tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733547565614327236.post4887937205962121607..comments2023-10-16T06:40:43.382-07:00Comments on CHOP-TENSILS: On Leaving Portland: Thinking Like a TerroristUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733547565614327236.post-67096655389784429442009-05-20T16:31:06.054-07:002009-05-20T16:31:06.054-07:00hi CVT,
i've been reading your blog for a few mon...hi CVT,<br /><br />i've been reading your blog for a few months now (found it through one of your comments on racialicious). i think your writing is very intelligent and insightful.<br /><br />as a black woman in an interracial relationship (he's a non-black puerto rican) with a mixed daughter, i think about racial issues alot. we currently live in the inner city with a mostly black and latino population. we may be moving out of the city when he graduates next year. most likely to a mostly white area. although i live in a poor, high crime city, i actually feel nervous about leaving. i've never had any problems here and we wouldn't mind staying if the the schools weren't so bad. i think im nervous because i don't want our daughter to be an only or one of a few poc in a school. some of your writings address my fears about that.<br /><br />i thoroughly enjoy reading your blog because you have such poignant commentaries, especially on race. i co-sign with the commenter above on hoping that you'll continue the blog. but if you don't, then know that you will be missed. <br />thanks, <br />DNiqueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3733547565614327236.post-74538325567138653602009-05-20T07:31:55.291-07:002009-05-20T07:31:55.291-07:00CVT,
Finally catching up on your blog. So first, ...CVT,<br />Finally catching up on your blog. So first, wanted to congratulate you for the success of the Asian American youth congress -- it sounds like a really amazing experience for everyone! And congratulations on taking the big leap of going to China (not to be confused with "The Great Leap forward"). I have a contact at Tsinghua university -- a really fantastic teacher there who, if I had to describe with one word, I'd use "effervescent." Feel free to email me at my blog if you want an email introduction.<br /><br />And I hope that you will keep up Choptensils while you are in China. I know we'd all love to hear about your observations in the Middle Kingdom (not to be confused with Middle Earth--but seriously, as a kid, every time I heard China referred to as a Middle Kingdom I kept getting images of hobbits and elves in my head).<br /><br />Finally, on the issue of making a difference, I go through similar types of second-guessing of myself. In the tenure-track universe of faculty positions at the college level, there's not as much ability to move according to where you want to live--you go where the job takes you (or more accurately, you go because the hiring practices are so arduous and jobs few and far between that you feel grateful that you were the candidate chosen over 150 applicants and over a 6 month process). But still, I think to myself that in terms of making a difference in people's lives, is this what I was supposed to do? Wouldn't I make a greater impact by teaching at a community college or high school or in a more diverse area?<br /><br />Ultimately I don't have answers to this, but at least for me, I have to be aware of my strengths and weaknesses (as far as I recognize them). And I'd say right now, my strength is in teaching at the college level. I've tried teaching at the high school level, and there were really high highs and low lows, but ultimately I don't think I hit my teaching stride until I got into the university classroom--and then I felt at home.<br /><br />And I think that feeling at home makes me be a better teacher. It also helps that I love what I teach and feel a committment to talking about issues of race/racism/anti-racism with my students, so I've got the fervor of my beliefs also propelling my teaching.<br /><br />And it seems like you, also, have the fervor of your beliefs that comes out in your teaching, and students NEED that--they respond to passion, esp. on a topic that they genuinely are interested in/impacts their life. So my best guess is that no matter where you land after you get back from China, you will be making a huge difference in people's lives.<br /><br />[sorry for so much "me" stuff on your comment/blog--I often try to use my own life as an analogy as a way of showing that I can relate to them, but I understand if it is a bit annoying]Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13261371053113519712noreply@blogger.com