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Volume  2,  Issue  1  

2018  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  1,	
  2	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  

  
On  Mothering,  Teaching  and  Learning:  The  maternal  
thinking  of  doctoral  student  mothers  and  their  quest  
for  social  justice  in  and  through  education  

  
Dr.	
  Nancy-­‐Jean	
  Pément	
  
Faculty,	
  School	
  of	
  Education	
  and	
  Graduate	
  Writing	
  Studio	
  Instructor	
  
CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands	
  
	
  

All	
  human	
  life	
  on	
  the	
  planet	
  is	
  born	
  of	
  woman.	
  
Adrienne	
  Rich,	
  1976	
  

In	
  the	
  book	
  The	
  Essential	
  Conversation:	
  What	
  parents	
  and	
  teachers	
  can	
  learn	
  from	
  each	
  other,	
  
Lawrence-­‐Lightfoot	
  (2003)	
  devoted	
  a	
  chapter	
  to	
  exploring	
  the	
  intersection	
  of	
  parenting	
  and	
  teaching,	
  
and	
  the	
  fragmented	
  roles	
  that	
  women,	
  in	
  particular,	
  experience	
  in	
  educating	
  children	
  and	
  young	
  people.	
  
It	
  is	
  no	
  surprise	
  that	
  the	
  important	
  work	
  of	
  raising	
  and	
  educating	
  children	
  is	
  still	
  largely	
  pursued	
  by	
  
women	
  in	
  an	
  economic	
  and	
  political	
  context	
  that	
  not	
  only	
  devalues	
  the	
  labour	
  of	
  caring	
  for	
  others	
  but	
  
that	
  fails	
  to	
  recognize	
  the	
  importance	
  of	
  caretaking	
  and	
  educating	
  in	
  the	
  interest	
  of	
  the	
  common	
  good.	
  
Many	
  of	
  the	
  teachers	
  interviewed	
  by	
  Lawrence-­‐Lightfoot	
  indicated	
  that	
  their	
  roles	
  as	
  mothers	
  had	
  
implications	
  for	
  them	
  in	
  their	
  professional	
  lives.	
  Most	
  notably,	
  teachers	
  who	
  were	
  mothers	
  claimed	
  to	
  
better	
  understand	
  the	
  complexities	
  of	
  childhood	
  development	
  and	
  of	
  learning,	
  and	
  felt	
  they	
  were	
  less	
  
judgmental	
  and	
  more	
  forgiving	
  of	
  individual	
  foibles	
  among	
  both	
  students	
  and	
  parents.	
  As	
  one	
  teacher	
  
indicated	
  when	
  she	
  became	
  a	
  mother,	
  “I	
  finally	
  recognized	
  the	
  way	
  in	
  which	
  mothering	
  breaks	
  your	
  
heart”	
  (Lawrence-­‐Lightfoot,	
  2003,	
  p.	
  194).	
  	
  

This	
  article	
  explores	
  the	
  overlapping	
  and	
  intertwined	
  ways	
  in	
  which	
  mothering	
  informs	
  the	
  educational	
  
endeavour	
  in	
  both	
  P12	
  and	
  higher	
  education	
  with	
  a	
  focus	
  on	
  maternal	
  thinking	
  and	
  the	
  role	
  of	
  mothers	
  
in	
  advancing	
  social	
  justice.	
  While	
  Laurence-­‐Lightfoot	
  illuminated	
  the	
  lives	
  of	
  women	
  at	
  the	
  intersection	
  
of	
  teaching	
  and	
  mothering	
  in	
  the	
  P12	
  context,	
  I	
  interrogated	
  the	
  multi-­‐dimensional	
  roles	
  of	
  doctoral	
  
student	
  mothers	
  in	
  higher	
  education	
  (Pément,	
  2013).	
  This	
  narrative	
  inquiry	
  into	
  the	
  experiences	
  of	
  16	
  
doctoral	
  student	
  mothers	
  in	
  the	
  United	
  States	
  was	
  guided	
  by	
  Rich’s	
  (1976)	
  notion	
  of	
  motherhood	
  as	
  
both	
  experience	
  and	
  institution.	
  She	
  argued	
  that	
  motherhood	
  must	
  be	
  understood	
  in	
  two	
  contexts—one	
  
that	
  is	
  grounded	
  in	
  personal	
  experience	
  and,	
  the	
  other,	
  that	
  recognizes	
  the	
  implications	
  of	
  the	
  political	
  
institutions,	
  such	
  as	
  capitalism	
  and	
  patriarchy,	
  that	
  constrain	
  it.	
  Further,	
  this	
  work	
  was	
  informed	
  by	
  
critical	
  feminism	
  (hooks,	
  1994,	
  1999)	
  that	
  acknowledges	
  gendered	
  power	
  differentials	
  (among	
  others),	
  



On  Mothering,  Teaching  and  Learning:  The  maternal  thinking  of  doctoral  student  
mothers  and  their  quest  for  social  justice  in  and  through  education  
Dr.	
  Nancy-­‐Jean	
  Pément	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

and	
  by	
  post-­‐structuralist	
  notions	
  which	
  suggest	
  there	
  cannot	
  be	
  any	
  theoretical,	
  research	
  or	
  pedagogical	
  
efforts	
  without	
  questioning	
  what	
  it	
  means	
  to	
  teach	
  and	
  to	
  conduct	
  research	
  in	
  a	
  world	
  that	
  is	
  
fundamentally	
  unjust	
  (Lather,	
  1991).	
  	
  

A	
  narrative	
  inquiry	
  is	
  a	
  qualitative	
  methodology	
  which	
  draws	
  upon	
  strategies	
  both	
  traditional	
  and	
  
innovative,	
  with	
  opportunities	
  to	
  explore	
  new	
  ideas	
  and	
  to	
  ask	
  new	
  qualitative	
  questions	
  (Chase,	
  2008).	
  
Narrative	
  researchers	
  pay	
  particular	
  attention	
  to	
  the	
  language,	
  the	
  stories,	
  and	
  lived	
  realities	
  as	
  
expressed	
  by	
  participants	
  allowing	
  for	
  the	
  complexity	
  of	
  human	
  experience	
  to	
  shine.	
  	
  

In	
  in-­‐depth,	
  semi-­‐structured	
  interviews,	
  participants	
  told	
  me	
  about	
  their	
  experiences	
  as	
  mothers,	
  as	
  
doctoral	
  students	
  and	
  as	
  professionals	
  in	
  education.	
  All	
  had	
  worked,	
  in	
  some	
  capacity,	
  in	
  schools,	
  
colleges	
  or	
  at	
  universities	
  before	
  undertaking	
  their	
  doctorates	
  in	
  higher	
  education.	
  Their	
  ages	
  ranged	
  
from	
  27	
  to	
  58	
  years	
  with	
  an	
  average	
  age	
  of	
  42	
  years.	
  Half	
  of	
  participants	
  identified	
  as	
  women	
  of	
  colour,	
  
and	
  the	
  other	
  half	
  as	
  White.	
  Most	
  were	
  married.	
  Taken	
  together,	
  participants	
  were	
  actively	
  parenting	
  25	
  
children.	
  The	
  average	
  age	
  of	
  their	
  children	
  was	
  approximately	
  12	
  years	
  old,	
  ranging	
  from	
  a	
  few	
  months	
  
to	
  25	
  years	
  old.	
  	
  

I	
  met	
  doctoral	
  student	
  mothers	
  at	
  their	
  offices	
  on	
  university	
  campuses,	
  and	
  in	
  their	
  homes	
  as	
  they	
  cared	
  
for	
  their	
  children.	
  Consistent	
  with	
  findings	
  reported	
  by	
  Lawrence-­‐Lightfoot	
  (2003),	
  the	
  realities	
  of	
  
motherhood	
  informed	
  the	
  professional	
  lives	
  of	
  these	
  women	
  in	
  ways	
  that	
  were	
  both	
  overt	
  and	
  covert.	
  
Not	
  surprisingly,	
  they	
  described	
  their	
  lives	
  as	
  deeply	
  enmeshed	
  with	
  those	
  of	
  their	
  children.	
  These	
  
powerful	
  bonds	
  were	
  enacted	
  and	
  re-­‐enacted	
  in	
  schools	
  and	
  universities	
  everywhere.	
  What	
  follows	
  is	
  
my	
  attempt	
  to	
  play	
  fair	
  witness	
  to	
  the	
  storied	
  experiences	
  of	
  doctoral	
  student	
  mothers	
  as	
  they	
  spoke	
  
about	
  how	
  mothering	
  informed	
  their	
  thinking	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  their	
  quest	
  for	
  social	
  justice	
  on	
  behalf	
  of	
  their	
  
own	
  and	
  other	
  people’s	
  children.	
  	
  

Mothering  and  Maternal  Thinking  as  Practice  and  Intellectual  Activity    
Every	
  student	
  mother	
  with	
  whom	
  I	
  spoke	
  described	
  herself	
  as	
  a	
  lifelong	
  learner.	
  As	
  doctoral	
  students,	
  
without	
  doubt,	
  educational	
  activities	
  were	
  prominent	
  in	
  their	
  lives.	
  However,	
  beyond	
  their	
  experiences	
  
as	
  students,	
  these	
  women	
  relied	
  on	
  informal	
  and	
  formal	
  educational	
  strategies	
  to	
  enlighten	
  both	
  their	
  
mothering	
  and	
  professional	
  practices.	
  Not	
  surprisingly,	
  however,	
  popular	
  discourse	
  is	
  replete	
  with	
  
notions	
  that	
  implicitly	
  demean	
  the	
  learning	
  efforts	
  of	
  mothers.	
  Several	
  commonly-­‐held	
  views	
  in	
  popular	
  
culture	
  are	
  crystallized	
  in	
  pejorative	
  language,	
  including	
  references	
  to	
  “mommy	
  brain”	
  or	
  “baby	
  brain”—	
  
“a	
  modern	
  affliction…which	
  like	
  ‘senior	
  moment’	
  is	
  a	
  cheery	
  synonym	
  for	
  abrupt	
  mental	
  decline”	
  
(Ellison,	
  2005,	
  p.	
  3).	
  In	
  discussing	
  her	
  transition	
  to	
  maternal	
  thinking,	
  Nichols	
  (2009)	
  shared	
  that	
  her	
  
cognitive	
  style	
  changed	
  given	
  her	
  emerging	
  mothering	
  practices.	
  She	
  wrote,	
  “it	
  is	
  maternal	
  thought	
  that	
  
has	
  become	
  my	
  dominant	
  style	
  and	
  that	
  by	
  struggling	
  with	
  the	
  internal	
  conflicts	
  of	
  maternal	
  practice	
  I	
  
have	
  embraced	
  an	
  “outlaw”	
  [beyond	
  dominant	
  norms]	
  approach	
  to	
  mothering	
  which,	
  in	
  turn,	
  has	
  
altered	
  my	
  approach	
  to	
  research”	
  (p.	
  231).	
  Indeed,	
  several	
  participants	
  told	
  stories	
  about	
  how	
  they	
  
engaged	
  in	
  serious	
  research	
  efforts	
  to	
  learn	
  how	
  to	
  best	
  care	
  for	
  their	
  child	
  while	
  simultaneously	
  
working	
  towards	
  their	
  doctorates.	
  For	
  example,	
  one	
  doctoral	
  student	
  mother	
  undertook	
  an	
  exhaustive	
  
review	
  of	
  literature	
  regarding	
  pediatric	
  nutrition	
  when	
  she	
  discovered	
  her	
  child	
  had	
  food	
  allergies.	
  
Others	
  mentioned	
  how	
  their	
  mothering	
  directly	
  informed	
  their	
  professional	
  and	
  academic	
  work.	
  As	
  one	
  
participant	
  stated:	
  



On  Mothering,  Teaching  and  Learning:  The  maternal  thinking  of  doctoral  student  
mothers  and  their  quest  for  social  justice  in  and  through  education  
Dr.	
  Nancy-­‐Jean	
  Pément	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

It’s	
  really	
  hard	
  to	
  separate	
  my	
  life	
  experiences	
  from	
  what	
  I’m	
  doing	
  and	
  saying…I’m	
  a	
  parent	
  and	
  
I	
  deal	
  with	
  parents	
  in	
  my	
  work…so	
  I	
  really	
  do	
  know	
  what	
  it’s	
  like.	
  I	
  think	
  about	
  how	
  [mothering]	
  
informs	
  my	
  work	
  in	
  school…I’m	
  in	
  a	
  diversity	
  class	
  right	
  now	
  and	
  I’m	
  thinking	
  not	
  just	
  about	
  how	
  
does	
  this	
  impact	
  my	
  work?	
  I’m	
  thinking,	
  how	
  does	
  it,	
  as	
  a	
  parent,	
  impact	
  me?	
  Or,	
  what	
  are	
  the	
  
implications	
  for	
  parents,	
  not	
  just	
  students?	
  

The	
  emergent	
  and	
  fluid	
  cognitive	
  strategies	
  necessary	
  to	
  navigate	
  the	
  arrival	
  of	
  a	
  child	
  and,	
  later,	
  in	
  
raising	
  growing	
  people,	
  came	
  to	
  characterize	
  participant	
  experiences	
  as	
  both	
  learners	
  and	
  as	
  teachers	
  at	
  
home	
  and	
  in	
  institutions.	
  Indeed,	
  it	
  was	
  difficult	
  for	
  participants	
  to	
  disentangle	
  their	
  narratives	
  about	
  
their	
  lives	
  as	
  mothers	
  and	
  as	
  doctoral	
  students	
  since	
  these	
  roles	
  intersected	
  at	
  the	
  juncture	
  of	
  two	
  
tremendously	
  important	
  tasks	
  both	
  requiring	
  significant	
  emotional	
  and	
  cognitive	
  resources.	
  As	
  O’Reilly	
  
(2009,	
  p.	
  298)	
  stated,	
  new	
  forms	
  of	
  thinking	
  emerge	
  in	
  mothering	
  that	
  render	
  “motherwork	
  inherently	
  
and	
  profoundly	
  an	
  intellectual	
  activity.”	
  

As	
  lifelong	
  learners,	
  several	
  doctoral	
  student	
  mothers	
  spoke	
  about	
  how	
  they	
  came	
  to	
  the	
  field	
  of	
  
education	
  initially	
  to	
  become	
  better	
  advocates	
  for	
  their	
  own	
  children	
  by	
  working	
  in	
  the	
  classroom,	
  by	
  
substitute	
  teaching	
  or	
  in	
  taking	
  other	
  jobs	
  at	
  the	
  schools	
  their	
  children	
  attended.	
  Several	
  of	
  these	
  
women	
  eventually	
  sought	
  teaching	
  credentials	
  and	
  found	
  themselves	
  on	
  a	
  career	
  path	
  they	
  had	
  not	
  
anticipated.	
  One	
  participant	
  told	
  of	
  how	
  she	
  became	
  an	
  educator	
  in	
  response	
  to	
  her	
  child’s	
  diagnosis	
  of	
  
a	
  learning	
  disability.	
  She	
  said:	
  

I	
  never	
  wanted	
  to	
  be	
  a	
  teacher…	
  It	
  wasn’t	
  meant	
  to	
  be	
  in	
  a	
  sense,	
  to	
  get	
  into	
  special	
  
[education]…but	
  my	
  first	
  child	
  got	
  an	
  Individualized	
  Educational	
  Plan	
  (IEP)	
  and…being	
  a	
  mother	
  I	
  
wanted	
  to	
  know…	
  I	
  went	
  from	
  being	
  a	
  safety	
  coordinator…to	
  becoming	
  a	
  teacher	
  because	
  I	
  
wanted	
  to	
  know	
  what	
  I	
  had	
  to	
  do	
  to	
  take	
  care	
  of	
  my	
  [child].	
  	
  

Similarly,	
  another	
  participant	
  explained	
  how	
  she	
  “really	
  got	
  into	
  university”	
  by	
  visiting	
  the	
  campus	
  
where	
  one	
  of	
  her	
  children	
  was	
  attending	
  college.	
  With	
  her	
  children’s	
  encouragement,	
  she	
  enrolled	
  in	
  
classes	
  and,	
  eventually,	
  completed	
  a	
  Master’s	
  in	
  Education.	
  Later,	
  she	
  embarked	
  upon	
  a	
  doctoral	
  
program.	
  	
  

In	
  another	
  case,	
  one	
  participant	
  told	
  how	
  her	
  chronically	
  ill	
  child	
  required	
  medications	
  and	
  a	
  special	
  diet.	
  
By	
  getting	
  a	
  job	
  on	
  a	
  university	
  campus,	
  this	
  doctoral	
  student	
  mother	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  stay	
  close	
  to	
  her	
  child	
  
while	
  undertaking	
  her	
  Master’s	
  in	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Education.	
  At	
  the	
  time	
  we	
  spoke,	
  this	
  woman	
  was	
  
completing	
  her	
  doctorate	
  in	
  Higher	
  Education.	
  The	
  university	
  provided	
  a	
  safe	
  place	
  guaranteeing	
  
proximity	
  to	
  her	
  child	
  while	
  she	
  fulfilled	
  her	
  aspiration	
  to	
  seek	
  a	
  doctorate.	
  

Another	
  participant	
  who	
  became	
  a	
  single	
  mother	
  at	
  an	
  early	
  age	
  articulated	
  the	
  profound	
  significance	
  of	
  
education	
  in	
  her	
  life	
  and	
  its	
  connection	
  to	
  motherwork.	
  She	
  said,	
  “mothering	
  made	
  me	
  study.	
  I	
  guess	
  
[becoming	
  a	
  mother]	
  has	
  made	
  [education]	
  very	
  personal.	
  Being	
  a	
  parent	
  is	
  what	
  got	
  me	
  back	
  full-­‐time	
  
into	
  the	
  university	
  as	
  an	
  undergraduate…I	
  had	
  to	
  create	
  a	
  life	
  for	
  us.”	
  For	
  this	
  doctoral	
  student	
  mother,	
  
attending	
  university	
  became	
  a	
  tangible	
  expression	
  of	
  her	
  dedication	
  to	
  the	
  care	
  and	
  advancement	
  of	
  her	
  
child.	
  



On  Mothering,  Teaching  and  Learning:  The  maternal  thinking  of  doctoral  student  
mothers  and  their  quest  for  social  justice  in  and  through  education  
Dr.	
  Nancy-­‐Jean	
  Pément	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

Motherhood  Informs  a  Commitment  to  Advance  Social  Justice    
Intricately	
  tied	
  to	
  the	
  idea	
  that	
  mothering	
  inspires	
  new	
  cognitive	
  processes	
  is	
  the	
  expressed	
  
commitment	
  to	
  social	
  justice	
  originating	
  in	
  the	
  experiences	
  of	
  doctoral	
  student	
  mothers.	
  As	
  one	
  
participant	
  stated:	
  	
  

As	
  I	
  think	
  about	
  college	
  students,	
  I	
  think	
  the	
  whole	
  experience	
  of	
  being	
  a	
  parent	
  in	
  general,	
  whether	
  I	
  
had	
  a	
  child	
  in	
  college	
  or	
  not…allows	
  me	
  to	
  look	
  at	
  a	
  student	
  from	
  a	
  different	
  lens	
  not	
  just	
  as	
  an	
  educator	
  
but	
  as	
  a	
  person	
  who	
  has	
  a	
  prior	
  level	
  of	
  care	
  or	
  concern.	
  I	
  think	
  that	
  all	
  that	
  wanting	
  the	
  best,	
  not	
  just	
  
for	
  my	
  own	
  kids,	
  but	
  for	
  other	
  people’s	
  kids—because	
  I	
  really	
  view	
  that	
  as	
  a	
  high	
  responsibility—
supporting,	
  encouraging	
  and	
  serving	
  other	
  people’s	
  kids.	
  	
  

Yet	
  another	
  participant	
  recognized	
  access	
  to	
  higher	
  education	
  as	
  an	
  important	
  means	
  for	
  emancipation,	
  
not	
  only	
  for	
  herself	
  but,	
  ultimately,	
  for	
  her	
  child	
  and	
  for	
  other	
  people’s	
  children	
  as	
  well.	
  She	
  told	
  me:	
  	
  

I	
  began	
  to	
  see	
  the	
  potential	
  for	
  education	
  to	
  be	
  a	
  mitigator	
  against	
  oppression,	
  marginalization	
  and	
  
powerlessness…	
  education	
  can’t	
  do	
  everything	
  for	
  everybody	
  but	
  in	
  an	
  economy	
  and	
  a	
  society	
  like	
  ours	
  
it’s	
  pretty	
  important…	
  My	
  [child]	
  has	
  given	
  me	
  a	
  tangible	
  reason	
  for	
  that…	
  the	
  human	
  being	
  that	
  I’m	
  
hoping	
  to	
  cultivate	
  in	
  [my	
  child]	
  is	
  the	
  same	
  person	
  that	
  I	
  care	
  about	
  in	
  my	
  research—other	
  people’s	
  
children	
  and	
  my	
  own	
  child—where	
  those	
  two	
  things	
  come	
  together.	
  	
  

Doctoral	
  student	
  mothers	
  spoke	
  eloquently	
  about	
  how	
  higher	
  education	
  not	
  only	
  contributed	
  to	
  their	
  
personal	
  practice	
  as	
  mothers	
  but	
  how	
  mothering	
  labour	
  extended	
  into	
  and	
  informed	
  their	
  professional	
  
lives.	
  This	
  idea	
  was	
  illuminated	
  by	
  one	
  participant	
  who	
  described	
  her	
  commitment	
  to	
  social	
  justice	
  and	
  
equity.	
  She	
  said:	
  

[Social	
  justice]	
  was	
  important	
  to	
  me	
  before	
  I	
  had	
  kids.	
  But	
  now,	
  it	
  is	
  even	
  more	
  important	
  
because	
  I	
  have	
  kids	
  who	
  are	
  going	
  to	
  go	
  through	
  education	
  systems	
  and	
  who	
  are	
  going	
  to	
  go	
  
into	
  higher	
  education…I	
  hope	
  it	
  will	
  be	
  more	
  inclusive	
  and	
  more	
  open	
  to	
  them.	
  My	
  kids	
  are	
  bi-­‐
racial…[The]	
  work	
  that	
  I	
  do	
  is	
  important	
  at	
  different	
  levels.	
  I	
  do	
  want	
  to	
  make	
  a	
  difference	
  and	
  
have	
  an	
  effect	
  on	
  policy…	
  [This	
  work]	
  is	
  not	
  just	
  helping	
  society	
  but	
  helping	
  even	
  my	
  own	
  family,	
  
my	
  own	
  kids.	
  	
  

Given	
  the	
  gendered	
  economic,	
  political	
  and	
  cultural	
  contexts	
  in	
  which	
  women	
  enact	
  their	
  everyday	
  lives,	
  
this	
  study	
  found	
  that	
  doctoral	
  student	
  mothers	
  were	
  able	
  to	
  negotiate	
  institutional	
  cultures	
  to	
  meet	
  the	
  
needs	
  of	
  their	
  own	
  children	
  which,	
  tangentially,	
  had	
  implications	
  for	
  the	
  interests	
  of	
  other	
  people’s	
  
children	
  as	
  well.	
  Essentially,	
  they	
  understood	
  their	
  work	
  in	
  schools	
  and	
  universities	
  as	
  crucial	
  to	
  ensuring	
  
care	
  for	
  their	
  own	
  children	
  while	
  also	
  advancing	
  social	
  justice	
  interests	
  more	
  broadly.	
  	
  

Conclusion  
Much	
  like	
  the	
  teacher	
  mothers	
  whose	
  experiences	
  were	
  interrogated	
  by	
  Lawrence-­‐Lightfoot	
  (2003),	
  
participants	
  in	
  this	
  study	
  indicated	
  that	
  mothering,	
  learning	
  and	
  teaching	
  are	
  profoundly	
  intertwined	
  
activities.	
  Andre	
  (2009)	
  has	
  written	
  that,	
  “Motherhood	
  has	
  analogues	
  in	
  many	
  other	
  central	
  human	
  
activities.	
  Teaching	
  is	
  the	
  obvious	
  first	
  analogue,	
  but	
  there	
  are	
  many	
  others”	
  (p.	
  70).	
  Consistently,	
  Matta	
  
(2013)	
  described	
  the	
  changes	
  she	
  experienced	
  after	
  becoming	
  a	
  mother	
  in	
  the	
  following	
  way:	
  	
  



On  Mothering,  Teaching  and  Learning:  The  maternal  thinking  of  doctoral  student  
mothers  and  their  quest  for  social  justice  in  and  through  education  
Dr.	
  Nancy-­‐Jean	
  Pément	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

I	
  am	
  a	
  stronger	
  woman	
  and	
  teacher	
  because	
  I	
  am	
  an	
  experienced	
  mother…Mothering	
  influences	
  my	
  
interactions	
  with	
  [my	
  students],	
  my	
  listening	
  skills…watching	
  my	
  own	
  children	
  grow	
  has	
  also	
  helped	
  me	
  
to	
  develop	
  a	
  keen	
  interest	
  in	
  students’	
  intellectual	
  growth	
  and	
  development	
  (p.	
  147).	
  	
  

In	
  contemporary	
  economic,	
  political	
  and	
  cultural	
  contexts	
  in	
  which	
  there	
  are	
  competing	
  labour	
  demands	
  
placed	
  on	
  women,	
  participants	
  in	
  this	
  study	
  proved	
  to	
  be	
  resourceful	
  in	
  their	
  reliance	
  on	
  educational	
  
institutions	
  to	
  satisfy	
  personal	
  interests	
  as	
  they	
  strived	
  to	
  meet	
  the	
  needs	
  of	
  their	
  own	
  children	
  and,	
  
ultimately,	
  as	
  they	
  worked	
  towards	
  improving	
  conditions	
  for	
  others.	
  This	
  study	
  revealed	
  that	
  children	
  
are	
  formidable	
  sources	
  of	
  inspiration	
  for	
  the	
  advancement	
  of	
  social	
  change.	
  	
  

In	
  the	
  absence	
  of	
  comprehensive	
  social	
  programs,	
  schools	
  and	
  universities	
  continue	
  to	
  be	
  important	
  
sites	
  for	
  advancing	
  social	
  justice.	
  Understanding	
  the	
  experiences	
  of	
  mothers	
  who	
  teach	
  in	
  schools	
  and	
  
universities	
  helps	
  to	
  acknowledge	
  mothering	
  as	
  an	
  ontological	
  standpoint	
  (Quinn,	
  2004)—in	
  other	
  
words,	
  as	
  an	
  important	
  and	
  distinguishing	
  way	
  of	
  being	
  in,	
  and	
  knowing	
  the	
  world.	
  Beyond	
  mitigating	
  
the	
  gendered	
  demands	
  placed	
  upon	
  women,	
  beyond	
  the	
  minimizing	
  banter	
  relating	
  to	
  women’s	
  
cognitive	
  skills	
  reflected	
  in	
  the	
  notion	
  of	
  “mommy	
  brain”,	
  beyond	
  the	
  erasure	
  of	
  women’s	
  needs	
  and	
  
interests,	
  we	
  must	
  recognize	
  the	
  legitimacy	
  of	
  a	
  mother	
  worldview	
  (O’Reilly,	
  2009)	
  that	
  shapes	
  all	
  
aspects	
  of	
  the	
  lives	
  of	
  women	
  who	
  parent	
  children.	
  Without	
  doubt	
  mothering	
  informs	
  academic	
  and	
  
intellectual	
  activities,	
  yet	
  “all	
  that	
  hard-­‐won	
  knowledge	
  is	
  [too	
  often]	
  excluded	
  as	
  if	
  it	
  were	
  a	
  betrayal	
  of	
  
our	
  commitment	
  to	
  the	
  life	
  of	
  the	
  mind,	
  when	
  the	
  real	
  cause	
  for	
  exclusion	
  is	
  persistent	
  sexism,	
  a	
  
dismissive	
  belittlement	
  of	
  everything	
  that	
  smacks	
  of	
  the	
  maternal”	
  (Sanders,	
  2008,	
  p.	
  248).	
  The	
  
narratives	
  of	
  participants	
  in	
  this	
  study	
  revealed	
  an	
  interest	
  in	
  new	
  opportunities	
  for	
  shaping	
  education	
  
on	
  behalf	
  of	
  those	
  who,	
  historically,	
  have	
  been	
  denied	
  representation	
  in	
  informing	
  the	
  institutional	
  
cultures	
  of	
  schools	
  and	
  universities—in	
  this	
  case,	
  women	
  and	
  children.	
  	
  

About  the  Author  
In	
  another	
  life,	
  Dr.	
  Nancy-­‐Jean	
  Pément	
  was	
  a	
  researcher	
  and	
  strategic	
  planner	
  with	
  the	
  Ministry	
  of	
  the	
  
Solicitor	
  General	
  and	
  at	
  the	
  Department	
  of	
  Justice	
  Canada.	
  Her	
  research	
  on	
  victim	
  policy	
  and	
  legislation	
  
informed	
  amendments	
  to	
  the	
  Criminal	
  Code,	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  programs	
  and	
  policies	
  relating	
  to	
  the	
  National	
  
Family	
  Violence	
  Initiative	
  and	
  the	
  National	
  Crime	
  Prevention	
  Council	
  among	
  others.	
  She	
  has	
  taught	
  in	
  
the	
  Faculty	
  of	
  Social	
  Sciences	
  at	
  the	
  University	
  of	
  Ottawa—the	
  world’s	
  largest	
  bilingual	
  French-­‐English	
  
university—and	
  at	
  the	
  Collège	
  d’enseignement	
  général	
  et	
  professionnel	
  in	
  Québec.	
  In	
  California,	
  she	
  
worked	
  at	
  CSU	
  Northridge	
  on	
  its	
  reaccreditation	
  and	
  for	
  the	
  Vice-­‐Provost.	
  Currently,	
  she	
  teaches	
  in	
  the	
  
Masters	
  of	
  Higher	
  Education	
  Leadership	
  program	
  at	
  CSUCI.	
  Her	
  research	
  interests	
  include	
  the	
  sociology	
  
of	
  higher	
  education,	
  women’s	
  lives	
  in	
  the	
  academy,	
  doctoral	
  study,	
  the	
  sociology	
  of	
  law,	
  victimization	
  
and	
  peacemaking.	
  Nancy	
  enjoys	
  poetry	
  and	
  has	
  been	
  published	
  in	
  literary	
  magazines	
  in	
  the	
  US	
  and	
  
Canada.	
  She	
  is	
  Jackson’s	
  mom.	
  

References  
Andre,	
  J.	
  (2009).	
  The	
  virtue	
  of	
  honouring	
  oneself.	
  In	
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  O’Reilly	
  (Ed.),	
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  thinking:	
  Philosophy,	
  
politics,	
  practice	
  (pp.	
  79-­‐90).	
  Toronto,	
  Canada:	
  Demeter	
  Press.	
  	
  



On  Mothering,  Teaching  and  Learning:  The  maternal  thinking  of  doctoral  student  
mothers  and  their  quest  for  social  justice  in  and  through  education  
Dr.	
  Nancy-­‐Jean	
  Pément	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

Chase,	
  S.E.	
  (2008).	
  Narrative	
  Inquiry:	
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  multiple	
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  N.K.	
  Denzin	
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(Eds.),	
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  Qualitative	
  Materials	
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  Los	
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Ellison,	
  K.	
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  The	
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  New	
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  Teaching	
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Routledge.	
  	
  

Hooks,	
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Lather,	
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  New	
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Matta,	
  A.A.	
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  New	
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  N-­‐J.	
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doctoral	
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  mothers	
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Retrieved	
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  J.	
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