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“I am reaching for the words to describe the difference between a common identity that has been imposed and the individual identity any one of us will choose, once she gains that chance” (Jordan 47). 

In June Jordan’s essay, “Report from the Bahamas” from the anthology On Call, she addresses the assumptions of identity based on appearance, reflecting on experiences during her vacation and from her home in Brooklyn. Jordan’s musings resonated with me since society does set humans up to associate with those who share the same skin color or eye shape while simultaneously congratulating those who break away from the stereotypic molds we grow into as members of the world.

“Yes: race and class and gender remain as real as the weather. But what they must mean about the contact between two individuals is less obvious and, like the weather, not predictable” 

My primary interest in participating in the college/correctional facility partnership this year directly stems from the fact that I was a part of the program last semester in Jody’s Multicultural Education course. Before I joined the group, however, one of the first motivating forces I was able to identify was the strong desire to challenge my understandings of incarcerated individuals as well as the prison system itself. In my own life I have never had a loved one or anybody I personally knew go to prison, and that is a privilege in itself. There is a staggering number of people who are incarcerated in the United States and an even larger number of families and friends who are affected by the U.S.

Education class x science class

As a student majoring in a hard science (geology) and as a the daughter of two educators, I have seen first hand the necessity of interdisciplinary work for students as they transition from high school into college. The transition is also a shift from a structured classroom into one with a fluid dynamic that needs a shape but can flow from topic to topic and even benifit from the interweaving of subjects across the disciplines.

http://humanandenvironment.tumblr.com/

They call me a Purple Loosestrife flower. I am the most rampant invasive species in the United States, which I consider a compliment. I am originally from Great Britain, central Russia, northern India, Japan, Manchuria, China, southern Europe, and Southeast Asia. I envelop about 400,000 acres of federal land. Look at how strong and adaptable I am. My proliferation has caused the deterioration of temperate North American wetlands, pastures, marshes, and riparian meadows starting in the beginning of the nineteenth century. I spread through seeds and new roots that germinate from fragmented roots or stems. I have been listed as a deadly species by sixteen states.

My placement was at the GingerBread Women’s Prison located in the greater Chocodelphia area.  Every Friday from 11:45am until 3:30pm or 4:00pm myself, seven other students, and two professors made our way to the GingerBread Prison, about a 45 minute drive from campus, to participate in a book club with the women there.  I remember before our first visit going and speaking with my professor about how I could very well be the only male in the room, either genetically or emotionally.  We talked about how this might be an issue, and what we should/could do to make my presence in the classroom comfortable for everyone.  In the end we realized that there was nothing we could really do but feel out the situation.