Molly Johnson

Partial Transcript: This is Lexi Reed interviewing Molly Johnson... Molly and I are going to discuss her education and the ways in which it prepared her for dealing with life beyond the classroom. Molly, may I proceed with the interview? You may.

Segment Synopsis: Lexi Reed obtains consent of interviewee Molly Johnson to conduct the interview.

Keywords: consent; education; introduction

Partial Transcript: When and where were you born? What was your neighborhood like? Any sights and sounds that stay with you now? Anywhere else you might have lived and where you live now? Where did you go to College and Grad School?

Segment Synopsis: Molly was born in Charlottesville, Virginia but only stayed there for a year so she has no recollections of Charlottesville. Molly then moved to Swarthmore,Pennsylvania and resided there until she finished high school. Molly's undergraduate degree is from Smith's College in Massachusetts and her two masters degrees are from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.Molly then moved to Oberlin in 1968 and has lived in Oberlin until the present.

Keywords: Massachusetts; Michigan; Oberlin; Pennsylvania; Virginia

Subjects: Places of Residence

Partial Transcript: Where have you worked?

Segment Synopsis: Molly has been employed mostly since College in Oberlin as part time faculty at the Conservatory where she taught Javanese Gamelan music where she was responsible for bringing the gamelan instruments here. In 1982 Molly needed a full time job so she worked as a cataloger of scores in the conservatory library, until 1996.Afterwards Molly was assistant to President Nancy Dye. When Marvin Krislov became President,Molly went back to cataloging at Mudd Library. Some of Molly's expertise is as a violinist, due to this Molly has done a lot of part time freelance teaching of violin since college. Molly retired in 2010,and still continues to teach private violin lessons to pre-college students.

Keywords: Cateloger; Employment; Javanese Gamelan; Oberlin College; Violinist

Partial Transcript: What did your education allow you to discover and nurture?

Segment Synopsis: Education allowed Molly to discover her affinity for music, and that was nurtured. An interest in language was also nurtured. Molly did four years of high school Latin and french in high school. Molly continued French in College. In graduate school, Molly took Chinese and Japanese. In Oberlin,Molly took Spanish due to her bilingual grandchildren. Another skillset that was nurtured due to good schooling was writing, and Molly has done copy editing for people and worked as a ghost writer for former Oberlin President-Nancy Dye. A fascination in eastern things was developed due to her later schooling-eastern music, language and places.

Keywords: Copy Editing; Eastern Culture; Languages; Music; Places

Subjects: Education; Languages

Partial Transcript: How did education help you in this process-was there something special or individual about your education? Like a specific mentor or a specific experience or kind of education?

Segment Synopsis: Molly's liberal arts education broadened her possibilities, and helped her develop these possibilities. Molly also believed that none of her education helped her get a job excluding the fact that she could write well. Molly's education also shaped her personality and her lifelong interests.

Keywords: More possibilites; Shaping of character

Subjects: Liberal Arts education

Partial Transcript: How did education help you in this process-was there something special or individual about your education? Like a specific mentor or a specific experience or kind of education?

Segment Synopsis: Molly had music mentors starting in high school. Molly also went to lots of concerts. Molly also had a good teacher in Smith College,where she obtained her undergraduate degree. Molly obtained a masters in music literature. Molly petitioned to do a recital instead of a master's thesis, to learn more about herself which upon completion of the recital she did.

Keywords: Concerts; Music; Recital

Subjects: Education; Music

Partial Transcript: But also when I was in graduate school, I was exposed to another area that I had never met before. That was I had friends that were starting Chinese.

Segment Synopsis: People were encouraged by the national education act foreign language grant, to study non-western languages like Russian,Chinese and Japanese. These grants paid tuition and gave stipends for those who chose to study these languages at a graduate level. Due to her love of languages, Molly decided to study chinese for two summers. Molly enjoyed this and decided to get her second masters in Chinese language and literature. Because of this degree,Molly was able to go to Taiwan for a year and was immersed in the culture and learned the language. Molly also knew Japanese (PhD Japanese-more written Japanese over spoken Japanese).

Keywords: Chinese; Japanese; Non-western Languages; Taiwan

Subjects: Eastern Culture; Exposure

Partial Transcript: You kind of already touched on this...But why or how has this interest been a source of satisfaction and meaning in your life?

Segment Synopsis: Being able to find musical talents in children is both challenging and rewarding to her, and Molly obtains a lot of meaning from interacting with the kids and their parents. It also has helped her shaped her own legacy through the students she taught. Languages have provided a way for Molly to communicate with people in their language and bring about more civilized discourse. Languages have also made Molly more empathetic with people of non-western language background. It also has fostered a desire to travel to areas where she has a language background.

Keywords: discourse; empathy; kids; languages; musical talent

Subjects: Education; Interests

Partial Transcript: How has education helped you discover your own convictions?

Segment Synopsis: Molly shares that she grew up in a Quaker household that was socially and intellectually liberal. Molly states that she doesn't identify with the convictions of people who have a broader view of the world and people in it and those who aren't similar to them. Molly states that her convictions have made her an open person that can relate to people of all kinds.

Keywords: Liberal; Open

Subjects: Convictions; Education

Partial Transcript: How has living by these convictions played a role in your sense of well-being?

Segment Synopsis: Molly shares that it is not just her convictions that she lives by but also by her interests. Molly states by having so many interest that make her lively and eager to learn more and keeps her going.

Keywords: Interests; Liveliness

Subjects: Well-being

Partial Transcript: Do you think that your education has helped you to feel connected with others?

Segment Synopsis: Due to exposure(partly education),Molly explains that she has a wider range of people she's in touch with. Living in Oberlin also is a sort of education as it has a diversified community. Molly also discusses the students she's taught violin and her teaching experiences and how they impacted her.

Keywords: Diversified community; Exposure to others; Human impact

Subjects: Human connection

Partial Transcript: How does this education help you to feel accepting of yourself and how does it provide a source of well-being for you?

Segment Synopsis: Molly shares that her education makes her not accepting of herself, due to multitude of reasons-Molly finds herself not doing enough with it, sharing it enough, doing more with certain skills. Molly states that her education makes her more hard on herself. Molly also shares that her education also provides her with a wealth of things that keep her focused, and busy.

Keywords: Acceptance; Critique; Education

Subjects: Education; Well-being

Partial Transcript: For you, what has made life worth living?... And in what ways has your education helped you along the way in discovering what matters or to navigate towards what matters?

Segment Synopsis: Molly shares that it is not one particular thing that makes life worth living. Having a people-centered life has shaped Molly and given her variety(in what she has been exposed to). Molly also shares that having a that much diversity in what you work with, also makes your level of expertise lower than a person who strictly focuses on one thing. This tradeoff however is something Molly greatly values as it provides her with greater resources to draw upon. Molly also states that the breadth of what she has been exposed to has helped her discover what matters.

Keywords: Diversity of knowledge; Education; Greater Resources; People-centered life

Subjects: What matters in life

Partial Transcript: Do you have any idea who you might have been without the education you've had?

Segment Synopsis: Molly shares that even without a formal education she would have had her home life which in a way was educational in a broader sense. Molly also shares she would have always grown up valuing learning and valuing people. Taking out those things that she learned at home, Molly shares that she has no idea where she might of been as her home life shaped the later educational path she took.

Keywords: Connection to people; Home life

Subjects: Path in Life

Partial Transcript: Is there anything else you want to talk about that we have not reached before we conclude our interview?

Segment Synopsis: Molly shares that it seems like education was a central and formative to her life. Molly also shares that she believes that there isn't anything more formative than education.

Keywords: Value of education

Subjects: Conclusion