I went to a workshop for K-fifth grade math teachers all last week. I was struck by the fact that 100% of the participants in the course were female. (The course was taught by a man, a middle school math teacher, with a very nurturing teaching style.) While I think it’s great that so many female teachers were dedicated enough to math (many elem. teachers feel more comfortable teaching reading/writing) to spend a whole week out of their summer learning more about it, I thought about the lack of men in elementary schools.

I read in my local newspaper yesterday that our state legislature (wryly labled by a native writer as “The Lege”) was going to put more money toward teacher’s salaries. The state minimum for begiing teachers will become a whopping $24,000, up from $21,000. Many districts contribute more money toward beginning salaries (my district’s is about $34,000) which is great, but those who have been teaching longer don’t make much more than beginning teachers.

All that to say this: it’s a shame that some professions are seen as “women’s professions,” translating to a lower status in our society and a lower salary to go with it.

I was thinking about our president’s No Child Left Behind act (you can’t see me gagging right now.) We pay lip service to the importance of children in our society and the role education has in shaping our country’s future, but will be spending $200 billion dollars on education in the next two years?

(Confession: I’m reading Maureen Dowd’s book, Bushworld, a compilation of her NY Times columns on familia de la Bushie, so I’m all fired up about the inequities in our society and the way our country chooses to spend our wealth.)

In the M.Div. program, Uncle Walt definitely had his Entourage of Sycophants, and I was never in that group. I took one of his classes and enjoyed it greatly, and I admire his ability to write, what, a book a week? But am a KO’C partisan all the way. That woman Kicks Butt for Jesus.

Blessings to you in your travels.

Did I mention to you that Uncle Walt heard me speak once and complimented me on what I had to say and that I was an effective speaker? I may have not mentioned this before now in the blogsphere but my pals here in the Pine Grove have heard the story 200 times each. I try to work it into EVERY conversation because as he was speaking to me I went into shock.

If it helps, this conference is at a UCC seminary in the midwest, and it’s lovely, and everytime I see a “God is still speaking” poster I can’t help but send good vibes your way!

Although women are obviously common in the workplace, theirs is still sometimes implicitly considered the “supplemental income” within the married couple. So a lower-paying job is not a big deal. The husband is still considered the primary provider.

Maybe? Again I’m WAY generalizing, and certain areas of the country might display this mindset more than others.

One thing I don’t hear from a lot of young women is that ministry is, actually, a pretty family-friendly job. Yes, your phone can ring at any time (although my church really respects boundaries), and emergencies can trump other things, but by and large, a pastor is almost never going to *have* to miss a soccer game, doctor appointment, or teacher conference. That would make ministry attractive to parents of all stripes, I would think.

Of course that varies by position and by church.