I am sitting in on a course at Dalhousie University. The class is called "Good Jobs, Bad Jobs". If there is a subject you are interested in, but haven't studied yet, I encourage everyone who can to sit in on classes at your local university. Most universities receive at least some public funding, they belong to the community as well as those who formally study and work there. You don't get the formal feedback of graded essays or tests, but you do get access to knowledge and a platform to express your thoughts. The endeavor is only free if the course books are at the library, but for $50 - $100 dollars you can expand your knowledge without the typical anxieties of taking a class or tuition.
The class is offered by the sociology department and primarily revolves around work and how its changed (and changing). While in class on Tuesday we discussed family work conflict and it raised a question for me.
How do women's career achievements affect kin stability? Now I made up the term kin stability to refer to the ways in which extended family and life-long neighbors/friends support the work family balance of working parents.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Complexity
I had lunch with a friend today and I told her about my love for blog reading and blogging. She asked what my blog was about and it occurred to me I didn't know exactly what its about. It's not a journal in the daily account of my life way, but its not strictly political, religious, or mommy driven either.
Well what is it then? It's consistently personal. My silent reflections in a loud world. I want to remember why I write, even when I feel like no one hears me. So here's a throwback post for you and for me.
http://voicingme.blogspot.com/2010/12/coloring-outside-lines.html
I write to reflect, to express, to inspire, to connect to myself and to others, and hopefully this blog accomplishes that goal.
Well what is it then? It's consistently personal. My silent reflections in a loud world. I want to remember why I write, even when I feel like no one hears me. So here's a throwback post for you and for me.
http://voicingme.blogspot.com/2010/12/coloring-outside-lines.html
I write to reflect, to express, to inspire, to connect to myself and to others, and hopefully this blog accomplishes that goal.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Question?
Which is more perplexing, engaging in formal modes of man sharing (e.g. being a "sister wife" in a polygamous family) or engaging in informal modes of man sharing (e.g. have a boyfriend/partner/"baby daddy"/ etc. that one shares with one or more other women)?
I had a conversation once with Dr. Redd, the director of the Women's Center at NU about man sharing. She was particularly concerned about the experiences of young Black women on college campuses who typically outnumber Black male students by 2 (sometimes 3) to one. Her experience with young women who thought sharing a man was better than no man at all during a life stage that is biologically geared toward establishing intimate relationships always stayed with me.
That conversation and tv shows like Big Love and the new TLC reality show Sister Wives make me wonder, which do I find more problematic.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
God IS Good
As I'm sitting in church sometimes, I think:
"well that's one way to interpret it"
Certain things I have a hard time with. For instance, I'm going to need God, Godself to come and tell me why a y chromosome qualifies men to rule over women in the home, church, or elsewhere. But that's a subject for another day I suppose.
THIS Sunday, I sat in the pews and I felt like I got what our pastor was saying. She said its not in God's character to be good. God IS good.
Every smile on my daughter's face, every cool breeze on a hot day, every person in my life who loves and supports me, every good thing I know or experience is not only because of God, but IS God.
I'm working my way through the gospels now, trying to truly know God's word before I go around questioning it. There are certain writers that I know it will be hard for me to read (*angry fist wave at Paul*), but I'm trying. Even in my doubt, I suppose what pushes me forward is the part of me that knows God IS good, in the face of famine, war, hardship, and sadness, God is still and will ever remain the good that somehow reaches us, even in our darkest hour.
Relatedly, every act of goodness and kindness we do, is a reflection of God's presence in us, what better a way to let God's light shine through us, than by doing as much good as we can?
"well that's one way to interpret it"
Certain things I have a hard time with. For instance, I'm going to need God, Godself to come and tell me why a y chromosome qualifies men to rule over women in the home, church, or elsewhere. But that's a subject for another day I suppose.
THIS Sunday, I sat in the pews and I felt like I got what our pastor was saying. She said its not in God's character to be good. God IS good.
Every smile on my daughter's face, every cool breeze on a hot day, every person in my life who loves and supports me, every good thing I know or experience is not only because of God, but IS God.
I'm working my way through the gospels now, trying to truly know God's word before I go around questioning it. There are certain writers that I know it will be hard for me to read (*angry fist wave at Paul*), but I'm trying. Even in my doubt, I suppose what pushes me forward is the part of me that knows God IS good, in the face of famine, war, hardship, and sadness, God is still and will ever remain the good that somehow reaches us, even in our darkest hour.
Relatedly, every act of goodness and kindness we do, is a reflection of God's presence in us, what better a way to let God's light shine through us, than by doing as much good as we can?
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Like Good Air to Breathe
My husband and I watched Sounder for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Nathan Lee, the father character had a line that I really liked. He said:
"This school is something you need, something that's good for you, like... good air to breathe."
Education is that serious, that important, that essential I thought. While I'm sure there is much more for me to learn from Paulo Freire, I really like his perspective on how education can be used to liberate (or bind) the oppressed.
As I reflect on how I've been involved in the education of others I wonder whether I was a liberating or binding force. Ultimately I suspect the answer is a little bit of both, hopefully tilting at least ever so slightly to the liberating side. My intention was certainly to be a positive helpful force in the lives of my students and colleagues, but life is more complicated than theory leaves room for sometimes, our imperfections and lack have consequences.
I write this with a cold, so its hard to take in a good breath of air. I imagine, this feeling is similar to the experience of those who've never had access to quality education. Regardless of whether there is an abundance of opportunities to learn in the United States (or Canada), if you don't have access to it, and can't fully appreciate it, then you might not think its all that special...
Hopefully I'll get another chance. A chance to do better, be better, for students, their parents, my community. As Nathan Lee also put it:
"Education is a tool to help your people." and I take that responsibility seriously.
"This school is something you need, something that's good for you, like... good air to breathe."
Education is that serious, that important, that essential I thought. While I'm sure there is much more for me to learn from Paulo Freire, I really like his perspective on how education can be used to liberate (or bind) the oppressed.
As I reflect on how I've been involved in the education of others I wonder whether I was a liberating or binding force. Ultimately I suspect the answer is a little bit of both, hopefully tilting at least ever so slightly to the liberating side. My intention was certainly to be a positive helpful force in the lives of my students and colleagues, but life is more complicated than theory leaves room for sometimes, our imperfections and lack have consequences.
I write this with a cold, so its hard to take in a good breath of air. I imagine, this feeling is similar to the experience of those who've never had access to quality education. Regardless of whether there is an abundance of opportunities to learn in the United States (or Canada), if you don't have access to it, and can't fully appreciate it, then you might not think its all that special...
Hopefully I'll get another chance. A chance to do better, be better, for students, their parents, my community. As Nathan Lee also put it:
"Education is a tool to help your people." and I take that responsibility seriously.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
I heard...
While we were traveling a couple of months ago I heard the singer Adele's song Someone Like You for the first time. It's a heartache song about a love lost. The remarkable aspect of the song is how it speaks to a feeling of vulnerability and hurt that I think many people feel after a break up.
I have no idea what the actual relationship that inspired the song was like. I found it hilarious that the guy who broke her heart suggested that he should get credit/royalties for "inspiring" her album. At any rate after finding out that she wrote the song as a 20 year old (or something like that), it all started to make more sense to me.
I hear the song and I think of the 22 year old me who was feeling that way, and I wish I could tell her, don't fret. There is a partner, a husband, a life so much better than you could ever imagine waiting for you. Now all I need to find is the song that speaks to the "who knew life could be this good" feeling.
I have no idea what the actual relationship that inspired the song was like. I found it hilarious that the guy who broke her heart suggested that he should get credit/royalties for "inspiring" her album. At any rate after finding out that she wrote the song as a 20 year old (or something like that), it all started to make more sense to me.
I hear the song and I think of the 22 year old me who was feeling that way, and I wish I could tell her, don't fret. There is a partner, a husband, a life so much better than you could ever imagine waiting for you. Now all I need to find is the song that speaks to the "who knew life could be this good" feeling.
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