Thinking Questions 

Chapter 3 Mobilization

1. Explain why Dorothy Vaughan, 32, might want to quit her job teaching high school math to work in the laundry at Camp Pickett on the Army training Center.

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2. Explain why Dorothy Vaughan knew school was the best way to prepare her children. How did the world expect her children to prepare.

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3. Why did Dorothy Vaughan turn down a chance to go to graduate school?

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4. How did the collapse in cotton prices impact Dorothy Vaughan's career? Be specific.

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5. Explain how WII brought opportunities for work into Dorothy Vaughan's life.

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6. Explain why Dorothy Vaughan would assume the bulletin from the Langley job for mathematicians was meant for the eyes of white people only.

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7.Explain what is meant by black jobs and good black jobs. 

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Chapter 4 A New Beginning

1. Explain the decision of Dorothy Vaghan to leave her four children to move five hours away to take on a new career, from the point of view of one of her four children.  What did this mean to her? What did she need to consider before decided to leave her family?  (narrative)

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2. "For 12 years, Dorothy had walked out of her front door and turned left to walk to the school where she worked. But on this morning, she left for her new job at Langley Memorial Aeoronautical Laboratory, she turned in the opposite direction. And she didn't look back." Explain the symbolic meaning of this image. (page 29)

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