ABSTRACT
The title of this chapter is in reference to a powerful personal experience that occurred during the pursuit of my doctoral degree. Discouraged, fed up with school, and wanting to return home, I expressed all of these emotions to my father over the phone. I was just looking for sympathy, but was shocked by his nonchalant reply, “come home, then.” I continued to recall the conversation with my father in the ensuing months and the idea to “come home, then” took on several forms which provoked guiding thoughts for me. First of all, come home, then is a longing for a safety net, which is a place of comfort. This place is one of love and acceptance, which people tend to miss when away for school-related or workrelated endeavors. My father understood me, which he articulated in our conversation. By telling me to come home, he was actually causing the opposite to occur. He knew that was not the option that I was going to take, but by verbalizing the act, he brought out my personal conflict which I had to confront instead of continuing to ignore. He knew that his words would have a reverse effect on me because he knew that even though I wanted to come home to a more comfortable place, I did not want to give up; I was just expressing myself out of frustration. I believe my father was igniting in me the idea, “don’t talk about it, be about it.” I either needed to be about school or about coming home, but talking about either was not getting me anywhere. Secondly, come home, then represents a common ground between Black females. By sharing the bonds of race and gender, the female students profiled in this chapter and I also share common experiences that create an atmosphere of understanding that goes beyond words. We know these shared experiences through firsthand perspectives. Experiences are unique for each individual. However, there are commonalities that we share and can reflect upon. Finally, come home, then represents an invitation for readers to explore and understand the mathematics experiences of two African American eighth-grade females.
