More Than A Woman

It’s all about being more than you expect.

More than a name, a symbol, or a role. It is I AM woman… Hear me roar! Hehe!

What good timing that I would write about the adventures (and misadventures) of being a women in the 21st century when the media is heavily focused on the recent comments of Sen. Arkin concerning women’s bodies.

In context of this media frenzy surrounding women, I recently watched a movie that looked at the identity of women in society. It is an unusual movie full of symbolism and more artistic than a boy meets girl story. There was a young woman character that really intrigued me because she was trying to cope with adolescence and her journey of becoming a woman.

She looks to the other women in the movie for guidance but they are so stuck in their own identity crises that she is over-looked. The women characters symbolize different roles of women in society: the successful professional, the intellectual scientist, the hopeful romantic, and the provocative stripper… almost like my favorite show Sex and the City!

Fortunately, there are many more roles for women that are not portrayed in the movie. There is also much more flexibility to shift and out of these roles to have an identity matrix. Thinking about the women in my life, they have dynamic and fluid identities to be a… DaughterSisterStudentLoverWifePartnerMotherWorkerColleagueAdvocateProfessionalMember and the list goes on and on. Often I have seen these roles as representation of the relationships that we have with family, friends, romance, school, work, church, recreation, and others.

Feminist and black liberation scholar bell hooks states that, “[Women] have resisted continued devaluation by countering the dominant stereotypes about us that prevail in white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy by decolonizing our minds. Here decolonization refers to breaking with the ways our reality is defined and shaped by the dominant culture and asserting our understanding of that reality, of our own experience (pg. 2).” In other words, women have utilized mass media such as this film and pop culture to offer different images of womanhood.

Yet, like this movie and other pop culture, women are typecast in rigid and static definitions of femininity. There’s Ellen DeGeneres, Toni Morrison, Missy Franklin, Jennifer Lopez, Audra McDonald, Meryl Streep, Snookie, Toni Cade Bambara, Angela Merkel, Gabby Douglas, Debbie Allen, Soledad O’Brien, the Teen moms, Whitney Houston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kimora Lee Simmons, Queen Elizabeth, Margaret Cho, Paula Abdul, Beyonce, Sarah Palin, Anika Noni Rose, Diane Ravitch, Lady Gaga, Rachel Roy, Oprah, Taylor Swift, Suze Orman, the Girls Next Door, Maya Angelou, Gwyneth Paltrow, RuPaul, Adele, Jean Phinney, Tina Fey, Sandra Cisneros, Judge Judy, Nicki Minaj, Anna Freud, Alanis Morrisett, Sofia Vergara, Barbara Streisand, Connie Chung, Sally Fields, M.I.A, Paula Deen, Phylicia Rashad, Mia Michaels, Alice Walker, Karrine Steffans, Esperanza Spalding, Susan Lucci, Penelope Cruz, Jane Austen, Madea, Lisa Leslie, Housewives of Orange County, Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian, Kristen Stewart, Alice Davis, Miley Cyrus, Diane Ravitch, Emma Stone, Shakira, Rachel Ray, Condoleeza Rice, Betsey Johnson, Nikki Giovanni, Mary Ainsworth, Laila Ali, Drew Gilpin Faust, Lindsay Lohan, Cathie Black, Michelle Rhee, Pamela Anderson, Yoko Ono, Ellen DeGeneres, The View, Billy Jean King, Hilary Clinton, Tyra Banks, Britney Spears, Sara Lawrence Lightfoot, Kathy Lee Gifford, Serena and Venus Williams, Barbara Walters, Marlee Maitlin, Madonna, Heidi Klum, Candis Cayne, Margaret Meade, Halle Berry, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, J.K. Rowling, Whoopi Goldberg, Angelina Jolie, Sonia Sotomayor, Scarlett Johansson, Rachel Maddow, Brittney Griner, bell hooks, etc. Most of these women are known for one talent or accomplishment. The public most often does not see that these and other women have diversified their images (esp. fame and fortune) in other areas to fulfill their work and dreams.

I don’t blame pop culture for using gender roles in marketing or exaggerating roles for entertainment purposes. However, we do need to offer some alternatives for young girls trying to become women, like the character Edina in the movie. I still remember my mother’s words to me, “Congratulations on becoming a woman!” I looked at her as if she had two heads because I had no idea what she was talking about. Yet, she and other women in my life were the best role models. Also, I remember my Dad telling me that I can do anything that I wanted to do. Again, I looked at my parents as if they had four heads. I thought to myself, “Of course, I could do anything!” I had their love and support to help me. This is how we can be more than a name, a symbol, or a role. We can become more than woman.

bell hooks (1993) states, “The white-dominated mass media have changed little in the way in which they represent black women. We have changed. In the last twenty years black women have collectively challenged both the racism and sexism that not only shape how we are seen but determine how everyone interacts with us (pg. 1).”

I love pop music like the next chick, yet it is really disheartening when I hear music lyrics that stereotype women as consolation prizes, employees, sex objects, or wardrobe accessories. As most women I’m not defined by a color, body part, music lyric, advertisement, poem, clothing, or painting. I’m influenced by my gender but I define my roles as a woman. For most of us we don’t dress and act to simply please ourselves but to gain approval from the other women in our lives. They have such strong influence to help us figure out who we are as women.

The movie ends with the professional talking to the young woman about her choices in life that lead to success. Then she embraces the young woman to comfort and reassure her that everything will be alright. As women we have to deal with our own identities as well as help others realize their potential.

Bell hooks (1993) states that, “… [Women] have had the joy of ecstatic sustained bonding with one another. We have witnessed the power of sisterhood. We have experienced self-recovery. We have known, and continue to know, the rewards of struggling together to change society so that we can live in a world that affirms the dignity and presence of black womanhood (pg. 6).” Yes I am a “bad chick” but I am so much more than a name. We must be ever vigilant because the struggle continues. We are more than women.

P.S. Celebrate how YOU are more than a name, a symbol, or a role in your life and the lives of others.

What’s your calling!?!

An interesting quote from Mike Rose, in his book Why School, can be used as the general overview for this post, “Why school? provides the occasion – within limited space, admittedly – to consider issues together in their lived, human context.” (Rose, 2009). Rose used personal stories to convey his message about schools that is much more than standardized tests and data. He used the vignettes as emotional connections to show a humanistic approach to school. So, as educators, we have to convey our own personal stories to show the transformative power of education.

We’ll start with one question – What does education or your profession mean to you?

I think this is a good question to think about why one wants to work in education. There’s a light switch that comes on which signifies the moment you decided to be an educator. Some call it a calling, a burden, a curse… yet Angelina Jolie has stated on popular media channel E! News that, “Teachers are the real heroes who educate our children and are doing a wonderful job.”

But why be an educator or anything else for that matter? Is it because it’s what I chose to do or something that I fell into?

There are a lot of questions; yet, it’s not about having answers. It’s the reflective and contemplative process, which is almost like a religious experience or calling.

I can remember when I was a little girl in church how people would become overwhelmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. People would shout, clap, cry, sing, and wave their hands all in praise and worship. No one ever made them act this way; yet, many would testify about the wonderful things that the Lord made possible in his/her life. They overcame obstacles such as sickness, financial problems, domestic strife, unemployment, abuse, drugs/alcohol addiction, etc. In this reflective state, many would become overwhelmed AND overjoyed.

In a community like the church, each person has a role or duty to others so that the community can function effectively. Someone is the pastor, some are the trustees, some are the stewards, some handle administrative work, some sing in the choir, and we even need someone to keep the church clean.

So I picked the role of educator or did it pick me?

In my family I come from a long line of teachers and preachers. It’s as hereditary as high blood pressure and diabetes. Therefore, was I destined to be an educator? Is it my destiny to ask these questions? Rose explains, “We educate to pass on traditions and knowledge, to prepare the young for democratic life to foster moral and intellectual growth, to enable individual and societal economic prosperity” (Rose, 2009). I feel this has been my training to accept the role of education in my family.

The legacy of higher education in my family goes back three generations. Although we are not well off and working class, my family understood the value of education. A favorite saying in my family is, “They can take your freedom away, but they can’t take away your education.” We couldn’t pass wealth on from parent to child but we could pass education. We understood that freedom is knowledge but, being African American, we are a marginalized group that struggles to attain equal opportunities in education. Education is so important in my own family history, which correlates with my attitudes towards higher education in African American history.

My family has a history of graduates from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, which was founded in 1891. Most of my family members have attended NC A & T for their undergraduate degrees, including my parents. My family like other African Americans participated in the W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington debate over the purpose of education. My family sided with DuBois’ argument that a liberal education will not only free the mind but also the person as well. In essence, it isn’t meaningful to earn a living without enjoying the rights of citizenship and equality. Also, without a liberal education of disciplines such as history, psychology, mathematics, sciences, English, and sociology, knowledge isn’t complete. It’s important to achieve higher education for not only a career but to understand the importance of the self, one’s community, and society. That’s the importance of education. As I reflect on my family and their goals in education, it has always been the key to improving ourselves.

This is my family’s story and legacy. I am third generation of college graduates and one of the few who attended a top 25 predominately white universities. With all of my family behind me, I graduated from the University of Notre Dame. I would be the first to attend Harvard University where I earned my Masters Degree in Education. I will be the second on my mom’s side and the first on my dad’s side to earn their doctorate.

Yet, I will be one of many who have become educators.

I do have many talents that I could have chosen many fields but none make me as impassioned as education. It is the be all and end all. It is the answer to the inequalities in a society; so when money, power, and politics can’t fix it… education will.

Yet why did I choose a profession where as Rose explains politicians and everyone else thinks that he/she can teach or be “teacher for a day”. Educators are sometimes praised but also blamed as the problem in public education.

Education is empowerment to know and understand one’s worth in the world. Anyone can learn to do something. It’s democratic; a right and a duty. This is the reason that we must teach people to fish; so, that they can make a living as opposed to giving them fish so that they live.

Rose states, “Americans have long looked to education as a way to advance themselves. They also see it is as the primary means to overcome social class inequalities; Horace Mann called education ‘the great equalizer’ for those born of humble origins. These powerful beliefs lead us to another cultural tangle. Education is a means to enhance one’s economic prospect.” (Rose, 2009)

Yet, Rose goes on to explain that education alone can’t trump the inequalities in our society such as racism, sexism, classism, etc. There needs to be other public services/programs packaged together in order to completely help families like the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) program. HCZ adopts a a block in Harlem and provides services and programs for the families that live on that block. This is a comprehensive and holistic vision for families with education being a big factor. Rose would agree with the implementing HCZ-like programs and states, “In essence, we need a bountiful vision of human potential, illustrated through the schoolhouse, the workplace, and the community” (Rose, 2009).

Rose does take a liberal stance when he poses questions such as what is the purpose of education especially considering intellectual, civil, and moral development. He writes in a way that is storytelling to drive his points. Is it life or rebirth for some and death or pain for others? Is it reaching your potential by doing your best?

Why be an educator? Why do we educate?

I’m a nontraditional educator with traditional beliefs in education because I believe education is a crucial part of human development. In trying to reach the youth today, we must be honest with ourselves and understand our struggle to work for them, with them, through them. As Rose states, “Young people mystify and frighten us; they’re opaque, alienated, asocial” (Rose, 2009). They are fascinating creatures because they can be anything that we say they are and most will internalize it. These mini-Mes have work ethic, talents, challenges, potential, values, behavior, attitude, and opportunity. They are truly miracles in a vexed and perplexed existence. We’re expected to guide when we may not know all of the answers; yet, we can be used as references to get the right information or go to the right resource.

Again Rose explains the importance of education, “A good education helps us make sense of the world and find our way in it… Reading and writing gave me skills to create with and to act on the world” (Rose, 2009). I fully agree with Rose that the education that I gained from attending school fulfilled my identity and way of life. We have to continue the freedoms of education and not be gatekeepers to privatize education

Rose asks pertinent questions, “How to educate a vast and stratified population? How to bring schooling to all? What to teach and how to teach it? Who will do it? What will the work mean to them?” Most importantly, how do we address the many needs of young people?

In order to solve our big societal problems, the nation will look to education. This the reason why I’m an educator so that I can make the biggest impact. Our education reflects us as a nation.

As educators, most of us enjoy where we are at the present moment. We wouldn’t have dedicated most of our lives to education and sacrificed so much for something that we didn’t love. For most of us, we know that this is where it’s at!

P.S. We all need to reflect on why we were called to our profession in order to go forward in our lives. When were you called?

Education is Caring

Stakeholders and educators who advocate for the common core standards often neglect the needs of students at-risk of dropping out who are, primarily, minority, poor, and urban students. This is a special population that requires unique and varied resources, accordingly. For example, schools can provide safe spaces for learning and explorations on a myriad of topics (Leadbetter and Way, 1996; Selman, 2007). More and more, scholars are finding that schools should take a comprehensive approach to addressing students’ strengths and weaknesses (Canada, 2012; Bangs et al., 2010). This is not a direct expense but it does cost time, resources, personnel, and takes great skill. No matter how many strategies, processes, and/or procedures, without understanding and caring, schools will continue to be ineffective for at-risk students.

In the Douglas Harper dictionary (2010), the word education* is derived from the 15th century Latin word educationem or educare which means to bring up, to rear, to educate. With the common schools of the 19th century, educators asked how to educate a vast population, what to teach, who will do it, and what the work will mean (Tyack, 2007). We still ask these questions today, mainly because we haven’t satisfactorily answered them for ALL students. The way we answer these questions says a lot about who we are—and what we want to become.

The reasons education matters in our society should be a reflection of what we want students to learn. Most educators, business, and legislators want students to develop into responsible and civil adults. Yet, the difference in our own upbringing and education… was that someone cared! It was not the millions of dollars invested in schools; but, a teacher, principal, coach, or secretary cared about how you or I learned. These educators were not micro-managers with little projects to do; but, pushed you or I to learn as much as possible. Most importantly, these educators let you or I learn to use our imagination.

I will pose this question, if education is to develop students, then why is there a lack of conversation among educators about the needs of students and caring in schools?
In his book, Why School, Mike Rose (2009) used personal narratives to illustrate education as caring instead of a checklist of things to know and do. Education is a venture that should include: critical thinking, problem-solving, global awareness, exploration and experimentation, discovery and innovation, interdisciplinary. More importantly, it should delve into issues of life, love, and loss.
How can students be prepared for the 21st Century world if there are not exposed to all of these ways of learning?

Rose (2009) states “There’s not much public discussion of achievement that includes curiosity, reflectiveness, imagination, or a willingness to take a chance, to blunder. Consider how little we hear about intellect, aesthetics, joy, courage, creativity, civility, understanding.” He goes on to say, “If we abstract out of education policy a profile of the American student in our time it would be this: a young person being prepared for the world of work, measured regularly, trained to demonstrate on a particular kind of test a particular kind of knowledge. This is not Jefferson’s citizen-in-the-making. And in my experience most parents of a wide range of backgrounds, though they want their children to develop basic skills and be prepared for work, want much more.”

In these quotes Rose is refusing to accept the current rhetoric of governance and social stability that surrounds the field of education. In his work, he pushes against common reform beliefs and arguments about public schools, showing teachers and students in a more inclusive, positive, and hopeful light. I also want to challenge the notion that it’s simply a link between education and economic mobility. For me, my loved ones, and most of my friends, it’s more than a paycheck. It’s giving back to youth and a community that needs it.

Education is for educators who love and respect students and want to reclaim the developmental and transformational rhetoric around public school, the work of teaching and learning, and—more generally—what counts as intelligence.

It is the current national education agenda that the US is lagging behind in education, due to the failures of public schools (Ravitch, 2011; Rose, 2009). Therefore, the government has intervened with legislation that has mandated actions and measures to raise standardized test scores (Ravitch, 2011; Rose, 2009). One suggestion is that the government could also go one more step and mandate moral education in our schools. Unfortunately, most of the public would argue that the government would overstep its boundaries by legislating policies on caring and moral education in schools. Yet, it is the same public that argues that the educational system is at fault for the lack of moral education among students and not finding the best practices of student achievement.

One insight that I got from Ravitch’s book (2011), The Life and Death of the Great American School System, as a country we have to face that there are NO BEST PRACTICES for each country, each state, each school district. This is especially true because all are not equal. Yet, over and over again, research finds that it is teachers expectations that GREATLY affects student achievement especially among minority students (Delpit, 1995; Ogbu, 1994; Ogbu, 2004).

As I stated earlier, educators must invest in schools as a developmentally protective environment. A place of not only physical but psychological and emotional safety and healing… we need safe spaces for our children. We have begun to understand the challenges facing students when it comes to bullying. However, it shouldn’t take a bullying or shooting incident to be a catalyst for being concerned about the well-being of our students. Students need a place to be understood and a place to connect to others, gain social support, and offer hope in these challenging times. As educators and as the public, we need to start the conversations on caring in our schools so that everyone has the potential to develop into the civil and democratic adults that we can be proud of.

P.S. I urge all of you to put the educare back into education.

* educate. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved June 09, 2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/educate

In honor of all PreK-20 students

This post is dedicated to all PreK-20 students. As adults, we try to do what’s best for our youth. We’re not perfect but we do the best that we can… Here’s an example.

Martin Ward is a senior in high school who is interested in computers and sports journalism. “I’m really good in computers and I’m even more advanced than the classes offered at school, so when I go to college I want to major in computers.” Martin also loves to play basketball, “My skills are sick on the court, I mean I don’t play on my high school team but, I want to go to the NBA. If I don’t make it, then I have a backup plan to be an announcer or sports journalist. So I want to major in sports journalism too.”

I responded, “Oh wow Martin! That sounds like a plan.”

Martin replied, “A plan…oh yeah a plan. Yeah, that’s my plan.”

This is his dream. Martin is a good student in school. He’s a little shy but well-liked. However, the reality is … Martin hasn’t filled out one application. In fact, he hasn’t even taken the SATs to go to college. Overall, Martin has not taken the necessary steps to achieve his dreams.

Sadly, there are many students like Martin, who have no concrete plans to accomplish their goals. These are students who have great dreams; yet, do not have a plan to be successful in life. This raises the question, “What should we do to help our students? How?” But more importantly, “What is my reaction when I hear a story like Martin’s?” In other words, how can I explain the concept of creating a college/career plan when he has no idea where to begin? How can I help him to develop a working plan that can change as life progresses? These difficult questions are the reasons why I want to pursue my doctorate in Higher Education Management at the University of Pittsburgh so that I may research college-going culture in schools.

This week, I passed my preliminary exams, which is a huge milestone in earning my doctorate degree. It took a lot of hardwork and planning to prepare my portfolio and earn faculty approval. It’s almost a twist of fate that I was able to accomplish my goals; while students, who I talk to on a daily basis, will not. More importantly, this is where I can use my accomplishments and apply it to help a student’s life. With all of my experiences and education, college access for underrepresented students has become my research interest. It is an area where social inequities can be addressed to offer more equal opportunities for PPS students in higher education; while also addressing some of the deeper social issues and personal development of the students at the same time. The rate of minority students dropping out of school is alarming; while the rate of students accessing higher education is disheartening. With college admissions going up and retention going down, we can see that an issue is arising on how we educate and graduate students, particularly minority students. Of course there are theories to explain this phenomenon; but, research is needed in order to fully understand and address the issue of college access, especially in Pittsburgh.

Martin isn’t the only student in Pittsburgh or America whose unsure future will limit his ability to accomplish his dreams. Yet, students like him make it…they survive. Martin did take the SATs in the spring of his senior. He missed the first semester but he did enroll at the community college. With help from programs such as College Success 101 and a college-bound plan, students won’t miss opportunities to take the SATs or miss a semester of school. They will become more than survivors to be the architects of their own futures.

In conclusion, it has taken all of my experiences to understand that adequate secondary school counseling, good academic/social development, valid college knowledge, and supportive community college-prep programs equal effective college access for PPS students. In other words, as educators, we need to guide our students’ towards their future goals. A student who plans their future can develop into a successful young person. This student will then be ready to access any college or career of his/her choice in order to achieve his/her most daring dreams.

P.S. As adults, we need to always remember to use our time, talents, and treasure to help others who most need it… Our youth! This post is dedicated to them!

Tell your story: Be competitive by being yourself!

Something that I feel is missing in programming for youth is the need to be competitive and be yourself. Youth need to push themselves to be the best at what they want to do. As adults, we need to help them understand how and what students need to do to achieve their dreams. This can all be achieved by sharing our own unique stories with each other.

Two weeks ago I attended College/Career Day at Brashear High School. I was invited by my friend Kashif (who is a teacher at the school) to share my knowledge of the college admission process. Most of the times, when I agree to speak, I feel like the “College Lady.”

Yet, when I got there, I was informed that I was paired with another person to talk to 6 classrooms of 10th graders for only 15 minutes. So now I had to think about a quick presentation/speech that would be appealing to 10th graders and slip in information about college admission! Talk about pressure!!

Well I pulled it off! I talked about my aspirations to go to a top research university that had a great liberal arts program. This drove my college search to find colleges and helped make my decision to attend Notre Dame, Harvard, and Pitt. I shared that I mostly enjoyed my History/Government, Social Studies/Sciences, and English classes. I still took challenging math and science classes but I really liked my liberal arts classes. This was the beginning stages of figuring out my majors in psychology Africana Studies, and education.

I talked about how I had a support system of caring parents who had gone to college so they helped me in the college admission process. I also had great teachers that wrote good letters of recommendation. I talked about the extracurricular activities that led to leadership positions and interests in clubs once I got to college. I also attended summer pre-college programs at Purdue, Emory, Wittenberg to get a better understanding of college classes and life on campus.

So it seems pretty fitting that after understanding the college process at such an early point in my life, I would become the “College Lady” with more than enough information to go around.

There were themes from today that I hope the students left with: Be competitive by being yourself.

Although I had so much help from my parents, community, and teachers when I was preparing to go to college, I took the initiative to apply to college. I chose to be competitive and challenge myself by taking the harder classes, participate in every club that I could, and have leadership positions. I chose to write my personal statement in the third person to show my creativity or that I picked Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King as memorable people who served their community and the greater good and I want to emulate them in my professional career.

Many adults that I work with or talk to often admit that they don’t talk to youth very often. They state that they don’t know how to talk or relate with young people. Yet, it’s as simple as telling your story. Everybody loves stories that’s what the world (and specifically education) is built upon… Stories. Stories of the past, present, and future. Even math is a story of how you get from 2 apples to five by adding 3 apples!

So as I’m telling my story, I notice the behavior of the students. I observed personality types that reflect most Pittsburgh public schools such as the:

the quirky student
the loud talkative know-it-all students
the sleepy/aloof student
the joker/class clown student
the teacher’s pet student
the quiet student
the questioning student
the too proud/tough student

I saw these behaviors/personality types and they were all saying…
I WANT YOUR ATTENTION!

The students just wanted us (adults) to acknowledge their presence.

All of these types and behavior deserve to be noticed…
and cared for.

I tried my very best to inspire them with my story

that they can achieve… with my help and your help and her help and his help.

I want he/she to believe,
to trust,
to care

about her/himself and her/his future.
Then, and only then,
can he/she give back and care about others.

P.S. Please make sure to share your story with the youth in your lives and community. Just sharing your own story can be sources of inspiration for others.