Maths is for Boys and other lies we tell

Girls start to understand gender stereotypes from the age of 6 years old, That is a child in Class 1! Everything you have fed the girl, garbage and gold alike, it starts to manifest in her life from Class 1. Let that sink in.

All that…..girls wear pink, girls don’t play video games, girls don’t do this and that, Mathematics and Sciences are for boys…..all that, sinks in at Age 6, around the time she starts being recognized as a learner by the government.
So if the environment the child is in does not encourage her to explore (read; climb trees, go out and enjoy nature), to experiment (play with that toy car, break it and learn how to fix it again or play that video game) all because she was born female, then don’t be surprised if she, many years later, decides against career choices (read; STEM careers) that need her to do exactly that, Explore and Experiment. Age 6 is also when they start thinking about what they want to do for a career and if the narrative that is being sold to her (by the school, by the adults in her life, by her parents, by the media) is telling her just how much she can or cannot do because of her gender, there is a high probability that she will buy into it, because you are in the adult and in her eyes, you know better. Let us face it, limiting the capabilities of anyone even before they have had a chance to prove themselves is really unfair, so why do it?

Next time you say something to a girl that limits her capabilities in an effort to ”train her to be a good lady” or for whatever other reason, remember that your words might influence her career choice and outlook on what she thinks she is capable of from as young as age 6, that is a lot of power to wield, be careful with how you use it.

Food for thought.

How to detect the bullshit in the News 101

One of the most interesting shows I have ever watched is HBO’s The Newsroom. If you have not watched it, I implore you to. In this era of fake news, a necessary skill to learn is what is now commonly referred to as ”News Literacy” or in other words, ”How to detect bullshit in the News”. Though it is a fictional show, The Newsroom does give us insight of some basic principles that should guide us to understanding whether a news item is worth your attention or not. The principles of News from the HBO’s The Newsroom;

1. Is this information we need in the voting booth? Does it influence how your view a politician’s ability to steer your county/country towards development? Is it touching on issues that affect you or your fellow citizens livelihoods?

2. Is this the best possible form of the argument? How is it the best form of the argument?

3. About the source, is it a credible source or is it a gossip mongering tabloid? How many relevant and proven facts does the argument contain?

4. Is the story in historical context? What happened before this news item broke out, what is the background story? How did this come to happen? Media is notorious for taking a story out of its context and making it appear as something else in an effort to drive a certain agenda or influence your opinions in some way.

5. Are there really only two sides to the story? Life is complicated and there is never only two sides to a story.

It seems like the media’s number 1 tool is manipulating the audience and playing with their emotions instead of presenting hard facts about the case. Emotional manipulation prevents the audience from thinking critically about the matter because at that point in time, it seems to be against their conscience or their heart to critique the matter.
The audience then takes an uninformed stance on the matter with their only evidence being that they feel bad or good about the matter and therefore, it is as they feel. Never mind that facts may have been tweaked or not even presented at all.

This is also seen through how T.V. news programs show footage without explaining the facts about what they are showing all so that the audience can draw their own conclusions as to what is happening which is, in most times, empirically inaccurate.

Need some extra help detecting bullshit in the news, here are some cool resources;

1. http://www.cracked.com/article_18458_6-subtle-ways-news-media-disguises-bullshit-as-fact.html
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7eCB2F89K8

Explore more articles and resources out there, there are plenty and spread the word! Together against bullshit in the news.

How to Develop a Love of Learning in school 101.

I have spent the past two days visiting some schools deep in Maasai land and started to realize the realities of Education in Kenya particularly in the rural areas.

You would often hear about how tough life is in the rural areas in any developing country but once you visit a rural school, that reality hits home. A lot of the amenities that are readily available and almost a crime to miss in an urban school become luxuries in the rural areas and the bar is set quite low for the students owing to the adverse challenges they face while trying to get an Education. That notwithstanding, I have found that regardless of the area in which a school is in, for students to become successful there are certain factors that need to remain constant. Contrary to popular thought, technology is not one of them. Here are some of the things I have found to be the most important;

1. Teaching Staff who have a passion for teaching. There are those teachers that teach because it pays the bills and there are those teachers who teach because they would like their students to develop a love of learning. The latter are ideal. It is easy to identify a teacher with a love for teaching; they often know the names of every student by heart and their performance in class and have mastered every student well enough to be able to tell how to best encourage each student in their class. They are always out to get the best content for their students and the outcome of their work shows over the years in the performance of the students that have passed by the hands of such teachers. If you listen to the students, they would often refer to this teacher as having been instrumental in helping them love learning.
2. A Principal that leads the teachers and manages the school. It is very important that the order prescribed in the sentence above is observed. If the teachers are happy with the leadership that a Principal offers, managing the school becomes an even easier task. The Principal must care about the students by caring about the teachers and ensuring that they have all the materials they need to teach. He/she also needs to be a good steward of resources, ensuring that the school’s resources are managed optimally for the good of the students and teachers. This leads me to my third point which is….
3. Sufficient school resources. I have found that good water supply, ample and comfortable accommodation (for boarding schools), good and healthy food, a source of electricity….go a long way in creating an enabling environment for learning in a school. If you knock off the water, then there is undue stress and that definitely affects the ability of students to bring their A game to the table.
4. A community that encourages learning. One of the most vivid memories from my visit to these schools in Maasai land was how rampant forced early marriage and FGM (Female Genital Mutlitation) is. When a young girl is such areas approaches adolescence, she is considered prime for early marriage with circumcision as a prerequisite and often their families would begin making arrangements for this. Fast forward to 2018, these two practices have been declared illegal and community leaders are now heavily engaging in campaigns to end the practice. However, seeing as this is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Maasai, this will take time. Even with the progress achieved so far, these girls still go home to a community that, at the back of their minds, judges them for choosing to go on with an education rather than get married; that thought does nothing to build the confidence of these girls which in turn ends up affecting their academic performance. Community; love them or hate them, they are here to stay and you have to get them on your side if you want prosperous students. The flip side of the previous example would be a community that is heavily invested in the Education of their children that they will constantly follow up on the progress of the students and give of themselves so long as it goes towards the betterment of the students and school; this is often a lovely sight to behold.

This experience is an encouragement to us to appreciate the little or much we have and to genuinely love learning; there are many that are learning far much more with significantly less resources.

 

Rebranding the Blog!! Lovin’ on Africa

Hey Y’all!!

I am back!!!!! 🙂  It has been years since my last blog post and a long journey (that is still on going) of soul searching and trying to make sense of every day as it comes but I am back, albeit different and grown than a few years ago. I will share tid bits of my journey over the past few years occasionally but my main focus will be m

One of the things I have discovered in my journey through life is how much I love Africa and her people. The good, the bad and the ugly. Nothing warms my heart more than hearing stories and news of how Africa is growing and getting better every day, I live for such stories, and so that is what I am going to be doing now, sharing stories of how Africa is developing, thriving and happy.

Why? You may ask.

There is no shortage of negative content out there about this continent, and most international news outlets do not seem keen on reversing the current rhetoric of the poor, violent, hungry, corrupt Africa and I am just sick of it! Time for some refreshing change, it is time for some good news about Africa. it is time that the world knew how awesome Africans are! Life is hard enough already.

I will add in a twist to this, I will occasionally share current good news about the continent but also share aspects of our history as a continent that is mostly unknown or un-explored. Before colonization, Africa was self-sufficient and governed itself, and this blog is dedicated to sharing that in bits and pieces, every week. I hope this educates someone out there and gives Africans the hope and inspiration to know who they are and believe in themselves as they move forward.

Should you want to share content with me on the same, feel free to hit my inbox!

Much love,

Muthoni

Life and Poetry; Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas

The greatest existential bummer in life is that all good things shall come to an end. It is also one of the only things that human beings can accurately predict albeit tragic as it is.

I heard of this poem from the movie ”Interstellar”, directed by Christopher Nolan; but didn’t fully comprehend it until I found myself saying goodbye to something good I had and feeling utterly nostalgic about it.

I hope it inspires you to live life like its going to end.

The poem was written by Dylan Thomas.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Of Love for Poetry; Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Sometimes what we see as others’ shortcomings is really the reflection of our own faults. Wisdom is learning how to discern when it is your fault and when it is not.

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein.

Whosoever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or–
Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

Of love of life and poetry; There is another sky by Emily Dickinson

Happy new year my dear readers!

For the love of poetry, here is a beautiful poem by Emily Dickinson that I feel reminds me of how to live life in a pragmatic way but with optimism, regardless of what changes come. May it give you a profound enlightenment.

There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields—
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is ever green;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!

19 Struggles Of Having An Outgoing Personality But Actually Being Introverted

Introversion Effect

Like many categorizing systems, the separatist thinking behind them attempts to firmly place us in one container or another.  The flaw in these types of systems is that they don’t always take into account the middle areas of the spectrum.  And any system is just that: a spectrum.  I’ve long stated with unequivocal certainty that I’m introverted.  My friends, however, look at me askance, because I’m actually very fun-loving and outgoing when I need to be.  So on that introvert/extravert spectrum, I fall somewhere to the introverted side, but exhibit limited extroverted tendencies.  Here is an article found online that I have updated to reflect this spectrumized system.

1. You’re not anti-social, you’re selectively social.

2. At any given point, you have one (maybe two) best friends who are your entire life. You’re not a “group of friends” person. You can’t keep up with all that.

3. Social gatherings…

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In Your 30s

chanyado

You will look back and see yourself, from outside yourself. An awkward looking not yet awkward feeling young girl, all teeth and pudgy limbs, barefoot on the carpet, swirling on tip toes, feeling her dress swish and swoosh. Hips, shoulders, arms, neck, wrists; moving, flailing, jerking, gyrating, flicking, twisting, swaying. Pupils dilated in the pleasure of the moment, music surging through the body. A pair of drum sticks at rhythm’s bidding. She of the big toothed smile, slurping up the adoration of adults gathered around, revelling in the experience of them enjoying her, enjoying her self.

Then it will change. You will remember the feeling of confusion, but not how the message was relayed; that it wasn’t appropriate to be dancing for the adults anymore. It will come as an inwardly radiating awareness, that there existed a self to be conscious of. A self that existed outside of you. A…

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Acceptance

Acceptance- The moment when you realize that you are complete.

The world is full of appearances; laws and rules that everyone needs to be accepted. Multi-billion dollar industries have been created in an effort to display an ‘alter-persona’ of ourselves, our real selves being personalities with less desirable traits or traits that are not popular enough. Selves that have real underlying issues, we hide them from the world as we are the only ones with issues, as if we are the only ones with skeletons in our closets.

Or maybe it is just so we can get ahead because someone told us that only the good looking or the people with smooth, amiable personalities get the best opportunities and the best of what life has to offer. But at what point does keeping up appearances move from just an appearance for the play to full out lying to ourselves? The skeletons in our closet still remain. I guess we forget what true acceptance feels like. So we keep on toiling day and night to get included in the fold. To make sure that our reputation is that of a “cool” person who is good to all and strive so hard to make sure strangers love and accept us.

We go through that circus but alas! in the 11th hour we shall realize that the only thing that matters is self-acceptance.

Hence, Acceptance; the moment when you realize you are complete.