 George Jr., Me, William & Mommy - Image by Daddy Elizabeth Jordan: Registered Nurse, Teacher, unlicensed Evangelist Missionary, Church Mother, Church and District hospitality leader, Consoler to those in Mourning, Sunday School Teacher, Co-President of New Members' Committee, and Gardener.
George Jordan, Sr.: Tax Law Attorney, IRS Man, Social Worker, Wesson Oil Chemist, Vietnam War Veteran, Photographer, Elder, Minister, Preacher, Sunday School Teacher, Co-President of New Members' Committee and Compass to Self-created Nature Trails. Grandma Odessa: Teacher, Chef, Sunday School Teacher, Licensed Evangelist Missionary, Church Mother, Bible Band teacher to Pastors, Bishops, and other leaders in ministry, acts of service such as cleaning the church and cooking for the local, district and state church gatherings, Assistant District Missionary and District Missionary, and Jurisdiction Chairman of the Woman's Department Advisory Board, Chairman of the Woman's Department of Finance, Chairman of the State Missionary Licensing Board, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Assistant to the Jurisdictional Supervisor, and a State Conventions Seminar Instructor. Grandpa George: Fisherman, Swineherd, Barter and Tradesman, Church Trustee and Chairman of the Deacon Board. Grandma Sally: Librarian, College Graduate at the age of 56, Guitar Player, Sister, and Collector of Sermons on Cassette Tapes. Grandpa Willie: Shipyard Worker, Construction Worker, Church Trustee Board member and Janitor. The list of those who do the work with and without “official” documents and titles are innumerable within the span of my lifetime. There are nurses who do the work of doctors, mothers who do the work of nurses, doctors who do the work of servants, students who do the work of teachers, and the beat goes on... Within the black church in which I grew up for over thirty years, there have only been two pastors for the 81 years in which it has been in place. Within this same black church, I grew up with black professionals of all vocations: doctors, lawyers, a judge, morticians, police officers and sheriffs, teachers, bus drivers, post office workers, decorated military officers, a CIA agent, a pharmacist, US Department of Treasury employees, World Bank Employees, Landlords, daycare owners and workers, beauticians, barbers, a man who went from being a regional leader to the national president of an HMO, millionaire and philanthropist, garbagemen, entrepreneurs, a dentist, surgeons, fashion models, a Broadway actress, recording artists, backup singers, principals, assistant principals, a professor of music, a Stella Award Winning Gospel Artist, an anesthesiologist, and the beat goes on... Within my black family and my black church experience, I have seen, and heard of people of all stages and ages in life doing the work: clean toilets, work the AV systems, read announcements, play the piano, play the washboard, play the flute, play spoons, testify of miracles, signs and wonders, play the drums, sing, preach, teach Sunday School, eulogize, shout, dance, pray for healing, lead devotional service, pray for deliverance, teach Young People Willing Workers, minster, evangelize, sweep the floor, Church Mother without natural children, Deacon Gorham moved the refrigerator with a bear hug when a group of younger men assaying to do so failed, and the beat goes on... The work is everything the church needs to operate and function as a religious community and a nonprofit organization with a Board of Trustees overseeing the assets: church building, residential properties, commercial property, and acres of land (paid in full). The work of church has nothing and everything to do with an individual's professional and educational background. My mother was a registered nurse. The work she did at church as a Sunday School Teacher and Co-President of the New Members Committee had nothing to do, seemingly, with her psychiatric work at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital or the substance abuse unit at D.C. General Hospital. But the work she did for the church as a Mother on the Mothers’ Board, unlicensed Evangelist Missionary, consoler of those in mourning and attendant to those who experienced a medical emergency during service had everything to do with the sum total of her life experiences. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5 Somethings you learn because you live it. Other things you teach because you do it. Also, in life it is possible to both learn to teach and teach while learning. The excellence and genius you bring into the earth are because you are beautifully and wonderfully made. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14 Thank you to all of those who do the work. "I am because we are, and since we are, therefore I am." Mbiti, 1969, p. 141 and the beat goes on... -The Whispers 1979
I also had three friends to go into Ph.D. programs before I started, but I was not privy to all the intricacies of their experiences. One stopped because her advisor left Carnegie Mellon University and left the school vacant of her area of interest. Another left Morgan State University before finishing. But after some time off, she has returned to finish what she started. A third left a school in Florida after realizing it was not what she wanted after several years of doing the work. Although challenged by the vicissitudes of life, there are few that surpass the level of sheer joy she exudes in this season.
The stories of Black women in Ph.D. programs that I have come to know are far too numerous to share in this space. However, I challenge you to consider their abstracts to get a glimpse at their processes and products (see links below). So with all this in mind, I share stories and nuggets in this space so that I leave a trail behind from which others can glean. If no one else other than my nieces and nephews gain insight from this space, then that is just fine with me. They are my heirs. Now on to the short story... Last night I found myself stuck once again. I needed to select the method of data analysis and sources of data for one of my two research questions. I figured out one, but the other was giving me a literal headache. In that moment I received a reply to a text message that I sent earlier. In the reply of my friend, she asked how I was doing. To this I responded "I'm doing well. 🧐 🤔 I'm scratching my head at one part of my proposal. I think I'm going to phone a friend." And yes, I phone a friend who graduated with her Ph.D. few years ago from my program and left a message. So, I called another friend, Dr. Rebecca who graduated from Penn State, and she answered. She allowed me to talk out the short version of my theoretical framework, selection of case study methodology, rationale for the use of a logic model as the analytical technique for my second question, and data sources for the first question. I told her that I was stuck and that it was because I had too many options to consider for artifacts. The resolution from our conversation...employing multimodal analysis. Sometimes it takes talking things out with a friend to work things out in your mind. ...two heads are better than one. Exploring the African Songo Game and How Gameplay Enhances Multiple Literacies Among Adult Players in Cameroon and the United States - Rebecca Bayeck, Ph.D. Penn State Mobile Message Design: A Mix-Methods Study of a Maternal Health Project in Northern Ghana - Erica Bass, Ph.D. GSU Writing HERstory: Examining the Intersectional Identities of Black Women in Educational Leadership - Natasha Johnson, Ed.D. GSU Unsolicited Narratives: The Experiences of Afro-Caribean Women as Mathematics Learners and as Mathematics Educators in U.S. Institutions of Higher Education - Dihema Longman, Ph.D. GSU Centering Black Women's Ways of Knowing: A Review of Critical Literacies Research and a Black Feminist Analysis of Black Women Educators’ Extraordinary Literacies - Francheska Starks, Ph.D. GSU An Examination of Data Management Systems and Utilization-Focused Participatory Evaluation - Syreeta Skelton, Ph.D. GSU Seeing Beyond the Stereotype to See the Whole Human: Teachers' Perceptions of Media Stereotypes and Black Youth - Syreeta Ali McTier, Ph.D. GSU  While digging for data on Latina and Black women in the Information Industry, I found myself stuck. Many of the studies and articles recommended and reviewed included data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But for some reason I could not disaggregate the data to isolate the groups of interest. I didn't know what I was doing in this space, I was figuring it out as I went along the way.
I reached out to my professors, and one responded that if I was able to get as far as I did in my attempts, then there should be a way to get what I was looking for if I continued to manipulate the tables [paraphrase]. I tinkered, played, and then scrolled down to where it said "contact" and I called the Bureau. No one answered, but I left a message. Cody gave me a call back and was able to direct me to a published table that contained more than what I needed and parceled out the number of Latina and Black women in the Information Industry. In another iteration of my digging, I wanted to find out the number of Latina and Black women in Computer and Mathematical Occupations. Once again, I found myself stuck. I could only get so far by myself. So, I picked up the phone and called the Bureau. Who gave me a call back? Cody. This time around we were not as successful with the published data. But, he knew who could help. Through a few clicks, Cody directed me to the Contact CPS (Current Population Survey) page where I submitted my request for data. Before the day's end, I received an e-mail from Roxanna with a table of unpublished data that contained the information I was seeking for 2019. The next day I realized that I should have asked for the same years as the ones gathered for the Information Industry. And upon a second request, in what seemed to be an effortless gesture, Roxanna sent another e-mail containing unpublished data tables of what I needed to get unstuck in the background of my dissertation proposal. Her e-mail contained disclaimers regarding unpublished data and changes in reporting to reflect the 2010 U.S. Census, all of which I included in the appendix of my proposal. Think about these exchanges this way...what one person struggles over, another person does everyday. If you need help, then go to the source or someone who is resourceful in their work.  This year has been one for the record books. In the midst of everything happening, I still must move forward in my doctoral studies.
...slow and steady wins the race Aesop's Fable of the Tortoise and the Hare It's been a while...a year and seven month... but that's okay. In a check in with my niece who is starting her final year at Morgan state, she actually checked in with me. I asked her if I could post a part of our chat on my blog and she said yes.
Me: You’re going to be 21 on your birthday!!!! 🙈🙉🙊 How do you feel about turning 21??? 🙃🙂 Niece: I feel like this is gonna be an amazing new chapter in my life Me: Yaaay for Amazing!!! Go Niece Go!!! 💃🏽💃🏿💃🏾 Niece: Ikrrrrr Thanks auntie nay nay 🤗 Me: You’re welcome Niece! Enjoy the moments! Niece: How’s everything with you Me: Things are good. I’m behaving myself and working on my dissertation proposal at the moment. I’m reading a textbook that tells me the procedures (in general) I need to use for my project and taking notes on what that will look like for my project specifically. It’s slow moving but very helpful or else I would be lost and sad. Thanks for asking. Niece: Wow that sounds like a lotta work Me: Yes. But it is necessary. The difference between research and non-research (anecdotes) is that you use systematic processes to design the study, as well as collect and analyze data to come up with an explanation (theory) of an event/phenomenon. The more clearly that you are able to do so, the stronger your research will be considered by your peers/experts in the field. You want to present a strong case so that others will feel comfortable referencing your work for their work (articles/papers/studies), instructing students, making policy recommendations, and applying best practices in the field (in my case when designing instruction in class or online). Niece: Ooooo that makes sense Do u feel like ur ready Me: I’m getting there...it’s like com[b]ing through my hair. I start off at the ends and work my way closer to my scalp until I can go from root to tip. The dissertation proposal (ends of my hair) gets me prepared to do my project (move closer to the roots so that by the end I can work my way through my data and analysis (root to tip) without mak[ing] a huge mess of everything. Niece: That makes sense 🤔 Me: *combing through Niece: That was a good analogy Me: Thanks Niece 😁🤗 Me: Good Morning Niece, Do you mind if I post our text about what I’m doing with my proposal on my blog? Niece: Good morning No I don’t mind at all Me: Okay. Thank you. Niece: Ur welcome
Nick Peterson is a Th.D. student at Emory University. He is also the husband of Nakisha Peterson, who has been my friend since high school.
 Happy New Year!
When you get super busy, To-Do Lists can grow to the point to which it seems like you will not accomplish anything. Just looking at these lists can cause mental paralysis. So, I've learned how to mix things up so that I get more done by the end of the week than I would think possible by looking at just one day. In other words, I had to change my perspective of time as it relates to getting things done. I find that creating a bigger picture for me to work on one day at a time helps me to focus and feel better about my progress. If I only focus on one task at a time, then something might be put off far too long because it is smaller or not as important as another item on the list. But by keeping the big picture in mind, I can make sure that I cut out a small section of my day to do the little things and make progress on all parts of my list.
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Insights & Stories from Dr. Renée JordanExplore Dr. Renée Jordan's blog for inspiring narratives and practical advice on navigating academic and career paths, mastering digital literacy, and fostering personal development. Our posts offer culturally relevant insights and strategies for students, professionals, and women seeking empowerment in tech and beyond, aligning with the mission of Jordan Nuance, LLC.
I Am Because We Are Creative Equals...My youngest brother, Aaron, took these pictures on April 28, 2017. Aaron and my dad attended my very first presentation during the American Educational Research Association 2017 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX. I presented "I Am Because We Are Creative Equals: Technology Skills as Defined, Discussed, and Demonstrated by Students in a Middle School" during the Online Teaching & Learning Special Interest Group (SIG) paper session on "Promoting Student Success."
I was also glad to have my sister-classmates from Heritage Knowledge in Action (HeKA) Research Group, one research partner, and two professors in the audience. They not only supported me by being present, but they also encouraged me by asking questions. I ran out of presentation time before I could share everything, so their questions helped me share out what I did not get a chance to say during my presentation. Thanks, good people! Lesson learned: NO MORE THAN 10 SLIDES for any presentation. En Español Mi hermano menor, Aaron, tomó estas fotos el 28 de abril de 2017. Aaron y papá asistieron a mi primera presentación en la Reunión Anual 2017 de la Asociación de Investigación Educativa Americana en San Antonio, TX. Presenté 'Soy Porque Somos Iguales Creativos: Habilidades Tecnológicas Definidas, Discutidas y Demostradas por Estudiantes en una Escuela Secundaria' durante la sesión de papel del Grupo de Interés Especial (SIG) de Enseñanza y Aprendizaje en Línea sobre 'Promoción del Éxito Estudiantil'. También me alegró tener a mis compañeras de clase de la Heritage Knowledge in Action (HeKA) Research Group, una compañera de investigación y dos profesores en la audiencia. No solo me apoyaron estando presentes, sino que también me alentaron haciendo preguntas. Me quedé sin tiempo de presentación antes de poder compartir todo, así que sus preguntas me ayudaron a comunicar lo que no tuve la oportunidad de decir durante mi presentación. ¡Gracias, buena gente! Lección aprendida: NO MÁS DE 10 DIAPÓSITIVAS para cualquier presentación. |
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