I’m Steph, a Senior English major concentrating in Creative Writing here at Bryn Mawr. While I’ve never taken a course exclusively on Gender and Sexuality, I’ve read a good deal of literature in this area and have incorporated it into my last three years of undergraduate study. I’m hoping to write my Senior Thesis on perceptions of mental illness in twentieth century women’s literature, and feel that this course will expand my previous knowledge and enrich my studies this semester. And if you’re wondering about my unusual username, it’s nothing more than the sound of my initials: SCT. I also like to use song lyrics in my statuses/post titles — this one is from The Decemberists' "Down By The Water."

After the writing assignment about our own education, it made me think about class, and how things can sometimes be mistaken. Some people assume just because a school has the resources and the technology to give students a good education, doesn't mean this is always true. Such as my school, I had a learning disability and my school had all the resources possible, but they didn't help me at all. I might be contradicting myself, because it's better to have as many resources at possible but that doesn't always determine what kind of student you will turn out to be. Everyone has the potential to get an education from my opinion but you also need willing and teachers who are excited about giving you that education. Class can play a role in education, but many times I think its based on the kind person you are, and your goals in life.

This afternoon, when were discussing the roles of class and gender in education and in life in general, I was surprised to notice that, when discussing class issues, I become extremely tense.  This was shocking to me because I normally have no problem discussing class in the US, and even tend to welcome discussion of it.  I thought about this a lot on the way home today, and over the course of my evening.  

Hi

I am Ngoc Nguyen. My English name is Nancy. I was born and grew up in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Before coming to the US, I studied IB in New Zealand for two years. I intended to major in Economics and minor in Educational studies. My dream is making education reform or creating a school on my own. Besides these two subjects, I am also interested in

After discussing in class and rereading my educational story, I feel as if I have definitely omitted some parts I could have otherwise added. I didn’t talk about race in my story although it was significant. Being the ‘smart’ girl isolated me from all the black kids in my grade. Being smart meant being ‘white’, and thus most of my friends in the later years of high school were indeed white. I don’t understand the correlation to being white and educated. The only difference that I can think of is that white students are pushed more often and more vigorously than blacks or other minorities. Yet, no one pushed me to do well in school, it was a natural reaction that I had.  I think the main reason I didn’t add race was the fact that when I think of my schooling or education, I don’t want to stop and consider the color of my skin. So my big question is: how does ones race affect their schooling?