Sometimes the universe sends me a message that connections abound and it comforts me. Yesterday was such an example.
In the Fall, Molly's 4th-grade class read The Hope Chest, and she (and her cousin Kitty) subsequently became fascinated with women's suffrage. The Hope Chest is a book set in 1920 and a great little Historical fiction book. I loved it so much I wrote a blog about it myself. And one of Molly's New Year's resolutions was to write more in 2020.
I have been really happy with the education and rigor Molly has gotten in school since moving here. Not so much for Anna Cate at the secondary level. There are not honors classes available in middle school here; there are no Advanced Placement classes in high school. There are dual enrollment courses but from what I've seen, I am not impressed. Up until this last school year, kids are not writing papers in these "college" classes. I sometimes worry that it is a gamble being here. I understand poverty and drugs and lack of funding make it difficult; I am not judging, just assessing the situation as it applies to the future of my own daughters. But I tell myself that playing sports makes a difference, living close to grandparents and extended family, they are learning to deal with people who are different than we are in terms of political and religious views. That's diversity. I tell myself that learning to live together in a small town is as important as the college prep opportunities we left in Fredericksburg. And I remind myself how important it is for us to be involved. To use Brene Brown's lingo -- lean in. In Braving the Wilderness, she talks about showing up and being our authentic self and knowing we belong even if we don't always fit it. I tell myself that is what Anna Cate and Molly are getting here in Centerville. I tell myself that they will be ok -- that BJ and I will make sure to be involved.
Ok, I digressed BUT that is the state of my musings on raising my daughters here. Well, Sunday afternoon at one of my yoga classes, a lady told me her FCE group (Family Community Education -- it replaced the "home demonstration " clubs of yesteryear) was doing a program on women's suffrage, and I said, "oh my daughter loves those stories!" They meet on Thursday at 1pm, so of course, we couldn't go. . . .but when we got a couple days off of school due to countywide sickness cancellations, I called Cecile and said, "Can Molly come to your program?" She told me that the speaker couldn't come and after a pause said, "would she want to be the speaker?" Without asking Molly I said, "absolutely she can do that. " I'm leaning in, finding the opportunities for challenge and growth wherever I can.
Molly did a little face plant and said, you should have asked me first! I said, not really -- this is a great opportunity. So she got to work. This was Wednesday and the event was Thursday. . .
I finally convinced her to let me type because I can type almost as fast as she can talk, but she composed the speech herself. We ordered this sweet little arrangement of silk yellow roses to deliver to the crowd, and she delivered this speech, showed off her books about suffrage and her silver dollar coins with Susan B Anthony on it.
After her talk, Molly took a few questions and then the other program was prepared by Autumn Vespie, an extension agent from the University of Tennessee. She spoke on mindfulness and the group was led in a guided meditation. My parents came and we all made these mindful bottles with glue and glitter and water.
I felt like I stepped back in time a bit to a simpler time where instead of Pinterest, women got together to pray and share recipes and it was an absolute privilege to experience it together.
The connections of hearing a program so near and dear to my heart on mindfulness and watching Molly do something that excited and challenged her, and Anna Cate supporting her reminded me of why it is such a privilege to slow down and raise my daughters here. It was a little sign from the universe it is going to be ok. Cecile Allen pictured above is my new friend from yoga. She told a story of how when her parents got married, her Dad supposedly said to her mother, "you aren't going to vote are you???.". . .but that her mother always voted. It is a good reminder of how near relatively speaking times were different. Some things for good, some things not so much.
(And for all you people who wouldn't dream of sending to your kids to a rural public school, there is no one right way. I like your way too. As the program leader yesterday reminded us, mindfulness allows to observe situations as they are, not labeling them good or bad. Our situation of living in Centerville is one of those things, and I'm spending the energy I have focusing on the positives. )
In the Fall, Molly's 4th-grade class read The Hope Chest, and she (and her cousin Kitty) subsequently became fascinated with women's suffrage. The Hope Chest is a book set in 1920 and a great little Historical fiction book. I loved it so much I wrote a blog about it myself. And one of Molly's New Year's resolutions was to write more in 2020.
I have been really happy with the education and rigor Molly has gotten in school since moving here. Not so much for Anna Cate at the secondary level. There are not honors classes available in middle school here; there are no Advanced Placement classes in high school. There are dual enrollment courses but from what I've seen, I am not impressed. Up until this last school year, kids are not writing papers in these "college" classes. I sometimes worry that it is a gamble being here. I understand poverty and drugs and lack of funding make it difficult; I am not judging, just assessing the situation as it applies to the future of my own daughters. But I tell myself that playing sports makes a difference, living close to grandparents and extended family, they are learning to deal with people who are different than we are in terms of political and religious views. That's diversity. I tell myself that learning to live together in a small town is as important as the college prep opportunities we left in Fredericksburg. And I remind myself how important it is for us to be involved. To use Brene Brown's lingo -- lean in. In Braving the Wilderness, she talks about showing up and being our authentic self and knowing we belong even if we don't always fit it. I tell myself that is what Anna Cate and Molly are getting here in Centerville. I tell myself that they will be ok -- that BJ and I will make sure to be involved.
Ok, I digressed BUT that is the state of my musings on raising my daughters here. Well, Sunday afternoon at one of my yoga classes, a lady told me her FCE group (Family Community Education -- it replaced the "home demonstration " clubs of yesteryear) was doing a program on women's suffrage, and I said, "oh my daughter loves those stories!" They meet on Thursday at 1pm, so of course, we couldn't go. . . .but when we got a couple days off of school due to countywide sickness cancellations, I called Cecile and said, "Can Molly come to your program?" She told me that the speaker couldn't come and after a pause said, "would she want to be the speaker?" Without asking Molly I said, "absolutely she can do that. " I'm leaning in, finding the opportunities for challenge and growth wherever I can.
Molly did a little face plant and said, you should have asked me first! I said, not really -- this is a great opportunity. So she got to work. This was Wednesday and the event was Thursday. . .
I finally convinced her to let me type because I can type almost as fast as she can talk, but she composed the speech herself. We ordered this sweet little arrangement of silk yellow roses to deliver to the crowd, and she delivered this speech, showed off her books about suffrage and her silver dollar coins with Susan B Anthony on it.
Molly King’s point of view on Women Suffrage
Hi, my name is Molly King I am a fourth-grade student at CIS. What got me into the story of women’s suffrage in the United States was my ELA class read a novel called The Hope Chest. (I am going read the back of the book in case you want to order it).
This book interested me so much that I asked for more women suffrage books for Christmas! I also thought it was ironic that we read books about women suffrage as we headed into 2020. Women got suffrage in 1920. That is exactly 100 years apart, so if you think about it we women have only been able to vote for 100 years and white men have been able to vote from since the beginning of our country.
Some well-known brave fighters for women’s suffrage were Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, Alice Paul, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. To me and many other fighters, it is upsetting that Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton did not live to see that fight come to an exciting and relieving end... the passing of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution.
I think Susan B. Anthony is so amazing because of her story. Do any of you know it? If you don’t, I’ll tell it to you. In 1872 fourteen women, counting herself, went and voted and the man by the ballot box didn’t stop them. In 1873, Susan B. Anthony was tried in court. The jury was unfair. The judge announced her guilty without consulting the jury. Susan B. Anthony did break the law, but the law should have been different. Even though she knew she was going to go to jail, she did what she thought was right. So, in my opinion, Susan B. Anthony should have gone to jail for breaking the law, but the law she broke was cruel and sexist.
Alice Paul was a noble person also. She was too “rough around the edges” for some of the suffragists, but she fought for all women -- not just white women. Something shocking to my class was that some women suffragists were racists --these suffragists were fighting for women nonetheless but only white women. A black woman character in the Hope Chest said: “these women suffragists aren’t fighting for all women….they don’t like us because of the color of our skin.” That spoke to me because though she was black, she said what she thought.
I learned in order for an amendment to be ratified (passed), 36 states had to pass the amendment for it be on the US Constitution. In 1920, 35 states had passed the amendment so far. Tennesee was a hard vote. Anti-suffragists were bribing people with gold and illegal liquor so that made it harder for the suffragists because men that would make an impact on the vote were changing sides. When the day came for the Tennessee legislatures to vote, Harry T. Burn was an Anti- Suffragist…. but his mother, who was a suffragist, wrote him a letter trying to get him to change sides. According to The Hope Chest, another Tennessee legislator who was an anti (I am not familiar with the name) got an important phone call that may or may not have changed his mind.
Finally, the time came to make the vote and…………….the suffragists won the vote!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now Tennessee is known as the perfect 36, that is a pretty big deal. Did you know know that after Harry T. Burn had voted for women suffrage he was held, hostage?
In conclusion, getting women suffrage was a long battle, but in the end, it all turned out the way we wanted.
My mom and I looked up some quote and we found one by Sojourner Truth. It stated:
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they are asking to do it, the men better let them."
I felt like this is a great way to end my talk because even though these women may have gone to jail, they never gave up fighting for what is right.
By Molly King
----------------------
I felt like I stepped back in time a bit to a simpler time where instead of Pinterest, women got together to pray and share recipes and it was an absolute privilege to experience it together.
The connections of hearing a program so near and dear to my heart on mindfulness and watching Molly do something that excited and challenged her, and Anna Cate supporting her reminded me of why it is such a privilege to slow down and raise my daughters here. It was a little sign from the universe it is going to be ok. Cecile Allen pictured above is my new friend from yoga. She told a story of how when her parents got married, her Dad supposedly said to her mother, "you aren't going to vote are you???.". . .but that her mother always voted. It is a good reminder of how near relatively speaking times were different. Some things for good, some things not so much.
(And for all you people who wouldn't dream of sending to your kids to a rural public school, there is no one right way. I like your way too. As the program leader yesterday reminded us, mindfulness allows to observe situations as they are, not labeling them good or bad. Our situation of living in Centerville is one of those things, and I'm spending the energy I have focusing on the positives. )
Comments