The people who demanded reasons from me were never going to respect the answers. Press enter or click to view image in full size Image Created By ChatGPT AI 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.…