I am from who I am

This poem explores who I am and where I’m from through my eyes, not my heritage, race or ethnicity. It’s a complex discovery of self, separate from what one is told and taught about their family tree

Surviving Burkina Faso

Called to take an artistic adventure, I traveled to Tiebele, Burkina Faso, a village in West Africa. Photographs from the trip inspired haikus that describe my adventure based on the nine joys of survival

A Literature Review of Outcomes Related to Delayed and Spontaneous Pushing in Women During the Second Stage of Labor

There are 267 births each minute throughout the world, employing one of two different pushing methods: delayed and spontaneous (withhold pushing after full dilation until irresistible urge); and immediate (push as soon as completely dilated). There are inconsistencies and gaps in research regarding the two methods of pushing in terms of maternal and fetal outcomes

Feminist approaches to Anorexia Nervosa: a qualitative study of a treatment group

Background: Eating disorders (EDs) are now often approached as biopsychosocial problems. But it has been suggested by scholars interested in sociocultural factors that all is not equal within this biospsychosocial framework, with the ‘social’ aspects of the equation relegated to secondary factors within ED treatment contexts. Although sociocultural influences are well-established as risk factors for EDs, the exploration of whether or how such perspectives are useful in treatment has been little explored. In responding to this context, this article seeks to discuss and evaluate a 10 week closed group intervention based on feminist approaches to EDs at a residential eating disorder clinic in the East of England. Methods: The data was collected via one-to-one qualitative interviews and then analysed using thematic discourse analysis. Results: The participants suggested that the groups were helpful in enabling them to situate their problem within a broader cultural and group context, that they could operate as a form of ‘protection’ from ideologies regarding femininity, and that a focus on the societal contexts for EDs could potentially reduce feelings of self-blame. At the same time, the research pointed to the complexities of participants considering societal rather than individualised explanations for their problems, whilst it also confronted the implications of ambivalent responses toward feminism. Conclusions: Highly visible sociocultural factors in EDs – such as gender - may often be overlooked in ED clinical contexts. Although based on limited data, this research raises questions about the marginalisation of sociocultural factors in treatment, and the benefits and challenges including the latter may involve

Licensing Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers: Paradoxes and Possibilities

Many family, friend and neighbor caregivers are “hidden” and receive little support and limited monitoring. Small group size, extended relationships with the children, and similar cultural backgrounds are associated with higher quality care. But these caregivers typically have little or no formal training in child development or child safety. One potential solution to this problem is to help caregivers navigate the procedures to become licensed family child care providers. This paper identifies issues related to licensing family, friend and neighbor caregivers and explores the relationship between licensing and child care quality

Crossing the Educational Rubicon without the TAH: Collaboration among University and Secondary-Level History Educators

In April 2011, Congress slashed funding for a majority of programs tied to education. Several programs related to professional development for teachers did not survive. While cut severely—from $119 million in Fiscal Year 2010 to$46 million (a loss of $73 million or 61% of its funding)—Teaching American History (TAH) grants lived, albeit by their fingertips, another day. Yet, given the economic challenges the United States faces and what appear to be prevailing attitudes in regard to social services and teacher development, it has become clear that history educators cannot rely on federal funding to support efforts to improve the teaching of history. Nevertheless, meaningful collaboration among K-12 teachers and academic and public historians continues to be vital. This essay describes in detail a current collaborative relationship between a history department and high school in western Michigan. Focusing specifically on four levels of interlocking benefits of collaboration—benefits for high school teachers, for teaching candidates, for high school students, and for historians—the essay documents the strengths of this collaborative effort and notes areas where purposeful concentration and improvement might benefit all parties. Significantly, the relationship examined here, between the history department at Western Michigan University (WMU) and Portage Central High School (PCHS), developed without a promise or expectation of financial incentives. It demonstrates that collaboration, while challenging, can survive in the twenty-first century without funding from a TAH grant