Interview with Joy Block

Partial Transcript: TL: Well, today is Thursday, January 16, 2020...

Segment Synopsis: Interviewer's introduction and sound check.

Partial Transcript: TL: So, I wonder if we could begin by learning about where you grew up...

Segment Synopsis: Asked about her childhood and educational background, JB describes her upbringing in Champaign, IL, coming from a family of professors and educators. Her father was a professor of computer science and her mother was a middle school teacher who became a stay-at-home mom when JB was born, and continued to use her background in education. Her dad was very "professorial" at home, and her mom had most of the authority concerning their children. JB discusses her siblings, all younger.

Keywords: Cornell University; University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign; computer science; educators; teachers

Partial Transcript: TL: Maybe jumping ahead to a question I might have asked later, talking about having a family...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about her sister and brother's educational background and experiences in relation to how they interact with their own kids, and as a new mom, her own infant son. As a kid, JB even developed instructional materials for her siblings, helping them to learn math at a young age.

Keywords: education; educators; teachers

Partial Transcript: TL: So we talked, I guess, a little already...

Segment Synopsis: Asked about what subjects she gravitated to as a child, JB talks about her education in a non-denominational Christian school in Champaign, IL. A longtime "lover of school," she saw herself as someone who was destined to become a teacher. She talks about how her interest in and focus on history developed during these years, describing it as the only discipline where one can examine the history of anything and everything one might be interested in. A student in a Christian school, JB recalls an education geared toward a wide array of folks—not just the wealthy, as religious/private schools are often believed to serve—which aspired to eqip them to live in a broader secular world.

Keywords: Christian schools; history; standardized tests

Partial Transcript: JB: I was gonna say a few other things I did...

Segment Synopsis: Outside of her academic orientation and love of learning and education, JB talks about her love of ballet and dance, which fostered a love of performance and music, as well as an education in thinking about the body in space. In addition to dance, JB recalls a love of musical theater, and when asked about specific productions, describes several of her ballet and musical theater performances, such as Swan Lake, Anne of Green Gables, Cinderella, Oklahoma!, Kiss Me Kate, as well as teaching community theater.

Keywords: ballet; extracurricular activities; musical theater

Partial Transcript: TL: So, what brought you to study at Asbury College?

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about the factors that motivated her to study education at a Christian Liberal Arts College in Kentucky, as well as the ways in which her time at Asbury prepared her not only how to teach, but how to be a teacher within the industry and "system" of education. She recalls the various electives she was able to take in order to complement required classes for the education major.

Keywords: Asbury College; education; evangelical colleges

Partial Transcript: TL: Did you live on campus the first year, second year?

Segment Synopsis: JB lived on campus during all four years of college; where most of her friends also continued to live. She describes these spaces as marked by a lot of school spirit and closeness. In terms of history at Asbury, with four professors, JB recalls her favorite professor, Ed McKinley, who made a lasting intellectual and mentorship impact on her.

Keywords: Asbury College; Ed McKinley; history

Partial Transcript: JB: I lived in an area of Kentucky that's particularly gorgeous...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about the social and geographic environment of Kentucky especially after moving to Lexington, where she began teaching High School after college. Wrapping up the section on her own education, JB recalls professionalization training and opportunities for teachers during college that she enjoyed.

Keywords: Southern politeness; musical theater; teacher education

Partial Transcript: TL: I wonder now-- a perfect transition, I think...

Segment Synopsis: JB describes transitioning into the role of high school teacher in local middle and high schools, first as a substitute/student teacher while still in college, and finally, after teaching a wide range of subjects, learned about an opportunity for a History/Spanish teacher position.

Keywords: Asbury College; high school; middle school; substitute teaching; teacher education

Partial Transcript: TL: And did you get to conceive of your curriculum?

Segment Synopsis: Once hired to a permanent, full-time teaching contact, JB concludes the first session talking about her experiences teaching during those first years; teaching world history, spanish, Economics, Civics, and Geography, having to work with collegues to coordinate across the curriculum and lessons for all their students.

Keywords: high school; teaching; world history

Partial Transcript: TL: Well, we're back with Joy, and now with James...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about loving to teach economics, society, and intellectual/cultural history, but finding civics extremely challenging. Working as a cohort of approximately 9 teachers, JB describes a relatively young cohort of educators, with the exception of one notable "old schooler" who gave her some unexpectedly effective advice.

Keywords: civics; high school teachers; history; musical theater; teaching

Partial Transcript: TL: So, you had mentioned in our prior...

Segment Synopsis: Block describes the Kentucky credentialing process whereby one is expected to complete a masters degree within 10 years of starting to teach. Having struggled with teaching world history, and with a strong background in the discipline of education already, JB decided it was time to enroll in a "serious" history masters program where she could study language while in graduate school. It was at this time she learned about FLAS (Foreign Language & Area Studies) funding, and settled on the study of Indian/South Asian history at around this time. JB was admitted to the UW-Madison History doctoral program to work with Andre Wink and Robert Frykenberg. She talks about adjusting to graduate student life and intellectual culture in that first year, as well as difficulties with her initial advisor.

Keywords: FLAS; UW-Madison; foreign language and area studies; graduate school; missionary education; world history

Partial Transcript: JB: So, I think one of your other questions was...

Segment Synopsis: Admitted to the History Department before it moved to a fully-funded model, JB describes being given the opportunity to teach during her first year because she came to the program with extensive teaching experience; motivated both by the desire to secure funding, and because she was afraid she would miss teaching too much. She was also granted FLAS funding to study Hindi during the academic year, and as a SASLI (South Asia Summer Language Institute) student, describing herself as someone who finds language learning difficult; though it taught her to think about the communities, stories, and materials she studies very differently. These intellectual transformations also benefitted from courses on Braj Indian literature and music with Lalita du Perron.

Keywords: FLAS; Hindi; UW-Madison; graduate school funding; history department; language learning

Partial Transcript: JB: For the tape, I suppose, I'm not sure if this came through on the bio, but...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about changing her subfield of study within the department after completing her MA with Sana Aiyer, who left UW for another institution, and coming to work with Cindy I-Fen Cheng on Indian-American history of the United States. She also talks about her own particular approach to studying the histories of people and local-level relationships and communities rather than broad systems, as well as studying immigration history, then thinking it was "less political" than studying education.

Keywords: Asian American History; Cindy I-Fen Cheng; Sana Aiyer; South Asian History; UW-Madison; graduate school

Partial Transcript: TL: But if you have to do that anywhere, I mean, Wisconsin...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about how studying South Asia and the histories of South Asian populations makes a lot of sense given her own faith background, in terms of a widespread South Asian cultural assumption that "everyone has a faith." Conversely, when she transitioned to U.S. history, she felt like the climate toward faith was less open. She also describes unique challenges of Asian American history in terms of a lack of formal archives; having to be creative and dig for materials in private, family collections of documents.

Keywords: Indian-American history; South Asian history; archives

Partial Transcript: JB: I was going to say, 'cause you had said 'early experiences in the classroom'...

Segment Synopsis: Initially studying and teaching under Prof. Wink, Block describes initial challenges trying to coordinate her background in teaching and wealth of experience with a mentor who had very different ideas about assessment and instruction. Despite these early difficulties, Block describes coming around to appreciate even older modalities of instructional delivery, for example, 'the art of the lecture.'

Keywords: South Asian history; TA; pedagogy; teaching

Partial Transcript: TL: Yeah, anything else that you or James want to add...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about the intellectual and administrative process of making the switch from South Asian to Asian American history, describing the role of Leslie Abadie, History Grad Program Coordinator, and Colleen Dunlavy, then the Director of Graduate Studies, who were helpful and supportive. She also talks about recent changes in the department and how progress toward the degree is evaluated, and compares differences between these two sub-fields.

Keywords: Asian American history; South Asian history; department administration; history department

Partial Transcript: TL: So, this is 2009, 2010. What was the political and social climate like...

Segment Synopsis: Before discussing her experiences and thoughts about Gov. Walker and politics in Madison, JB contextualizes her own political background and position as someone who conceives as herself as a moderate who nevertheless appreciates progressive ideas and projects. She also shares how her perspective as an historian has helped to cultivate an appreciation for the work of unions in protecting workers' rights, even though they sometimes punch above their weight. She also talks about a housemate at the time who was a nurse, who really helped to open her eyes to the realities of workplace abuses that she was facing, and that is is important for workers to be able to bargain together.

Keywords: Act 10; Capitol protests; TAA; unions

Partial Transcript: JB: So, I wasn't against Walker out of hand, because he wasn't a progressive. Right? That wouldn't have been an issue so much for me...

Segment Synopsis: Block recalls how in her experience, Walker's politics sought to drive a wedge between different classes which, in large part because of her own socioeconomic background and status, felt like he was going to have bad policies while in office. This was the lead up to Act 10 / Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill.

Keywords: Act 10; Scott Walker; TAs; middle class; unions; working class

Partial Transcript: JB: On, um, the media of the nation, right, there's all these things that are being talked about...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about the local and national media discourse about Walker and the Bill, both in terms of her family and social media, on campus and in Madison, and also about how the bill was deployed and the recall vote.

Keywords: Act 10; social media

Partial Transcript: TL: The TAA was, you know, one of the stakeholders in the campus community...

Segment Synopsis: JB recalls that in general the History Department showed a lot of solidarity with TAs and graduate workers during the protests. It was at this time, she recalls, that Bill Cronon publicly spoke out, leading to conservative lawmakers submitting a Freedom of Information request to subpoena some of his UW-Madison emails.

Keywords: Act 10; Bill Cronon; History department; TAA; seg fees

Partial Transcript: TL: So we've talked a little bit about changes on campus...

Segment Synopsis: A member of High Point Christian Church and then Lake Trails Presbyterian Church in Madison, JB talks about how these communities contain some of Madison and Dane County's more conservative communities, which have given her access to a wider variety of political perspectives.

Keywords: Conservatives; High Point Christian Church; Lake Trails Presbyterian Church

Partial Transcript: JB: One of the... On a topic like race, right, which has a lot of political valances...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about how her experiences in Graduate school—studying India as a white woman, buying a home in Madison and learning how segregated the city really is—helped her to become more comfortable thinking and discussing issues about racism and ways that her whiteness and other, intersecting forms of privilege, became apparent to her over time, especially now that she has a young son whose own education has become a key consideration. "I know that one is not supposed to sacrifice one's kids on the altar of racial activism, but it does matter. I'm glad I can wrestle with these things now; living in Madison one needs to wrestle with them"

Keywords: learning about race; race; segregation in Madison

Partial Transcript: TL: I'm gonna ask the question by way of thinking about the History department...

Segment Synopsis: JB talks about some of the ways that studying Asian-American history has given her a unique perspective for thinking about race and class in contemporary U.S. politics around issues in education, such as affirmative action, the gender pay gap, and how certain groups of people can be simultaneously marginalized and exposed to forms of advantage in different contexts.

Keywords: Asian American history; Asian-American history; racial hierarchies

Partial Transcript: TL: I guess, is there anything else that you want to add about your experience...?

Segment Synopsis: Block talks about how her perspective on the working of the university, and especially the activism of the TAA, has expanded since her partner became full-time staff member with the university; in effect an administrator. She describes how successive generations of well-meaning TAA leaders and activists sometimes overdetermine the distinction between students, staff, and administrators, people like her partner.

Keywords: Chemistry department; TAA; academic staff

Partial Transcript: TL: I guess the last question I want to ask to maybe bring us full circle...

Segment Synopsis: Even though JB has studied human development and educational theories, what struck her most is the incredible steep learning curve that humans have to become good at being in the world, eg "being bad at eating!" Perhaps in the end, and especially having been a high school teacher, leads her to be more sensitive to what incoming undergraduate students do and do not know or assume about how to be a college student—the things they are, like an infant learning to eat, not good at yet.

Keywords: education; human development; life skills; parenthood; teaching