“At the same time, more women are remaining childless, either by choice or circumstance. Twenty percent of women in their 40s do not have children, Mr. Furstenberg said, pointing out that ‘not having children would have been considered bizarre or tragic in the ‘50s; now it’s a lifestyle choice.’ Laura Tisdel, 28, who grew up in Detroit, said, ‘I figure I’d either get married in college or right after and basically be a smart mother.’” (Patricia Cohen)

This passage made me reflect on the 1970’s women’s liberation movement during which women not having children no longer had as much of a stigma. It became socially acceptable to choose whether or not to get married or have children as a lifestyle. Before this movement, when a woman became pregnant or got married, her career, such as teaching, was typically over. I like the part at the end of the passage which states that this woman would rather be a smart mother. This woman’s experience made me think of my mother who got three college degrees before having children in her 30s.

“Prior to the collection of data, research team members met repeatedly to discuss potential ways in which their potential biases might impact the research they conducted and the eventual data analysis. Throughout these phases of the project, members of the research team discussed the importance of keeping in mind the ethical nature of their work with students and the ways in which their position as researchers were complicated by issues of power, ethics, and politics especially with students from marginalized populations within the school and local community. For example, teachers, at times, made negative comments about the abilities of the immigrant students in the study. As members of the research team we deliberated possible solutions to these negative remarks, considered elements of power and politics as we were researchers external to the school, and wanted to support the students’ access to learning. We felt students would have more opportunity, and we would be more effective, if we stayed at the school site and modeled supportive strategies for high expectations and inclusive educational practices instead of talking directly to the teachers about the negative comments. During the data analysis phases of the project, members of the research team consciously sought to “come clean” and identify ways in which their personal views and perspectives might have affected their coding and thematic analysis of the data” (Roxas, Gabriel, Becker, 11)

This passage stood out to me because I often think about the origins and practices of internal biases we have when working with a diverse group of children. It’s really important to be aware of any biases we may have so that we can overcome them and work with students ethically and analyze them objectively. I grew up in an almost entirely white, affluent school district, and I have to be aware of what internal biases I probably have as a result of that. Though I’m very grateful for my academic experience at that school district, there is a lot about society and the experiences of marginalized groups that I lack an understanding of, as a result of growing up in my school district. I like these researchers’ approach to handling bias by modeling supportive strategies, rather than discussing with teachers about their negative comments. I think that one of the best ways to help students who are treated unfairly is to place emphasis on setting a good example.