of us

The creator of the We Do Not Care Club, Melani, celebrates a year of sharing the things she doesn't care about any longer and the ways her message got people from all over the world to join in.

What I thought was just a moment became a movement.

Just Being Melani - May 13, 2026

THIS WEEK ON TEACHING IN HIGHER ED

Anna Mills joins me to discuss feedback, voice, and AI in the writing classroom.