What if some of the things that make higher education feel most like school are actually getting in the way of learning? In Schoolishness, Dr. Susan Blum argues that familiar practices—from lectures and grades to rigid schedules and requirements—can leave students going through the motions rather than genuinely invested in what they’re learning.

Blum challenges us to look beyond student disengagement to the deeper problem of alienation, and to rethink what actually motivates students to care, take risks, and persist through difficult work. Along the way, she explores grading and fear as motivators, why students sometimes resist greater freedom and agency, and how faculty can create more authentic and meaningful experiences even within traditional academic structures.

For educators wondering how to move beyond “doing school,” this conversation offers a provocative—and practical—vision for making learning a little less schoolish.

Guest Bio

Dr. Susan Blum is a professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame whose work explores education, learning, and the culture of schooling. She is the author of Schoolishness and I Love Learning; I Hate School, and editor of Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning.

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