…But Words Can and Do Hurt: A Rejoinder to “Sticks and Stones…”

Abstract

This paper offers a rejoinder to Dustin, Schmalz, and Allen’s recent publication, Sticks and Stones…: Embracing Discomfort to Enhance Learning. We redress issues of power and ethics both present in and absent from their manuscript, and assert that it represents an inappropriate use of professorial power. We offer apologies to the students affected, and leverage bell hooks’ “teaching to transgress” to open space for more intentional, mindful, and productive attention to power dynamics in the classroom.

Keywords:

• Academic freedom
• call out culture
• call in
• chosen pronouns
• professorial power

This article responds to:

Sticks and Stones…: Embracing Discomfort to Enhance Learning