In this episode, Steve chats with Peggy Enderle, who serves as Digital Learning Director of the Learning and Talent Department of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. They discuss what it means to parent during this time, and touch on topics like tiger parenting and how different cultures will approach schooling and academics. Peggy invites us to consider figuring out new ways of doing things: for yourself, and for other people.
LINKS:
We've created a website (updated daily) full of resources to help you with Ministering Digitally Through COVID-19: intervarsity.org/online.
**PLEASE NOTE: The views and experiences shared in this episode only convey the experience of one Asian American woman and that there are vast experiences in this very unique and diverse community.
In this episode, Steve chats with Peggy Enderle, who serves as Digital Learning Director of the Learning and Talent Department of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. They discuss what it means to parent during this time, and touch on topics like tiger parenting and how different cultures will approach schooling and academics. Peggy invites us to consider figuring out new ways of doing things: for yourself, and for other people.
LINKS:
We've created a website (updated daily) full of resources to help you with Ministering Digitally Through COVID-19: intervarsity.org/online.
**PLEASE NOTE: The views and experiences shared in this episode only convey the experience of one Asian American woman and that there are vast experiences in this very unique and diverse community.
Steve Tamayo: 0:03
This disruption stirs up all kinds of things for all kinds of people. For me, it's shaken some of my thoughts about parenting and about ethnic identity. That's the conversation we're gonna have today.
Steve Tamayo: 0:25
Hey, everybody, welcome back to the podcast. This is Steve Tamayo again and we have a special guest for you today. This is actually a turnaround episode where we are interviewing an interviewer. Our guest today was a campus staff at University of California Davis. She was working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, had a remarkable time on staff there. After that, she went on to become an Area Ministry Director in the state of California, and now works in InterVarsity's Learning and Talent department. She is the host of the very successful podcast, The Art of Venn. Welcome to the podcast Peggy Kao Enderle.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 1:03
Hey, Steve.
Steve Tamayo: 1:05
So you have a really cool title with InterVarsity's Learning and Talent department. What is that title?
Peggy Kao Enderle: 1:12
I am the Digital Learning Director.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 1:15
And what are some things you do in your role?
Peggy Kao Enderle: 1:18
Oh I do, ah, a lot of things. I love the opportunity to innovate. So the Art of Venn podcast was one of my projects that I got to try something new, and on top of that, I just love finding the best digital learning solutions for content. InterVarsity has really good content and so thinking about ways to maximize engagement. I think most people, when they think about digital learning, often think about watching a hour long video of a talking head. And I want the chance to show people that it could be so much more. It could be fun. It could be engaging. It could be memorable. And you learn.
Steve Tamayo: 1:58
I want to ask you a question. We're having a conversation earlier in the week. Maybe it was even last week, and you were sharing about where maybe you were prepared for the disruption in ways that other people weren't. Could you tell that story?
Peggy Kao Enderle: 2:10
I know that a lot of parents are feeling kind of stressed out about becoming home schoolers all of a sudden, and I by no means would ever see myself being a home schooling parents. But being Asian American, we talk a lot sometimes, as I was growing up about enrichment activities. So during the summers I'd always get enrichment.
Steve Tamayo: 2:33
What would some of those enrichment activities be for those not in the know.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 2:37
You know, my dad would give us a passage of the Bible and say, "When I come home today, I want you to be able to write this from memory in Chinese." So that was our assignment for the day to do that.
Steve Tamayo: 2:51
Wow. So you grew up with these enrichment activities, this kind of home school experience just as part of your childhood. And you have a child now?
Peggy Kao Enderle: 3:02
Yeah. You know. Oh, my cousin is actually a math specialist. And when she talks about learning math, she talks about being a math omnivore. And so, when I think about doing math as one of the subjects, I think about all the things that we could be doing right now that isn't common core. So we've been doing logic puzzles. I have workbooks from last summer we didn't finish. So Singapore math and critical thinking. So analogies work book. So I have a lot of stuff on hand that I've been pulling out.
Steve Tamayo: 3:35
What did your friends think when they heard that you had these workbooks?
Peggy Kao Enderle: 3:40
With other Asian friends, we'll exchange ideas about what workbooks were getting over the summers. And then, I think, for non Asian friends. I'm often a little more hesitant to talk to this about them because there was that book about the Tiger Mom some years ago. And and it's just the way that different cultures might interpret how you choose to grow your child, especially when it comes to academics.
Steve Tamayo: 4:07
So take me, take me a little closer to the concern there. What is it that you're worried people will think of you if they hear that you're doing work books with your son that you are already prepared to home school even before there was a necessity to home school?
Peggy Kao Enderle: 4:21
Yeah, I think about Amy Chua and just the ways that she got so much push back when she published her book. I think people, sometimes they take it to an extreme, they equated with child abuse. You're pushing your child too hard. You're not letting them be kids is kind of the the dialogue I say back to myself from somebody who may not have the same mindset. You can tell when people are silently judging you and your choices, and we do that a lot as parents when there is a difference in cultures. And so you pick and choose, which is what being bi cultural often is, is you pick and choose your bi cultural too, as well, right?
Steve Tamayo: 5:03
I am. Yeah, my family is Latino and white, and I totally get that idea of picking and choosing, code switching, trying to figure out who am I gonna be to this person in this moment. And I think in the midst of this disruption, there's a chance for us to make maybe even a different set of choices and to reveal some things about ourselves that we might not otherwise.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 5:28
On a personal level, I love my choices. I feel confident about my choices. It is just not fun, especially for me living in Davis, where it's a majority dominant culture. You do live your life keenly aware of how what you do and you say, and what you choose, is filtered through that dominant culture lens.
Steve Tamayo: 5:52
And part of that dominant culture lens is this narrative that says, send your Children to us for their education. And now all of a sudden the disruption has said, you do it.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 6:05
Yeah, and I don't know that I needed permission to begin with.
Steve Tamayo: 6:09
Because you were doing it anyway.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 6:11
I was doing it anyway, and I had plans, already had plans for the summer. You know, and it's so built into the culture of, um when you're an immigrant, that the path towards success is not always obvious when you're not white. And so you're often always just making those choices. Am I going to say yes or no to whichever culture that's impacted you, right? I've been impacted by majority culture. I've embraced parts of it and am still very much Asian. And so there is just a conscious pick and choose and asking myself when I've become too Tiger Mom-ish, where I've pushed my child too hard. So there is a way in which you hold yourself back. But others may not see that because it's all going on internally.
Steve Tamayo: 7:02
And the disruption, it opens this door to a different kind of ministry. I think that could be incredibly helpful thing. You know, if your student and you're listening to this or your faculty person and you're listening to this, to think about in the midst of this disruption, what new opportunities are there for me in my own ethnic identity, my own cultural identity to step into that in a new way. You, Peggy, I think you're modeling that really well. Are there any ways that that's showing up in your broader ministry, particularly your ministry with InterVarsity, with InterVarsity staff.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 7:37
Growing up with parents who maybe didn't speak the language as well as you, you kind of learned to figure a lot of things out on your own, how to navigate systems. And so I think there's just, ah, resourcefulness to figuring out new ways of doing things. So making shifts hasn't been too stressful for me.
Steve Tamayo: 7:57
You did that a lot when you were a kid.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 7:59
Yeah. Sometimes I'd make phone calls for my parents. You know, if they needed to get something done, I make the call for them.
Steve Tamayo: 8:07
Wow. How did that feel?
Peggy Kao Enderle: 8:09
You're asking me a feeling question, Steve...
Steve Tamayo: 8:11
No, I know. I know, we're both thinkers about thinkers. Okay, okay, tell me a story about one of those.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 8:15
So my mom, she worked a full time job and she had to cook dinner. She was also taking ESL classes in the evening at adult school. And so she would always have homework. Often she wouldn't have time to do the homework, so she actually had me do her homework for her so that she could be prepared to go to school. And it was fairly easy for me. But, like back then when you're a little you just knew your mom needed help you didn't really even think about, 'Is this cheating? Is this like, where does the integrity things come in?" But this is just, mom needs to go to school, and she needs to have her homework done.
Steve Tamayo: 8:52
It's just like another enrichment activity for you.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 8:55
Exactly. Right that you're used to just doing things for yourself and doing things for people.
Steve Tamayo: 9:03
Doing things for yourself and doing things for people. I want to encourage you. If you're listening to this right now, hold those two in your mind. What do you need to do for yourself in the midst of this disruption? And what do you need to do for people during the disruption? Keep your eyes open and you may see some unique opportunities. If you're interested in chasing down some unique opportunities to do ministry during the disruption, check out this website on intervarsity.org/online. And, hey, if you want to subscribe to this podcast, you'll have a chance to hear Peggy conduct some of these interviews. She has joined us as a producer on the podcast. This is gonna be awesome. Thanks so much for taking time to be with us Peggy.
Peggy Kao Enderle: 9:48
Thanks Steve, I think it's gonna be fun.