Hammill, Bobbi Ann. "Teaching and Parenting: Who Are the Members of Our
Profession?" CCC 59.1 (2007): 98-124.
Abstract:
This qualitative investigation explores the perceptions of four women
compositionists regarding mothers, teaching, and scholarship in the field of
composition. I examine narrative case studies about four women who have PhDs in
composition from the same doctoral program. Findings indicate that each of these
four women perceives her mother as a literacy sponsor and sees her father as a
literacy doer. Participants reveal that their mothers supported their
educational decisions and encouraged them to gain more education than they
themselves had. Participants pursued a doctorate for practical reasons such as
proximity, cost, job security, promotion, and tenure as well as knowing someone
else who had done it. In addition, each of the four participants identifies as a
teacher first and scholar second, and each also expresses self-doubt regarding
her ability to write and publish academic discourse. Participants view teaching
as an ethical responsibility much like mothering and protect the memory of their
mothers in various ways. Although participants separated from their mothers in
order to pursue higher education, they still exemplified rhetorical ties to
them.