Optimizing Maternal And Tenure Clocks: A Mathematical Proof,
2018
Coastal Carolina University
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,
2018
Shippensburg University
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,
2018
Villanova University
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.
Four Times Exceptional: Reflections On Motherhood And Teaching College Mathematics,
2018
Worcester State University
Four Times Exceptional: Reflections On Motherhood And Teaching College Mathematics, Maria Fung
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This essay discusses the challenges of mothering four very different children--one adopted, one gifted, one anxious and one dyslexic child--and the impact of this experience on teaching mathematics at the college level.
Arrival At The Same Point: My Long, Winding, And Not-So-Circular Path To Professor,
2018
St. Cloud State University
Arrival At The Same Point: My Long, Winding, And Not-So-Circular Path To Professor, Melissa B. Hanzsek-Brill
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This is my story of the constant struggle between wanting both mathematics and motherhood, and realizing I could have it all but not all at once.The story involves earning degrees, securing a tenure-track position only to resign two years later, and then, through a gauntlet of adjunct and fixed-term positions, applying for and accepting another tenure-track position at the same institution, finally arriving back at the same point on the path I had been on sixteen years earlier. I walked this long, winding, and ultimately no-so-circular path while becoming and being a mother of four. It is my hope that …
Beautiful Madness: Math And Motherhood --- Can You Have It All?,
2018
South Seattle College
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 …
Mommy Brain And The Mommy Mathematician,
2018
National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology
Mommy Brain And The Mommy Mathematician, Bonnie Jacob
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Is mommy brain real? Are pregnant women and mothers ditzier than non-mothers? If mommy brain is a real phenomenon, what are the implications for women mathematicians whose careers depend on their mental agility? While anecdotes and references to the phenomenon in pop culture abound, concrete evidence is decidedly murky. In this article, I discuss some of the recent research on so-called mommy brain. I delve into the implications of its alleged existence, particularly for mother-mathematicians. I include perspectives of several mother-mathematicians on the consequences of mommy brain … or its perceived existence.
Don't Ask The Baby To Do Calculus: Thoughts From An Early-Career Math Mama,
2018
Worcester State University
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,
2018
University of Southern Mississippi
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,
2018
University of Hawaii at Manoa
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,
2018
Pacific Lutheran University
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,
2018
William Jewell College
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 Grieving Mathematician And Mother,
2018
Juniata College
The Grieving Mathematician And Mother, Kimberly A. Roth
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Grieving while teaching and researching is a tricky task. Support from the local community and from the larger mathematical community were important after my son Drew’s death. In this essay I describe my motherhood and grief journeys and how they intersected with my career, and also offer suggestions for others supporting parents in similar situations.
Finding Hope Amidst The Pain Of Pregnancy Loss,
2018
Shenandoah University
Finding Hope Amidst The Pain Of Pregnancy Loss, Jessica Oshaughnessy
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Pregnancy does not come easily to all women. This story shares my personal struggles with early miscarriage and second trimester losses and the struggle to balance grief in a professional setting.
Pb & J,
2018
San Jose State University
Pb & J, Elizabeth Gross
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
In this essay on academic life as a mother and a mathematician, I explore pregnancy in graduate school, parenting on the tenure-track, division of household labor, and sandwiches.
My Best Laid Plan,
2018
Western Connecticut State University
My Best Laid Plan, Becky E. Hall
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This story ties together the precise planning traits of mathematicians with the challenges of motherhood.
Does Math Help With Addition?,
2018
Saint Mary's College of California
Does Math Help With Addition?, Ellen Veomett
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Math always has the answer, right? In this humor-speckled piece, we probe the answer to that question in a challenging context: the mathematician as mother. Unfortunately, we’ll find that skill and knowledge in mathematics does not necessarily translate to skill and knowledge in making, birthing, and raising people. But can motherhood in some way improve us as mathematicians?
Reflections On Challenging Times,
2018
Lamar University
Reflections On Challenging Times, Jacqueline Jensen-Vallin
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
As many academic mamas do, I waited until I was (almost) tenured to try to have my children. After a couple of miscarriages, I got pregnant with twins. Here I present both personal stories and tales of how colleagues were treated by their department and administration when they were pregnant. Some had administrative duties revoked, some were encouraged to engage in academic dishonesty in order to have maternity leave, and some were not eligible for any leave. I also provide suggestions of how others might handle these encounters better than we pregnant faculty did.
The Elephant (-Sized Belly) In The Room,
2018
Emory & Henry College
The Elephant (-Sized Belly) In The Room, Teena Carroll
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Had I known about the grim employment statistics facing mothers in academia I might have chosen a different path. I share my story of navigating the academic job market while visibly pregnant and connect my experiences to the wider issue of biases against motherhood in academia. Ultimately I was lucky to get a tenure-track job right out of graduate school, but the environment I found myself in was hostile to me as a new mother. There has been much interest in increasing gender diversity of the professorate, especially in mathematics; it is valuable to look specifically at how motherhood and …
The Multiple Identities Of A Mathematics Professor Mom,
2018
University of Kentucky
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.
