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(1) Something about this WSJ op/ed guff that sticks with me. When I was starting my doctorate, an older grad student saw me one day around town and mocked me for wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the university's logo...
(2) ... it was my first year. I had purchased the shirt partly out of need (I didn't have a lot of clothes), but I was (I thought) justifiably proud of the fact I'd gotten into this program. ...
(3) He made me feel pretty small for this simple act. But his attitude was emblematic of some of our grad student colleagues. The lesson I took from this episode was that we weren't supposed to show pride in what we were doing.
(4) As a first generation college student, I was fairly surprised by this attitude. My parents were mystified by my career path (as was I) but they were proud of my education. I did not understand how folks in the program could show such disdain . . .
(5) I found this attitude all over the academy. When I arrived at my first job, my older (mostly male) colleagues encouraged their students to call them by their first names. I think they thought they appeared "cool" and casual. They mocked my inclination to wear suits and ties.
(6) I was the youngest person in my department by at least 5 years, with most of my senior colleagues over 60. My parents had jobs where they wore casual (secretary, manual labor). I wore my (cheap) suits with pride, though. ...
(7) ... about a month after I'd arrived at my new job, I received my PhD diploma in the mail. When I opened envelope in our main office, a senior colleague mocked me for taking delight in it. He said, "I have no idea where mine is. Why would I care?" ...
(8) When I wore my academic regalia for the first time as a member of a faculty, I was unspeakably proud. I didn't feel elite. Rather, I felt like I'd worked really hard for something that I'd wanted, and I was able to display the markers of that achievement. ...
(9) The title of "Dr." might be a mere honorific. It might seem quaint or self-aggrandizing or foolish to folks outside of the academy. And it might not mean much to someone with money or power or family connections. But for me, it meant, and it still means, a great deal.
(10) As a first gen student from a working class family who could barely speak as a kid, I don't find the title of "Dr." elitist. Like many, I wear that title with pride for the support of my family, my teachers, and yes for my own hard work. . .
(11) I am, of course, in no way better than the students I teach, but I use "Dr." to remind them (and myself) that academic work is real work. And sometimes that work merits a title change that reflects the struggle and the achievement that goes with it.
(12) So, I'm with @DrBiden and all those who deserve the title of "Dr."
