This opinion piece, “I’ve Picked My Job Over My Kids,” didn’t flit virally across the internet (at least not on any of my feeds) and it doesn’t propose a radical solution by which women really can have it all. Instead, just as the title suggests, it’s about a woman who made a series of choices and she has prioritized her career. I’ve read through this a few times in advance of writing about it and I experience it differently each time. I have read it as a lean-in narrative of a powerful professional woman, as an incendiary rejection of the notion that anyone can have it all, and as a model of (perhaps unexamined) privilege within the author’s life. Whatever you think about it – and I hope you acknowledge the complexity present in this piece – I think there are a few points worth highlighting.
Read MoreCheck back here for twice-monthly updates from AEC! We will provide you with content about current events, tips and resources, and new strategies to try in your districts, schools, and classrooms. To view ongoing and past blog series, click on the links below.
We’re delighted to welcome Dawn Czaja back to the blog once again. You may recall her last article, Keep the Cape, in which she resisted the notion that teachers are superheroes. Now, she reflects on the value of the summer recess and just how ragey to get when people suggest teachers have a cushy schedule.
Read MoreThis time of year - the couple weeks after school gets out, but before the planning for the next year really begins - when I am still just viewing lesson planners online, instead of purchasing one and beginning to fill it out, is a time when I usually catch up on my reading. And though I read a great deal of silly fiction, I always make time for some serious reading. This year, I found out some important things about girls, women, and education that I think you and I should ponder.
Read MoreAs we wrap the school year and reflect on the previous year, we’ve been thinking about the ways in which gender equity really matters in education. Gender equity is not just a “nice to have” or a bonus category - it is essential to the function of schools and to the safety and flourishing of the people who work and learn within them.
Read MoreIf you are a teacher like me, you are coming up on the end of the year, a time for reflection, reassessment of practice, and thoughts about next year’s goals. One of the personal goals that I set for myself this year was to be more conscious about the way that I talked about myself in front of my students, especially my female students, particularly around the topics of weight and food. Being more conscious of this kind of language made me realize the incredible amount of time that the women I know, myself included, spend thinking, talking, planning, and shaming around food and body image. So, let’s chat about it.
Read MoreWe’re both big readers year-round, but there’s something about the Summer that makes us want to have stacks of books culled from libraries, friends’ bookshelves, our local bookstores, and the occasional Amazon delivery. I (Lauren) have been working to ensure that my readings are by women and about women, across genres like memoir, poetry, and fantasy. I’ve rounded up a few of my recent must-reads to share with you. Let me know in the comments if these make your summer reading list!
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