Mike Rose
The Mind at Work
Chapter 2 Styling Hair
Rose introduced with the initial appearance of the Salon, whether it was bright and vibrant with lots of mirrors and playing music. He observed that you begin with making a small road map consulting with the customer on what your going to do, asking as many questions as you want to give them exactly what they want. An interesting fact is that 90% of hair stylists are women although men and women both need their hair done. Rose discussed how there is a wide range of salons such as homes, small neighborhood shops, specialty shops that are specifically for braiding and also, upscale urban salons. Some hair stylists only do cutting while others will color hair depending on what they are most comfortable with to give the customer exactly what they want. You have to consider the shape of their face, their bone structure. If they wish to have their hair colored, they need to consider their skin tone and eye color. Also, a crucial factor is what type of hair they have, whether short or long, curly or straight, or thick or thin. Another factor Rose observed was hair stylists should reference to pictures of others hairstyles to give the customer a graphic idea of what they could get. There are a number of variables, there could be one specific hairstyle and it would look completely different on every single person although they asked for the same thing. Some have curly hair; others have straight hair or even straight hair with a little wave. Rose discussed that you need to make sure you tell the customer throughout the consultation that their hair looks good and make them feel comfortable by giving eye contact using the mirrors. A lot depends on how you hold your tools. One hand could be used for the scissors and another hand could be used for the comb. Also, tension is a crucial factor. If you pull and tug on the customer’s hair too hard, it could hurt them and give them a negative response to your work and if you pull too hard, the end result could turn out differently than you had originally imagined. Little things are crucial, the angle that you hold the blow dryer, the tension applied while drying the hair, the amount of time it takes you could damaged the hair by making it too hot, and the attachment of the dryer. Even myself, I never have thought into any of these things that Mike Rose discussed. Rose talked about using a hot iron, there are ways you can test if it is too hot by using a towel but you have to use your own judgment, which only takes time to acquire the skill. Also, the hair products used should be only the best such as shampoos, conditioners, gels, and sprays. He also talked about the coloring theory. “You have to develop an eye for how what’s right for one person is not right for the next,”(40). Mike Rose quoted, “ All of the stylists interviewed-from people working in small neighborhoods to trendy and expensive salons- spoke of the importance of determining what the client wants and negotiating one’s aesthetics with client need,”(41).
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Chapter 2: Styling Hair Pgs. 43-55 (Jaclyn Marks)
How does a stylist convert an image the client has in their mind into an actual plan of action and give the client exactly what they want? Mike Rose discovers that first they ask questions about the type of cut the client wants. The client shows pictures and the stylist picks at their hair to get a better sense of what they want. It is a very difficult skill, and a creative one at that, to know what your client wants just by using words. They play with the hair to show them exactly how it is going to be. The client might say they want an inch off but when the stylist shows them with their hands, it might be different than what they pictured (43).
One’s stylist can also be someone they can vent to, like an informal counselor. The client can talk to them about their problems going on in their life or just the latest gossip. Rose says “the ongoing conversation between client and stylist fosters an understanding of the client’s life which contributes to the stylist’s ability to interpret and enact the client’s request, to, as one stylist puts it, discern what the client is truly asking me to do’” (45). If the client feels comfortable about telling them about their life, it puts both client and stylist at ease and the stylist can get a feel of exactly what the client requests. As most clients say, “[my stylists] cuts it the way I like” (45). Mike Rose also points out that by asking questions, getting to know the client more, using gestures and even pictures, the stylist can understand the “literal and the symbolic content of a client’s request” (45).
Mike Rose interviewed a woman named Shandra who owns her own salon for the past eight years. Shandra reveals that stylists have to accept the fact that sometimes clients won’t like the cut you give them sometimes. “You have two human beings, one trying to render a service, the other trying to et you know what [they want]” (46). Another woman Mike interviewed was Nancy who has been styling hair for over 34 years. Nancy talks about how she has different views on styling hair and admits “there’s something very nurturing about it. It is one of the few places in our society where you have permission to touch people. It’s so intimate” (47). Rose concludes that all of the hair stylists he had talked to “raise the aesthetic dimension of the work” (48). He really praises them because it is a lot more work than just cutting someone’s hair. It is physically demanding because you need to spend many hours on your feet and use a repetitive motion when cutting hair which can, to some stylist, start to become a routine. One way to switch it up, stylists tell Mike, is to make different appointments. Have one appointment doing roots and then another one as just a simple cut. Stylists also need to build regulars. By doing this it gets your name out and makes more people want to come to you. You also receive better tips this way.
At the end of Mike’s hairstyling journey, he talks about Sharon who teaches at a beauty school. She talks about the science of doing hair, hair structure, chemistry of coloring hair and the color theory. Mike Rose asks one student what the biggest challenge is in training to become a stylist. She replies “actually doing it, knowing where to cut when hair changes from straight to wavy, seeing how it’ll fall, knowing what it’ll look like on different heads” (55)
One’s stylist can also be someone they can vent to, like an informal counselor. The client can talk to them about their problems going on in their life or just the latest gossip. Rose says “the ongoing conversation between client and stylist fosters an understanding of the client’s life which contributes to the stylist’s ability to interpret and enact the client’s request, to, as one stylist puts it, discern what the client is truly asking me to do’” (45). If the client feels comfortable about telling them about their life, it puts both client and stylist at ease and the stylist can get a feel of exactly what the client requests. As most clients say, “[my stylists] cuts it the way I like” (45). Mike Rose also points out that by asking questions, getting to know the client more, using gestures and even pictures, the stylist can understand the “literal and the symbolic content of a client’s request” (45).
Mike Rose interviewed a woman named Shandra who owns her own salon for the past eight years. Shandra reveals that stylists have to accept the fact that sometimes clients won’t like the cut you give them sometimes. “You have two human beings, one trying to render a service, the other trying to et you know what [they want]” (46). Another woman Mike interviewed was Nancy who has been styling hair for over 34 years. Nancy talks about how she has different views on styling hair and admits “there’s something very nurturing about it. It is one of the few places in our society where you have permission to touch people. It’s so intimate” (47). Rose concludes that all of the hair stylists he had talked to “raise the aesthetic dimension of the work” (48). He really praises them because it is a lot more work than just cutting someone’s hair. It is physically demanding because you need to spend many hours on your feet and use a repetitive motion when cutting hair which can, to some stylist, start to become a routine. One way to switch it up, stylists tell Mike, is to make different appointments. Have one appointment doing roots and then another one as just a simple cut. Stylists also need to build regulars. By doing this it gets your name out and makes more people want to come to you. You also receive better tips this way.
At the end of Mike’s hairstyling journey, he talks about Sharon who teaches at a beauty school. She talks about the science of doing hair, hair structure, chemistry of coloring hair and the color theory. Mike Rose asks one student what the biggest challenge is in training to become a stylist. She replies “actually doing it, knowing where to cut when hair changes from straight to wavy, seeing how it’ll fall, knowing what it’ll look like on different heads” (55)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Chapter 7: Rethinking Hand and Brain (Kaitlyn Metz)
(Summary and Response pg 159-166)
Chapter 7: Rethinking Hand and Brain
Pg. 159-166
Summary: In this section, Mike Rose talks about the beliefs and judgments people have towards different occupations and how many people believe some jobs are more work than others. He says “each type of work is powerful in its own way” (159). The way different jobs get defined has many consequences for example The American Federation of Labor declared welding as a tool rather than a trade and this judgment prevented them from making a separate trade and took away any thought of skill they had. He also talks about how the Department of Labor’s Standard Occupational Classification System can be misleading because they’re analysis come from outside observers. The department’s discussion of waitresses indentifies memorization and manual dexterity as important abilities but then rates coordination and negotiation as low importance. From an outsiders perspective this could seem correct but to a waitress these skills are greatly needed. Mike Rose says, “I find myself thinking of Joe Meraglio’s dictum that there’s no such thing as unskilled work. Sure building a flight of stairs involves more variables, technique, and training than does digging a ditch or hoisting freight. But even the most basic labor requires thought and technique if it’s to be done effectively and without injury…” (162). People make judgments of different jobs based on what they believe about race of gender.
Binary Oppositions:
Brain-hand
Abstract-concrete
Intellectual-practical
Academic-vocational
Pure-applied
Reflective-technical
New knowledge work-old industrial work
Neck up- neck down (165).
Mike Rose says that these binaries make us think that we know the phenomena better than we do and they limit our ability to see, and to honor, the considerable play of mind in physical work (166). Mike Rose believes the most influential binary is academic and vocational because it has had great effect in the high school curriculum which has led to the kind of instruction one receives or the crowd one associates with. “The divide between the two curriculums has been one of the most longstanding and visible institutional manifestations of our culture’s beliefs about hand and brain, mind and work. Thus, I think, it has a great deal to teach us about the contradictions and consequences of those beliefs” (166).
Response: I thought this section was really interesting and made me think a lot. It made me think about how each type of work does require some sort of effort. I found the quote form Joe Meraglio about unskilled work very true. There isn’t one job that doesn’t require work. One job may require more work than others. When I read this section, I thought about my view on different occupations. I always assumed that work that requires and education would consist of more skilled work than an occupation that didn’t require a college education. I now have a different view.
Chapter 7: Rethinking Hand and Brain
Pg. 159-166
Summary: In this section, Mike Rose talks about the beliefs and judgments people have towards different occupations and how many people believe some jobs are more work than others. He says “each type of work is powerful in its own way” (159). The way different jobs get defined has many consequences for example The American Federation of Labor declared welding as a tool rather than a trade and this judgment prevented them from making a separate trade and took away any thought of skill they had. He also talks about how the Department of Labor’s Standard Occupational Classification System can be misleading because they’re analysis come from outside observers. The department’s discussion of waitresses indentifies memorization and manual dexterity as important abilities but then rates coordination and negotiation as low importance. From an outsiders perspective this could seem correct but to a waitress these skills are greatly needed. Mike Rose says, “I find myself thinking of Joe Meraglio’s dictum that there’s no such thing as unskilled work. Sure building a flight of stairs involves more variables, technique, and training than does digging a ditch or hoisting freight. But even the most basic labor requires thought and technique if it’s to be done effectively and without injury…” (162). People make judgments of different jobs based on what they believe about race of gender.
Binary Oppositions:
Brain-hand
Abstract-concrete
Intellectual-practical
Academic-vocational
Pure-applied
Reflective-technical
New knowledge work-old industrial work
Neck up- neck down (165).
Mike Rose says that these binaries make us think that we know the phenomena better than we do and they limit our ability to see, and to honor, the considerable play of mind in physical work (166). Mike Rose believes the most influential binary is academic and vocational because it has had great effect in the high school curriculum which has led to the kind of instruction one receives or the crowd one associates with. “The divide between the two curriculums has been one of the most longstanding and visible institutional manifestations of our culture’s beliefs about hand and brain, mind and work. Thus, I think, it has a great deal to teach us about the contradictions and consequences of those beliefs” (166).
Response: I thought this section was really interesting and made me think a lot. It made me think about how each type of work does require some sort of effort. I found the quote form Joe Meraglio about unskilled work very true. There isn’t one job that doesn’t require work. One job may require more work than others. When I read this section, I thought about my view on different occupations. I always assumed that work that requires and education would consist of more skilled work than an occupation that didn’t require a college education. I now have a different view.
Friday, September 18, 2009
summary and response
Mike Rose doesn’t just look at things as a whole, he separates them then digs deeper into situations. Rose spent time one day with the stylists and was quite surprised from what he saw. He noticed that women today don’t pay attention to what they look like and they rely more on their hair stylists for opinions. Rose states “Hairstyling takes place within a twenty-five-billion-dollar beauty industry, that, at the least, fosters the need for products and services, and, in many respects, has created the conditions for a terrible exploitation of desire.” He was surprised that the stylists worked to suit their own cultural and aesthetic ideals. The hair stylists will tell their customers what looks good and bad and what they should or shouldn’t get.
To me, Mike Rose really analyzes things. He looks at “work” in so many different ways. I like the way that Rose breaks apart each idea and analyzes them to make it bigger. Its unique the way he makes points to show what work is and how people handle it. He talks about everything from how people bring their culture into work and all the different opportunities people have in life. Mike Rose made me realize how important a stylist’s job is. I think it depends on where you go to get your hair cut. Right before I left for my senior trip to Florida, I decided I wanted to get a haircut. I went to a local chain Hair Cuttery near my house. When I went home and dried my hair I noticed that my hair was cut on a huge slant. Not only was I annoyed that it was on a slant but I was also embarrassed because everyone could notice. I think it’s very important to have a hair salon that you trust and enjoy going to instead of dreading the final looks of your new hair cut.
By Brittany Hargrove
To me, Mike Rose really analyzes things. He looks at “work” in so many different ways. I like the way that Rose breaks apart each idea and analyzes them to make it bigger. Its unique the way he makes points to show what work is and how people handle it. He talks about everything from how people bring their culture into work and all the different opportunities people have in life. Mike Rose made me realize how important a stylist’s job is. I think it depends on where you go to get your hair cut. Right before I left for my senior trip to Florida, I decided I wanted to get a haircut. I went to a local chain Hair Cuttery near my house. When I went home and dried my hair I noticed that my hair was cut on a huge slant. Not only was I annoyed that it was on a slant but I was also embarrassed because everyone could notice. I think it’s very important to have a hair salon that you trust and enjoy going to instead of dreading the final looks of your new hair cut.
By Brittany Hargrove
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Chapter 6: Two Lives a Welder and a Foreman. (Catie Shomaker
This chapter was split into two different stories of two different people that had totally different lives but the same goals and determination.
The first person that Mike Rose introduces to the reader is Lisa Legohn. Lisa is a teacher at the Los Angeles Trade Technical Community College, but there was a lot that Lisa needed to overcome before she reached that place.
Lisa started training to be a welder in high school then entered into the trade when she was 19. She said that it started out as a joke to get to her parents, but then it turned out she loved everything about welding. She states that she considers welding an art. It was not an easy road for Lisa, she constantly had to deal with racial and sexist slurs, but Lisa was determined to succeed in the workplace that was meant for men.
Mike Rose then introduces us to a man named Joesph Meraglio who is actually Mike’s own uncle. Joe had to quit school after 8th grade so that he could help support his family like all immigrant children had to do. Joe did not face the harassment that Lisa had to endure but he did have to find a good, stable job with barely any educational background.
Throughout the chapter, Rose goes back and forth between Lisa and Joe sharing their stories. Their stories show that they both have strong determination and motivation. Even though Lisa was constantly harassed, she was doing what she loved to do and that is what kept her going. Nothing could stop her. Joe’s work was tedious and not so pleasant, it was not his passion working with trains, but he had another motivator: supporting his family.
Both Joe and Lisa showed the right attitude and work ethics, they were able to feel a high sense of security from their achievements- something that people who were born into money could not really appreciate since they were born right into security.
Both Lisa and Joe started at the bottom and both ended up on top. Lisa went from a lost student to a teacher as Joe went from a lowly laborer to the superintendent of General Motors.
I think that both of these stories are truly inspirational. Both had to work hard in order to achieve what they wanted. They show that you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it and seize the opportunities that come your way. Everybody has a different reason as to why they do the work they do. Lisa was lucky because she found something that she loved to do at an early age. Joe’s reason was to support himself, but mainly his family. I think that Joe did end up loving his work later on because he achieved it all by himself.
There stories are different but their passion helped them reach the same goal: success.
The first person that Mike Rose introduces to the reader is Lisa Legohn. Lisa is a teacher at the Los Angeles Trade Technical Community College, but there was a lot that Lisa needed to overcome before she reached that place.
Lisa started training to be a welder in high school then entered into the trade when she was 19. She said that it started out as a joke to get to her parents, but then it turned out she loved everything about welding. She states that she considers welding an art. It was not an easy road for Lisa, she constantly had to deal with racial and sexist slurs, but Lisa was determined to succeed in the workplace that was meant for men.
Mike Rose then introduces us to a man named Joesph Meraglio who is actually Mike’s own uncle. Joe had to quit school after 8th grade so that he could help support his family like all immigrant children had to do. Joe did not face the harassment that Lisa had to endure but he did have to find a good, stable job with barely any educational background.
Throughout the chapter, Rose goes back and forth between Lisa and Joe sharing their stories. Their stories show that they both have strong determination and motivation. Even though Lisa was constantly harassed, she was doing what she loved to do and that is what kept her going. Nothing could stop her. Joe’s work was tedious and not so pleasant, it was not his passion working with trains, but he had another motivator: supporting his family.
Both Joe and Lisa showed the right attitude and work ethics, they were able to feel a high sense of security from their achievements- something that people who were born into money could not really appreciate since they were born right into security.
Both Lisa and Joe started at the bottom and both ended up on top. Lisa went from a lost student to a teacher as Joe went from a lowly laborer to the superintendent of General Motors.
I think that both of these stories are truly inspirational. Both had to work hard in order to achieve what they wanted. They show that you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it and seize the opportunities that come your way. Everybody has a different reason as to why they do the work they do. Lisa was lucky because she found something that she loved to do at an early age. Joe’s reason was to support himself, but mainly his family. I think that Joe did end up loving his work later on because he achieved it all by himself.
There stories are different but their passion helped them reach the same goal: success.
Chapter: 7 Rethinking Hand and Brain(Paul Lonergan)
In Chapter seven Rethinking Hand and Brain Mike Rose taalks about how immigrants have an unfair way or work. Mike Rose says"They were like your grandfather ,off the farm, didn't know those tool, hellnever saw a steam engine in their lives.But they learned what to do,and they coordinated what they did."(Rose 142). His uncle said that to him as he was walking out of a movie theter. Then Mike Rose goes on to talk about Fredrick winslow Taylor's bookThe principals of Scientific Managment In this he talks about how "It captures American industry's traditional seperation of managerial intelligence from worker production."(Rose 142)In this he shows how a worker named Schmidt who moves pig iron can move it faster, and quick by breaking it down to a science.He also pushes them faster and makes them work harder. Taylor makes fun of his intelligence by saying "are you a high priced man?"(Rose 143). Schmidt is confused by this question and taylor gives up and tells him to listen to the supervisor, and do exactly what he says. At this time there were no labor laws, no minimum wage,or anything haveing to do with safety so schmidt did not why he was moving iron. He did not know what he was getting paid he just did as he was told. Like most immigrants that came over they were knew very little and were used for little money, doing not the smart things like people in America were doing, but to the immigrants. Show that the real difficulties are in an office not actually physically moving equipment.
Response:I think this chapter it show how hard working people, can be used to make them work harder. and for the people in the offices to make money off the blue collar workers. I can relate to this, because two summers ago I helped build a deck, and the guy really building it would barely do the work, and all he would do was the measuring the smart work for me I guess, but i picked up all the wood sawed it and nailed it in while he just directed the operation. Mike Rose really does a great job in this chapter of showing all the aspects of blue collar and white collar work.
Response:I think this chapter it show how hard working people, can be used to make them work harder. and for the people in the offices to make money off the blue collar workers. I can relate to this, because two summers ago I helped build a deck, and the guy really building it would barely do the work, and all he would do was the measuring the smart work for me I guess, but i picked up all the wood sawed it and nailed it in while he just directed the operation. Mike Rose really does a great job in this chapter of showing all the aspects of blue collar and white collar work.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Chapter 1: "The Working Life of a Waitress": Summary and reflection (Elizabeth Wingerter)
Chapter 1: “The Working Life of a Waitress”: Summary and reflection
Summary:
As Mike Rose acquires information from his mother about her job experience as a waitress beginning in the 1950s, she expresses what most waitresses come across in their everyday “work life”. He describes how challenging this job can be even though it is considered as “the least skilled lower class occupation,” (Rose 2). Rose believes that this occupation requires physical, social and cognitive skills when working. In the last half of the chapter he describes how important it is to contain an emotional dimension (Rose 20). This basically means providing every service needed, even if it is not necessarily required. It seems that being a waitress requires much effort in social situations when working with customers, managers, cooks and co-workers. This is the only job that requires a person to change their social dynamics each day in order to fit the role the customers want (Rose 21). For example, some want to see their server as a “mother, daughter, servant, friend or sexual object,” (Rose 21). In this field of work a waitress’s definition of “service” is altered because it depends on the consumer’s wants and needs that constantly change from table to table. It is then the work of a waitress to obtain these roles in order to fulfill the requirements in their job. The waitress- customer interaction is considered to be the most important part in this career because it directly relates to the process of emotions that come with being a waitress (Rose 22). Throughout this research it is easy to see that a waitress needs to have a great memory, the ability to stay focused, the physical stamina to last though the rush, and the process of keeping a ratio of waitress- consumer interaction (Rose 22). In the end Mike Rose’s mother recalls that even though the job is hard, “it’s interesting. You learn a lot as a waitress. You work like hell. But you learn a lot,” (Rose 24). Roses’ mother enjoyed this career because it never got boring even though it was a challenge. It gave her a sense of value and an identity throughout her life.
Reflection:
I chose this particular chapter because I also happen to be a waitress. Everything that Mike’s mother mentioned I have directly experienced. It takes many skills to “perform” each night on the dining room floor and it is nice to see someone break down the requirements of being a waitress. Reading this section of his book actually got me thinking differently about my job. I never though of myself as “changing character” in order to talk with my customers. However, I now realize that I do this every time I receive another table. I knew I had to have a physical stamina and the ability to think on my feet, but I never pictured my job as having an “emotional dynamic”. I do agree with Rose’s mother in the end when she mentioned that this service gave her the most sense of value because of all skills she had to acquire during this career. She said that this job gave her fulfillment and an identity even though it was not the most glamorous job. “This work provided her with a way to feel useful, engage her mind, and be in the flow of things” (Rose 6).
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