My dad taught me something simple that has stayed with me my entire life. He used to say, “Everyone puts their pants on the same way, one leg at a time.” To some people, that may sound like just an old country saying, but to my father, it was a philosophy of life. My dad […]
The Same Pants (Part 1) Read More »
CACREP’s recent memorandum, temporarily suspending the 2024 standards on “underrepresented populations,” attempts to sound procedural and neutral. But behind the careful phrasing is a larger truth our field keeps avoiding: we talk endlessly about diversity, yet we have no coherent definition of who is actually underrepresented. CACREP never tells us. The memo doesn’t either. And
When Diversity Becomes a Box-Checking Game: A Response to CACREP’s New DEI Suspension Read More »
Every November, I’m reminded of how strange it is that gratitude and resentment can live so close to each other. We gather to eat, laugh, and remember where we come from, and in the background, someone is already bracing for political landmines. I hear people say they’re skipping Thanksgiving this year because a family member
A Thanksgiving Worth Keeping Read More »
I don’t wake up thinking about my skin color. It isn’t part of my self-understanding, it doesn’t guide how I move through the world, and it certainly isn’t the foundation of my identity. My family came from the hills of Kentucky. That means something to me… the stubbornness, the loyalty, the humor, the small-town grit,
“Just an Old White Guy” Read More »
We’ve reached a point where words carry more peril than meaning. Entire friendships, careers, and communities can fracture over a phrase that was meant to build connection, not tear it down. What should be normal human dialogue has become a minefield, and everyone seems convinced the other side is the only one creating the danger.
Seeing Each Other Again: On Words, Wounds, and the Bridges We Keep Burning Read More »
I’ve spent much of my life teaching, counseling, and raising kids of my own, and one thing I keep noticing is how often the best of our intentions lead us in the wrong direction. We step in to protect or advocate, certain that we’re doing the right thing, only to realize later that our “help”
When Helping Hurts Read More »