I'm "elizzybeth," the professor in this band. It's a ridiculous name, I know. But by the time I got to gmail, it was the closest I could get to my actual name. I like that I've landed with that name now, though, because I like to think that it subverts the student/professor hierarchy.
Hierarchy. That's another thing that's interesting about Appalachia. I prefer to be called by my first name, but that's a difficult thing for most of my students. Of course, we're in an ed school, and teachers are in the habit of using each other's titles and surnames, but I have had the same experience with students who were not education majors or teachers. I think it's got something to do with the power of tradition and habits of deference that are still so strong here. And I have to wonder if those same things--tradition and deference, that is--aren't also related to why Rikki and Candice and so many of the other incredibly strong, smart, competent, and passionate women in my classes find their professional aspirations criticized and their parenting choices condemned ...
No comments:
Post a Comment