I belong to a generation that survived teachers who threw chalk pieces with sniper-level accuracy, locked classroom doors exactly one second after the bell, and predicted our future unemployment with terrifying confidence. Today, as a teacher, I carefully frame every sentence like a UN peace negotiation so that no student feels emotionally attacked by words such as “deadline,” “effort,” or “poor preparation.” Somewhere between “Stand outside the class!” and “Thank you so much for attending despite waking up at noon,” higher education has dramatically evolved. A humorous — and slightly worried — reflection on teaching in the age of emotional fragility. The Student-Friendly University and Its Silent Crisis I often find myself wondering whether I have unknowingly time-travelled into an educational world radically different from the one in which I was raised. I have a few doubts about the social expectations surrounding teachers in higher education today. Can a teacher scold a student for ...