Humiliated in Front of Everyone, Still Expected to Teach

It’s been days since that meeting, and I still replay it. I walked back in—late, because Crohn’s doesn’t care about Harvard speakers or faculty meetings. The guy with the microphone picked me out, made a joke, and the whole room laughed. Not with me. At me. I felt my face burn. I wanted to say something, but I just left. If I’d stayed, I would’ve said things I couldn’t take back. No one really checked in, except a couple people. Most just moved on, like I was part of the bit. I wasn’t. I’m supposed to go back to teaching like nothing happened. I keep thinking about quitting, but I need the job. I emailed the speaker, told her how it felt. Maybe it won’t matter. Maybe I’ll just keep showing up, pretending it didn’t happen. I don’t know how else to move forward. #FacultyFatigue #WorkplaceHumiliation #InvisibleStruggles #Education