Patriarchy by Principle (or Principal in this case): Are We Getting Any Better?
What messages are we sending to the next generation?
My kiddo set a goal at the beginning of the school year — to achieve Honours with Distinction. She made the honour roll the year before, and I was there on award night, pleased and proud. After receiving the certificate, she rejoined her 5-pack of besties, sat, then clapped and cheered as her mates got up again, and again — and again. Her entourage raked in certificate after certificate. Each girl reached Honours with Distinction, most of them Honours with Highest Distinction, and a couple of them took home Highest Achievement in several classes — the core subjects: Science, Math, Social Studies, Language Arts, and not to leave out the Arts, a pair of her pals added Highest Achievement in Band, Jazz Band, Art, and Religion.
On the ride home, she was happy and proud but quiet. I mirrored her mental and emotional state because, in her eyes, I saw that evening brought her something else — a watershed moment. She wanted more — from herself, for herself.
The next day, she told her friends about her goal for the next year, and her friends, all great kids, immediately raised her up. “Let’s study together! I’m good at math, and even though I don’t really get why, it makes sense to…
