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Separating education from teaching

A colleague of mine, Dr. Danny Anderson, recently wrote an essay in which he argued that he is a teacher, not an educator. I wholeheartedly agree with him. Call me teacher or professor, but please don’t use the term educator. These days, educators are those who follow political trends like assessment and global initiatives. As Danny says, the term “educator” stinks of the “professional machine.” To me the term brings up images of box checkers and, frankly, politicians. I am neither a box checker nor a politician. I teach students, and hopefully they are better for ...

We joyously transition into spring

The storied neo-noir film director Samuel Fuller observed, “Life is in color, but black and white is more realistic.” This sums up the problem with winter: too realistic. When photographing a winter landscape, you must scrutinize the resulting image to detect any trace of color. Occasionally, a shrub’s foliage, berries, or a foraging robin will obligingly infuse the Beckettian void with a discreet jolt of color. The winter sun finds all things and dapples them with light. Now, in the first week of spring, we joyously transition into a suddenly more vibrant realm and ...

FDA shows alarming ineffectiveness

The Food and Drug Administration has demonstrated a staggering lack of efficacy in two critical areas when it comes to tobacco policy and public health. Firstly, the agency has failed to eradicate illegal e-cigarettes from the market, as exemplified by the case of Elf Bar. Secondly, it hasn’t yet provided a streamlined pathway for the authorization of other e-cigarettes or the development of a robust legal market for alternative reduced-harm products. These dual failures paint a grim picture of the FDA’s inadequacy, with serious consequences for American public health. Stores ...

Examining the misery of physicians

The headlines are the same across the state: “More hospital cutbacks, Another round of doctor layoffs.” Unfortunately, I could go on. Meanwhile, a new problem is brewing: The growing misery among doctors, and the urgent need for change. A recent report from the National Academy of Medicine found a staggering increase in distress among primary care physicians — soaring from 40-50% pre-COVID to 70-90% post-COVID. This is a crisis that demands action. The reasons for physician burnout vary, but some key issues are to blame. Understaffing and the overwhelming amount of ...

Facts support college education

Although it is not the only path to success, a college degree has long been a source of pride for first-generation-to-college families like mine. Some now question the value and purpose of college altogether. Sensational stories describe millionaire dropouts as though that was a common occurrence. One editorial writer went so far as to call college a “cancer.” This can lead some prospective college students to wonder, not which college to apply to, but whether they should apply at all. It’s time to look past the vitriol of the current narrative and to recognize ...

Don’t use drug companies as bank

It’s been just over a year since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Already, Americans are reaping numerous benefits from the law’s historic investments in clean energy and health care. According to the White House, the IRA’s climate provisions have already spurred the creation of 170,000 jobs. Seniors on Medicare are paying less for insulin thanks to the law’s new $35 per month cap. Those are all important achievements. But let’s be honest: All legislation involves tradeoffs, and the IRA is no exception. While the bill’s authors may ...