My name is Ashley Lauren. I am many things, but to start, I am a 25-year-old high school English teacher in the suburbs of Chicago, IL.  I graduated with a BA in English Literature with a specialization in Creative Writing, and I will receive my MA in English Studies in May 2010.  I am engaged to a wonderful man, Tim, and we will be getting married on October 9, 2010.  I am the founder and executive editor of the education blog, Equality 101, and I am a feminist in the sense that I believe every person in this world deserves the right to live the life they desire without judgment.  I believe that no one in this world should feel hate or discrimination or oppression.

There is a definite stigma out there about teachers; many people believe that teachers are just people who want an “easy” job with summers off, or that they are just people who couldn’t do anything else.  I can’t even tell you how many times someone has told me that I could be doing something “better” with my life.  These people couldn’t be more wrong.  Out of all of the possibilities I had in front of me when I graduated undergrad, I chose teaching because I believed it was the single, most important thing I could do with my life, not only because of my passion for teaching, but because there is nothing more important in this world than the education of our youth.  My first goal for this blog is to help erase this particular stigma about teachers.

I also believe that feminist and other human rights theory can be incredibly prescriptive.  After all this talk about how women should not feel pressured to marry, have babies, and stay at home with their children, for example, women are often left feeling still pressured, just in the opposite direction.  My second goal here is to show that feminism has many facets, and is truly about having the choice to do what makes you happy.

I plan to accomplish these goals by writing thoughtful, intelligent, well-researched posts about topics ranging from education to family to human rights of all kinds.  I will use this blog to make “small strokes” against the “big oaks” of oppression.

For more information about my posting and comment policy, visit my Policy page.

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