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Articles 1 - 14 of 14
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Optimizing Maternal And Tenure Clocks: A Mathematical Proof, Tara T. Craig
Optimizing Maternal And Tenure Clocks: A Mathematical Proof, Tara T. Craig
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This essay shares my journey to solving the problem of timing, specifically as it applies to having a child on my journey towards a career as a mathematician in academia. I share some of the challenges I faced during pregnancy and the first few years of motherhood, which coincided with my first few years as an assistant professor of mathematics.
College Dropout To College Professor, Deborah L. Gochenaur, Rose I. Verbos
College Dropout To College Professor, Deborah L. Gochenaur, Rose I. Verbos
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Being a college dropout wasn’t something to be proud of; it just happened. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we want or expect. Yet, it is often how we deal with defeat that defines us – figuring out when to lick our wounds and when to come back fighting. It took a few years to redefine my dream, start a family, and seem to move forward, but the ache for more was always in the back of my mind. Could I succeed at something at which I had already failed? Going back to school at a community college at …
Rational Points On Surfaces And In Life, Amanda Knecht
Rational Points On Surfaces And In Life, Amanda Knecht
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This essay collects together examples of instances where I should have advocated for myself more as a mother and examples of how I have advocated for my children. Theses stories come from a mathematician who gave birth to two children while on the tenure track in an older department with only one tenured woman.
Beautiful Madness: Math And Motherhood --- Can You Have It All?, Abigail Wacher
Beautiful Madness: Math And Motherhood --- Can You Have It All?, Abigail Wacher
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
I am a tenure-track assistant professor, and I have a beautiful three-year old boy and a husband who I love. My life today is within epsilon of the future I imagined while I was in university and contemplating a career in mathematics. Getting here, however, took longer than I thought. Along the way I often felt I was under pressure to choose between my career and having a family. I never made this choice and, although my pregnancy and my son did interfere with my career, I would not have it any other way. This is the story of how …
Don't Ask The Baby To Do Calculus: Thoughts From An Early-Career Math Mama, Caitlin Krul
Don't Ask The Baby To Do Calculus: Thoughts From An Early-Career Math Mama, Caitlin Krul
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
I very recently became a math mama. In my desperate search for patterns and structure in those first few weeks, my husband told me, "She's only three weeks old; we can't expect her to be doing calculus homework." I suppose he was right. I am working towards tenure and finding a new balance between teaching and family, all while trying to not lose sight of who I am. My personal challenges range from the logistics of being a nursing mother in a shared office to feelings of being seen as less adequate in my job if I present myself as …
So, Your Mom Wants To Be A Mathematician, Edie Stevens
So, Your Mom Wants To Be A Mathematician, Edie Stevens
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Despite all the stereotypes about them, mothers possess a skill set that makes them outstanding potential mathematicians. Most are organized, detail oriented, driven, determined, effective communicators; they are able to break down any concept or task into its principal components, and they can be logical and persuasive even when addressing the most formidable and unwilling audience. In short, no matter how messy, difficult, or tedious the task at hand, moms excel at getting the job done. This is my affirming story of how I left my engineering career to raise a family and returned to academia to pursue a doctoral …
On Contradiction, Piper Harron
On Contradiction, Piper Harron
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Parenting, across species, is a clumsy, all-consuming, and often exasperating endeavor. Yet in many parts of the human world, we somehow expect to contain and control this part of ourselves. We idealize the separation of work and family. This seems to be especially true in mathematics where many of us hold space in our minds for the Devoted Genius Mathematician who has no other responsibilities but to their own passions, and no obstacles beyond the difficulties of their own pursuits. The unavoidable fact is that life with children is full of absurdities and contradictions. Unless we're willing to embrace that, …
Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller
Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This essay is a personal reflection on how I leverage my positioning as a caregiver in my roles of a mathematician, teacher, and mother, to advance a vision for a more just and equitable society. I argue that care at home and in the classroom takes similar forms, and can be liberating instead of oppressive.
From Ecstasy To Agony And Back: Mathematics, Motherhood, And Postpartum Depression, Azadeh Rafizadeh
From Ecstasy To Agony And Back: Mathematics, Motherhood, And Postpartum Depression, Azadeh Rafizadeh
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
In this essay I address some challenges I had to overcome as a non-tenured mathematician mother married to another mathematician. While some of these challenges, such as lack of sleep, were predictable, many were not. For example, I was not aware that just getting pregnant would be a difficulty. Also, I did not know how paralyzing postpartum depression could be. Looking back on these experiences after a few years, I have a new perspective. I share my experiences, feelings about them, and some of the ways I figured out to overcome the hardships I experienced.
The Multiple Identities Of A Mathematics Professor Mom, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder
The Multiple Identities Of A Mathematics Professor Mom, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
In this essay, i dive into the multiple identities of a Mathematics Professor Mom and how we interchange those identities as we work to achieve harmony (not balance!) in our lives.
Calculating Intersections: The Crossroads Of Mathematics And Literature In The Lives Of Mother And Daughter, Della Dumbaugh, Hannah Fenster
Calculating Intersections: The Crossroads Of Mathematics And Literature In The Lives Of Mother And Daughter, Della Dumbaugh, Hannah Fenster
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This article tells the stories of how we, Della (mom, mathematician) and Hannah (daughter, writing instructor and bookseller), arrived in our professional settings through the lens of mother and daughter. For us, the intersections of literature and mathematics inspired many of our pivotal moments.
The Situatedness Of Mathematics In Motherhood And Academia, Jennifer Schenk Sacco, Jill Shahverdian
The Situatedness Of Mathematics In Motherhood And Academia, Jennifer Schenk Sacco, Jill Shahverdian
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
The authors, a mathematician and a political scientist, examine mathematics, motherhood, and academia, and argue that feminist epistemology is necessary to explain the intersection. Relying on the principles of feminist epistemology laid out by philosophers Naomi Scheman and Marianne Janack, the authors consider how work, the concept of time, teaching, arts and crafts, and decision-making all reveal the situatedness of knowing and using mathematics.
A Survey Of The Math Blogosphere, Katherine Thompson
A Survey Of The Math Blogosphere, Katherine Thompson
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This article provides an overview of different types of mathematical blogs currently available. There are over twenty blogs highlighted, ranging from the technical to the recreational, from those sponsored by national mathematical organizations to those run by individuals--including students.
Connecting The Arcs Motivational Model To Game Design For Mathematics Learning, Mario J. Toussaint, Victoria Brown
Connecting The Arcs Motivational Model To Game Design For Mathematics Learning, Mario J. Toussaint, Victoria Brown
Transformations
Students’ performance in mathematics at all levels of education have not markedly improved for the past few decades. Stakeholders at tertiary institutions have been attempting to remedy this situation by implementing various types of intervention programs designed to increase students’ success in mathematics courses. Technology has been the primary method adopted by many educators to foster student engagement in mathematics. This paper describes an intervention program that uses the ARCS model to develop a serious game intended to increase students’ motivation and engagement in a mathematics course.