Why Should She Feel that Way?
I was tutoring last night and my student told me she had to research a hero. Since she didn't know where to start, I had her type "hero" in google.ca and she got back more than 6 million sites. Feeling perhaps even more bewildered about where to find the one she would write about, I suggested she narrow her search. Reminding her that she was a Canadian girl, I asked her to type in "Canadian heroines", and that's where the problem began. She raised her eyes to mine with an incredulous look and said, "I have to research a man." Wondering if I had encountered a teacher with a narrow mind behind this project, I questioned her about it. She showed me the assignment sheet which was devoid of gender specifications. I continued to question her about it, and she told me she felt she had to research a man, "because no-one wants to read about stuff women do".
That's a statement that says way too much about the attitudes our girls encounter still in school and society at large. I have no problem with Black History Month. The opportunity it provides here in north america to redress a wrong forced on a whole people is important. The ramifications of slavery's period in out history are still manifesting themselves today. In the spirit of "There will be no-one left" we need to continue addressing the topic of hate in regard to its ability to rebound on absolutely everyone.
We don't need any more special months, however, designated for special groups. I heard recently that there is a push for a "Latino History Month" being mounted. No, we don't need it. There are not enough months in the year to cover all the groups. Spend too much time looking at groups and you find you're just giving more and more time to the things that divide us, anyway. How about looking more at things that unite us?
It doesn't matter what group you're looking at, they're all composed of male and female. Too many groups victimize their own females, and little to nothing is done about it. We need to do more to show our young people that being human is what counts, being compassionate and moral is what's important. Being one gender or the other should not be the most important consideration in whether or not respect is given to an individual. The colour of their skin or the way they cook their food should have no bearing at all.
There should be no more female members of any group feeling they have to find a male to research because "no-one wants to read about stuff women do".
That's a statement that says way too much about the attitudes our girls encounter still in school and society at large. I have no problem with Black History Month. The opportunity it provides here in north america to redress a wrong forced on a whole people is important. The ramifications of slavery's period in out history are still manifesting themselves today. In the spirit of "There will be no-one left" we need to continue addressing the topic of hate in regard to its ability to rebound on absolutely everyone.
We don't need any more special months, however, designated for special groups. I heard recently that there is a push for a "Latino History Month" being mounted. No, we don't need it. There are not enough months in the year to cover all the groups. Spend too much time looking at groups and you find you're just giving more and more time to the things that divide us, anyway. How about looking more at things that unite us?
It doesn't matter what group you're looking at, they're all composed of male and female. Too many groups victimize their own females, and little to nothing is done about it. We need to do more to show our young people that being human is what counts, being compassionate and moral is what's important. Being one gender or the other should not be the most important consideration in whether or not respect is given to an individual. The colour of their skin or the way they cook their food should have no bearing at all.
There should be no more female members of any group feeling they have to find a male to research because "no-one wants to read about stuff women do".
3 Comments:
So who did she choose?
In spite of my encouragement to look at people like doctor Emily Stowe or engineer Elsie MacGill, she chose Steve Irwin.
Of course they want to read about women. As long as it is in the tabloids.
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