The people who demanded reasons from me were never going to respect the answers.

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I used to rehearse my decisions before I announced them.

Not the decisions — those I could make. But the explanations around them.

The careful framing. The preemptive softening of whatever I knew someone might push back on.

I would literally drive to work running through it in my head.

How I would say it. What context to include.

Which parts to lead with so the reaction would be manageable.

I thought that was just being prepared.

Being professional.

Being someone who communicates well.

It was none of those things.

Somewhere Along the Way, I Confused Fear with Thoughtfulness

Third year into my faculty position.

Winter semester, one of those mornings where the hallway smells like burnt coffee and everyone looks slightly defeated before 9 a.m.

I had changed the assessment structure for one of my courses.

Dropped a high-stakes final exam,…