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What if we’re wrong about our academic insecurities?
As the year winds down, I’ve been noticing something: many of the things I once saw as weaknesses have quietly become my strengths. What if the academic insecurities we carry are actually holding us up?
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Can we have higher education debates without being unkind?
A recent UK news article mocked publicly funded PhD projects on “queer pirates” and “the history of fatness” as proof that universities have lost the plot. It raised valid questions about what higher education is for, but asked them in all the wrong ways. We can debate the value of the humanities without cruelty. We…
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Rethinking Kindness in Academia: Exploring how kindness, unlike niceness, fosters genuine connection
In academia, kindness is often confused with niceness, but their meanings, and their implications, are very different. Tracing their linguistic roots reveals that while niceness tends to prioritise politeness and comfort, kindness is grounded in kinship, integrity, and genuine connection. This post explores how rethinking kindness can transform the way we teach, lead, and learn…
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Is making attendance optional actually kind?
Attendance policies might seem administrative, but they hold real implications for kindness in higher education. Flexibility recognises students’ complex lives, yet empty classrooms affect lecturers, tutors, and peers. This post reflects on whose needs are met—and whose are missed—when attendance isn’t required, and asks: what does kindness really look like?
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The unseen gardener
When I’m out walking or running through my neighbourhood, I often stop. To an onlooker, it probably looks like I stop because I can’t breathe, or because I’ve got a stitch, or because (let’s be honest) my stamina’s not quite where it should be. For what it’s worth, all of those things are often true
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Beyond the blip: what the COVID dip in higher education data still has to teach us
The COVID dip in student engagement and wellbeing wasn’t just a blip – it was a signal. This post asks what we can still learn from it, and how it might guide us toward a more caring, sustainable future in higher education.
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Student belonging: for what? For who?
Student belonging is a hot topic in higher education, but belonging for what? And for whom? Is our focus rooted in care, or are we using belonging as a means to improve performance and rankings? In this post, I reflect on what’s driving the belonging conversation and why it matters that we ask.
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The kindness of complacency in academia
In academia, we’re taught to keep pushing toward impact, innovation, and promotion. But what if there’s kindness in simply being where we are? This post explores the quiet resistance of self-acceptance, and how choosing stillness in a culture of striving can be a radical act of care.
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Kindness at scale: five practical strategies to build connection in large university classes
As class sizes grow, kindness in teaching can feel out of reach. But even in lecture theatres of 300 or more, small acts can have a big impact. In this post, I share five tangible strategies for practising kindness at scale – no extra budget or hours required. From how you smile to how you…
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Kind or complicit? Challenging individual acts in unkind academic systems
When do our individual acts of kindness in academia help perpetuate unjust systems? Exploring Noel Cazenave’s provocative critique of how personal kindness can serve as an alibi, allowing unkind structures to persist unchallenged. This post examines the tension between immediate compassion and the deeper work of transforming academic institutions to be systemically kind.
Hello,
I’m Gabi
Welcome to The Kind Academic, a space where kindness, learning, and wellbeing come together. Join me as I explore the transformative power of kindness in education — through reflections on teaching, research, and self-care. Whether you’re navigating the classroom or academic systems, discover how kindness can inspire growth, connection, and a deeper sense of purpose.
The Kind Academic 