You and your parents sit down at a restaurant, and the server turns out to be your professor. It could be awkward. It could be embarrassing. And it could also lead to some serious thinking and questioning about our attitudes toward different kinds of jobs. Brittany Bronson is a college instructor, waitress, and contributor to the New York Times, where this article was published in December 2014.
Read it here: Bronson, “Your waitress, your professor”
- At the beginning of her essay, Bronson gives the impression that she is embarrassed by her job as a waitress and feels somewhat ashamed to be found out. As the essay develops, a different impression emerges. Where and how in her essay does Bronson make the shift? Point to specific passages to support your response.
- As a personal reflection, Bronson’s essay does not respond directly to any other author or authors; still, there is a substantial amount of They Say in her essay. What is it? What form does it take? How does she respond to it?
- Bronson concedes that the blue-collar, non-college-educated people with whom she works “are some of the kindest, hardest-working people I know…and I find it difficult to tell my students to avoid being like them.” Still, she is not arguing that higher education is not worthwhile. What, exactly, is she arguing? Do you agree? Why or why not?
- How might you feel if you went to a restaurant with your parents and your server turned out to be one of your teachers? Would you have more respect for the teacher? Less? Why? Would you treat the server more respectfully? Less? Why? Write an essay addressing all of these questions; finally, discuss your internal process of reconciling the dual roles of the teacher/server with whom you interact.
They Say I Blog 
I am a bird. Flying…
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I thought this was a very good article to read. I looked at the situation from all angles. Bronson explained how she was a teacher, but she also worked as a waitress in Las Vegas. Reading this article, it shows how you can be highly educated, but still struggle. I personally thought that the article was a reality check. Another thing I enjoyed about this particular read was how we often judge people based off their job, the way they speak, dress, etc., but looking at Bronson, she has a master’s degree and she still has to work a blue collar job. Bronson explained how she was embarrassed that she had seen one her students dine in her restaurant for dinner. She was embarrassed at the fact, she teaches one thing and does another. She tells the students that they should go to school and get a higher education, but here she is working at a restaurant because she’s struggling with only having one job. The biggest lesson from reading this article is, don’t judge people based off the job they do. You never know what background a person come from. For example, I know people who are well off, but don’t have anything to do with their spare time, so they decide to pick up a part time job just for the fun of up. Others may actually need to work that part time job because they may have children to provide for, or they might need to help pay bills around the house, or anything. There was so much information to take in after reading this article and overall, I enjoyed it.
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I believe that Bronson began her essay appealing to the common assumption that service work is shameful and degrading. In reading the rest of her statement, I realized that she had a great deal of intellectual humility towards the subject. She was humble amongst her peers in the restaurant and respected the lessons that were to be learned from them, she valued them as hardworking people. She appeals and acknowledges the assumption of college degrees meaning the end of economic struggle. She does not imply that earning her degree was unnecessary, I feel she speaks the truth that whether you have a degree of not you are likely to struggle. If you learn from the life you lead, you will learn how to survive from a survival job. The education that Bronson earned with her degree is what has empowered her to continue reaching for her PHD. I can imagine the doubts that parents may have when sending their child to a university and the local server is providing education, but that assumption is implying that there is nothing to be learned from the person who brings food to your table. I was a server for ten years before I decided to become a teacher. This of course meant becoming a student first, climbing the ladder from AA degrees, to a doctoral degree and at some point I will be much like Bronson, pushing towards a greater goal and surviving through established talents to earn money. What kind of lesson would students learn from a teacher who has never struggled? How many people become service workers and never attempt an education because, they are so heavily scrutinized for their lack of education, that is perceived as being incapable of any intelligible purpose? Yet these people are the problem solvers, memorizing orders and specials, calculating change, charismatically entertaining, prompt multi-tasking machines, working together like bees in a hive, all for hours at a time on their feet with rare opportunities for bathroom breaks. This kind of training makes anyone capable for any job and I would be comfortable learning from someone who refusing to give up hope on her dream.
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It has become common today to dismiss those with blue collar positions. People with blue collar jobs perform “manual labor.” They may engage in manufacturing, mining, custodian work, even waitressing. It is often for people to degrade individuals who hold blue collar positions because some feel as if those individuals were too lazy to do “better” for themselves. I see nothing wrong with those with blue collar jobs, but I personally feel as if people can do better, especially if their circumstances allow them to. If I were out with my parents and my teacher happened to be the server, I wouldn’t feel a sense of shame. There may a level of awkwardness, but I would have even more respect for the teacher. I don’t the circumstances that have led them to become a server, but I would not lose respect for the teacher in the restaurant nor the classroom. Teachers often advocate advanced education. There must be a logical reasoning behind it, but there may be something in blue collar jobs that individuals are missing. I believe working in a blue collar field and also being around those in the field can teach an individual respect and humility. Teachers must go through hard years of work to achieve their position. If my teacher had the courage to “lower” their standards and accept a job society looks down upon, I would gain even more respect for them. As Bronson said, “Embarrassment is not an adequate term to describe what I felt…” I wouldn’t want my teacher to feel ashamed of their side job. It’s a must to respect everyone you encounter. Seeing my teacher serving me wouldn’t change that. People shouldn’t be treated differently because of their lots in life. “ If my students can imagine the possibility that choosing to do work with their hands does not automatically exclude them from being people who critically examine the world around them, I will feel I’ve done something worthwhile, not only for those who will earn their degree, but for the majority who will not.” These conclusions will have significant applications in how people treat individuals with blue collar jobs as well as respect for all in general.
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In her article,”Your waitress,Your Professor” Brittany Bronson seems very ashamed to be a waitress at first. As the story goes on her opinion and tone change. Bronson being a college professor, feels embarrassed for having to work a waitress job. In the beginning of her article she writes on how she serves one of her students. According to Bronson “sitting at the first table in my section” was one of her new students, eating with her mom. She goes on to state ”Embarrassment is not an adequate term to describe what I felt when those parents looked at me, clearly stupefied, thinking, “This waitress teaches my child?.” Further into her article she changes her thoughts on the situation. In the last two paragraph she seems proud. She states ¨If my students can imagine the possibility that choosing to work with their hands does not automatically exclude them from being people who critically examine the world around them, I will feel I’ve done something worthwhile, not only for those who will earn their degree, but for the majority who will not.¨ In addition, she refers to her co-workers as “some of the hardest-working people she knows.” She starts to realize that everyone is their own person and she argues against societyś opinion.
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At the beginning of her essay, Bronson gives the impression that she is embarrassed by her job as a waitress and feels somewhat ashamed to be found out. As the essay develops, a different impression emerges. Where and how in her essay does Bronson make the shift? Point to specific passages to support your response.
In Brittany Bronson’s article, “Your Waitress, Your Professor”, she displays that she starts off being very ashamed for being a waitress; However, she makes a shift in the end. “We expect our teachers to teach us, not our servers, although in the current economy, these might be the same people.” Bronson reflects on the “white collar” “blue collar” ordeal: The people who “serve” and work are the teachers.
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Many people today hold Blue collar jobs, in this article Bronson discusses her experience about running into a new student at her second job as a waitress. She starts off the article stating how she feels embarrassed at the fact that she would be cleaning after her own student, but then comes to realize that it shouldn’t matter what type of job you have. Your job doesn’t specify on who you are and how far anyone has gone with their education, others may call those with blue collar jobs lazy or view them ass the type of people who didn’t pursue their education. I personally wouldn’t judge or loose respect for anyone who has a blue collar job, I don’t know their background story or anything about them to have the right to judge them for what they do. For all I may know that may be one out of 3 of their jobs, or they can be like Brittany Bronson’s situation where she is a professor and still has a job as waitress. If I were in her shoes I would care what anyone else would have to say about what I am doing, at least I was doing something. I feel as if she is trying to argue that education doesn’t specify you as a person, she continues to describe how even others who studied and payed “40,000 for their education still manage to live life in debt. She doesn’t want anyone to love that type of life. I agree with her opinion on how education doesn’t specify you and your capabilities. She states “It is a shame I share with many of my blue-collar colleagues, a belief that society deems our work inferior, that we have settled on or chosen these paths because we do not have the skills necessary to acquire something better. It is certainly a belief I held for the majority of my undergraduate experience.” which makes me view the situation different way and allows me to look back and blame it on society. People tend to care more on what people say that the reason they are doing it for. Society needs to stop judge those around them due to their jobs. We are all equal and we all have a way to live our own lives.
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1) Some may say that Bronson is ashamed of her second job, but you can see it other wise. In her text, Bronson is talking about her jobs and states, ” many customer-service jobs generate far more cash (with fewer work hours) than entry-level, office-dwelling, degree-requiring jobs.” As much as you can call that just a fact, it also shows that she takes pride in her hard working to make the money needs to live in her town. It is at this time that she shows us that she does not mind working as a waitress, as she peruses her true passion of learning.
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1) Bronson is embarrassed in the beginning of the story about having a blue-collar job. She tells her students about her teaching job but doesn’t let them in on her waitress job. However She realizes that it’s ok to have that job near the end of the article.
2) This article is mostly all “they say”. Most college professors tell their students to go for the higher paying jobs. When in reality it’s hard to find a high paying job straight out of college.
3) Bronson is arguing that although they have a blue collar job, the person/people still can be one of the smartest and kindest people out there.
4) If I saw one of my teachers as a Waitress/Waiter I would be shocked at first, but I wouldn’t feel the need to judge them. It would be completely rude and unreasonable to judge them based on that fact alone. besides they might only work there cause they need the money.
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I agree with Dakota in that if I saw my professor serving tables in a restaurant, I would be surprised and confused at first, but I wouldn’t judge him or her because some people have to work on the side to make ends meet and you shouldn’t judge others based on wat they work or how they obtain their money in order to provide for their family. I think there may a be a problem with the amount of money a young professor may make before earning tenure, especially if they have to go out and work a side job like that, however, I don’t think that there is a huge problem with the potential of a bachelor degree being close to worthless. There are plenty of people getting jobs out of college and most jobs you may need a college degree to obtain the job. Thus making going to college a wise investment as it will most likely increase the amount of money you will make in the future.
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In the article, Your Teacher, Your Professor, the author brings up the difficulties that one may face when trying to make a living after college. I agree with Carol Sponagle when she says, “Finding out that the profession that’s being modelled is not one that supports an adult lifestyle or family can be disillusioning.” As a college student, it would definitely be disheartening to know that the teacher of my class has to have a job on the side in order to pay the bills. It would definitely get me thinking about whether what I want to do with my life will be able to support me and my future family. I think that when students are in college, they don’t really think about the reality of potentially having to work more than one job at a time because no one would want to have to do that. However, I would respect my teacher for doing what she has to do to support herself and her family because that is what’s most important. I don’t think I would necessarily feel awkward in the situation and I wouldn’t think of my professor any differently. I think the fact that many of the waitress’s, or professor’s, coworkers have degrees and aren’t college dropouts just shows that having a degree doesn’t guarantee employment. I think this article is successful in bringing to light some of the topics most people don’t want to talk or think about when it comes to employment and being financially stable after college.
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In the article, Your Teacher, Your Professor, the author brings up the difficulties that one may face when trying to make a living after college. I agree with Carol Sponagle when she says, “Finding out that the profession that’s being modelled is not one that supports an adult lifestyle or family can be disillusioning.” As a college student, it would definitely be disheartening to know that the teacher of my class has to have a job on the side in order to pay the bills. It would definitely get me thinking about whether what I want to do with my life will be able to support me and my future family. I think that when students are in college, they don’t really think about the reality of potentially having to work more than one job at a time because no one would want to have to do that. However, I would respect my teacher for doing what she has to do to support herself and her family because that is what’s most important. I don’t think I would necessarily feel awkward in the situation and I wouldn’t think of my professor any differently. I think the fact that many of the waitress’s, or my professor’s, coworkers have degrees and aren’t college dropouts just shows that having a degree doesn’t guarantee employment or being able to make a lot of money. I think this article is successful in bringing to light some of the topics most people don’t want to talk or think about when it comes to employment and being financially stable after college.
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I agree with Bronson that blue collar work is not inferior to jobs that require college degrees. I believe this because I know that it takes a different kind of intelligence for someone to succeed in blue collar work. The people who work blue collar jobs are not failures in life. In reality, there are blue collar workers who actually have college degrees. The intelligence might not be book smarts, but the intelligence that they use is very important in life. The intelligence that they use requires them to use planning and problem solving skills. The physical work that blue collar workers perform is social and interactive. It requires them to critically think about how they are going to get the job done efficiently. Sometimes they have to work together in order for them to get a job done, and that requires a certain level of intelligence since they have to work as a team and work efficiently. Blue collar workers sometimes have to interpret blueprints in order for them to get the job done. When people say that blue collar jobs do not require high level of intelligence, I argue that it actually does. Even though white collar jobs require a college degree, it does not necessarily mean that white collar jobs are the only jobs that require intelligence. Bronson is trying to show that their is an inaccurate division between blue collar jobs and white collar jobs. Bronson shows the similarities between the two professions of being a waitress and a professor. I agree that their are similarities between blue collar jobs and white collar jobs. Both jobs require a certain amount of intelligence in order for someone to perform adequately. Both jobs have a certain level of difficulty to them, and neither of them are easy. Both jobs require a long time in order for someone to get where they want to be.
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In the article, “Your Waitress, Your Professor”, the author Brittany Bronson describes her personal experience of being an adjunct professor as well as a waitress in Las Vegas.
Bronson begins her article by revealing an occasion where she once had to wait on a new student and her parents at her waitress job. The author discloses the embarrassment and shame that she felt. In a way, Bronson also felt like a hypocrite. Bronson was teaching her students that getting a degree meant avoiding the kind of jobs that Bronson herself was partaking in. That while many of her fellow colleagues are barely above the poverty line, that white collar jobs are supposed to grant the students more economic security than “survival work”.
Bronson clarifies that in Las Vegas the line between blue-collar work and white collar work is thin. Many of the blue collar customer-service jobs provide more income than degree-requiring jobs on the entry-level. The author admits that she earns three times more income being a waitress than as a professor. Bronson admits that to earn a sustainable income in her chosen profession, she will need at least a doctorate.
While blue-collar and white-collar are two different lives, Bronson states that she has started to see their similarities. US society tells us that blue-collar jobs are inferior. Even though the employees work hard, they are only on that path because they do not have the necessary skills to be white-collar. The author states that she once felt that shame that society pushed on her but she no longer does. Bronson declares that her restaurant co-workers are not failures; they are the hardest-working and kindest people she knows. The author’s stance is that the social status division between blue-collar work and “intelligent” work is inaccurate.
I personally do not have any common ground with the author because I have not yet applied or been employed at a job. However, I do have parents that have worked all their lives in blue-collar jobs. My mother has always been a model employee wherever she worked. Her customers loved her, her co-workers respected her, and her employers depended on her. I completely agree with Bronson’s argument that blue-collar work is nothing to be ashamed of. My mother may not have a college degree, but that does not mean she is less efficient or does not work hard.
It is ironic that in a nation that believes you should “pull oneself up by one’s own bootstraps” that we shame those who work to survive. I honestly believe that no work is beneath anyone and if everyone started off with the dirty, hard-working, and undesirable jobs then maybe they would not look down on the individuals who help society function. Some individuals who work blue-collar jobs will work harder than a white-collar employee ever will. We should evaluate a worker’s worth based on how hard they work, their level of competency, and their attitude. Any person who works hard and tries their best should feel proud of themselves and their work.
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After reading the article it had some impact on me because it made me look back to when I was in high school and I had seen my history teacher working at the local mall where everyone would go shopping. She worked in the Victoria Secret store, I always thought it was awkward and weird to be seeing a teacher outside of the classroom. Later, I found out she recently just had gotten married but did not announce it to her students, she is paying for a wedding, and a new home. Looking at it from her view, she was working extra to help her new family, what anyone would do to have a comfortable life. I think if she were to be fitting a student that could lead to an embarrassing moment, but she is just doing the job requirements at both workplaces. It is not demeaning to have a second job as a sale clerk but simply extra work. Yes, she had gone through higher education and has a steady job, but this had shown me there could always be extra work to make a better life in the long run. In the article she said being a blue collar worker made her feel almost inferior to the people she works with at the institution, although claiming the people she worked with at the restaurant were wonderful people. I give respect for accomplished people juggling a profession and a side job.
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