Sor Juana is the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish soldier. Her love for learning did not come without many obstacles. She continued her studies at the Victory in Mexico City. She entered a convent while there and started writing plays, essays, and poem. The plays and letters she wrote were disapproved by the Archbishop of Mexico. She was cast into public repentance and silenced. She writes about her obstacles she encountered during her studies in this letter she wrote in "Reply to Sor Philothea". Sor Juana believed God was calling her to write and to her studies. Her family did not approve of either of these things. I believe that my work with children is what I am suppose to do, but not just working with children in general I believe that I need to look beyond the surface and discover what the kids that I am working with are really asking for. In my own family I spend time with my little cousins and help them understand how to love each other, how to behave, and how to enjoy each other's company.
Sor Juana faced many obstacles while being a student and while writing her plays, poems, and essays. Her biggest and most prominent obstacles came not from people who wished her ill will, but the people who loved and knew her. They said things like "This study is incompatible.... You will lose your way" (259). Those words caused her the most pain. She also became ill and the Doctor instructed her to not study for a few days. She went crazy and eventually asked her Doctor is she could read because her mental activity would not affect her illness. He agreed. The law of Athenians was another obstacle for her. The law stated that "anyone eminent in natural endowments and virtues was to be exiled from their republic so that he might not tyrannize public liberty" (259). Sor Juana was exiled from the public by the Archbishop of Mexico. Sor Juana faced many obstacles but they did not keep her from writing and continuing her studies.
I chose to write about Sor Juana mainly because of the second question. Which is what obstacles do you face at your organization. I heard a quote the other day that was "It's not worth having, if it's not worth fighting for". How true is that? If you don't have to fight for it, it probably isn't worth it. I have had my fair share of obstacles working with PLUS Time. Most of them are mainly annoyances, but some bigger obstacles I have had to face are language barriers, between myself and the students. It's hard to understand them when they don't clearly speak English. Another major obstacle is discipline. While I am a volunteer it is hard for me to discipline the kids because I am not a student worker so I can't do anything about what I see. So sometimes the kids get away with little things. Not major things just little stuff. Like not following directions and not cleaning up. These may seem like little obstacles compared to Sor Juana's obstacles, but the do affect me and the way I conduct myself at PLUS Time.
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