CTA Connections: The First Motorwoman of the Chicago Transit Authority

 

[VIDEO] Happy April 1st!

I consider myself a bit of a railfan and this caught my eye. CTA put out a video about the first woman to be a "motorman" or perhaps she's the first "motorwoman". In 21st century parlance she's the first woman to be a rail operator.

Lena Phillips talks about how she started. There were other women ahead of her as far as being hired as a rail operator, however, she was chosen to be the first to operate the train. She was told of a lot of cameras and she recalls her first day as an operator as very hectic. She even talks about how uniforms weren't cut for women at that point in time.

I saw her metal CTA badge which has her employee number on it. We don't see that anymore. :(

Business Insider: Here are all the ways being a public-school teacher has changed in the last 50 years

When I had graduated from Morehouse College in 2009 at least in the year or so after graduating I had considered going into education. Perhaps when my job situation improved go back to school and get a master's in teaching (and I also had someone who I barely know get in my ear and decide I couldn't handle). Either way it was something that was under consideration years ago.

So I find this article today about how being a public school teacher has changed. I wish I knew some current teachers who can speak on this article.

Chalkboards are now smart boards. Students are using standing desks and stability balls instead of chairs.

With changes in education, K-12 teachers must adapt to new initiatives and reforms.

Some changes to education, such as the increased use of technology, have made teachers' lives easier. But decreased investment in public school has left teachers with stagnant wages and limited resources, leading to waves of protests and strikes across the country.

Here is a look at all the ways being a teacher has changed over the last 50 years.

This part intrigues me, and have heard about this over the years and it begs the question. One change in the past 50 years:

The late 1970s is also when the number of female teachers began to increase. Women made up two in three teachers as of 1981. Today, they make up 76% of the teacher population, which has grown from 2.5 million to about 4.5 million since the '80s.

Where are the men? We need them in the classroom also. Especially for those boys who have no strong male influence in their life.

RELATED: Where are the Black male teachers?

h/t Newsalert 

Armed & fabulous: In Chicago, women worried about violence join gun club.

GO FALCONS

Found this article over at Instapundit. They're talking about a local business that offers gun training classes.

Javondlynn Dunagan, came up with the idea of gun training classes geared toward women, and for the "Ladies of Steel" gun club -- after successful training, the women gather twice a month to practice their skills.

Dunagan served as a parole officer for 25 years before finishing her career in January, but had rarely held a gun when dealing with convicts.

She said she started carrying one after divorcing her police officer husband.

"I was at home by myself with my daughter, and I was used to having a firearm in a home with my ex-husband," she explained. "So, I wanted to make sure that we were safe."

But Dunagan noticed something curious when she visited gun ranges around Chicago to practice.

"I noticed that I never saw two women at the range together or a group of ladies," she recounted.

As for the answer to women who are scared of guns:

That answer prompted her to start JMD Defense & Investigations, offering gun training programs geared towards women. The "investigations" side of the business will debut next year.

Dunagan also offers classes such as the "Mommy & Me Self-Defense Class," where women can bring their daughters, ages 8-18 years, to learn hand-to-hand combat.

"That came about because my daughter was going to college four years ago and she couldn't find a self-defense class on the south side of Chicago," Dunagan said.

Her clients are from the predominantly African-American communities in Chicago's south side, in or near neighborhoods struggling with runaway gun violence.

If you'd like follow JMD (visit their website) on ig. Their offices are located in Beverly at 1447 W. 103rd Street

Our Ladies of Steel Gun Club is growing fast. We support one another, eat at our meetings, we learn together and most importantly we shoot together! We are hearing an awesome presentation about how to clean and maintain our firearms. We offer firearm cleaning classes too!

A post shared by JMD Defense & Investigations (@jmddefenseinvestigations) on Jul 18, 2017 at 4:41pm PDT