Being a woman, I have always been very sensitive to words or actions that pigeonhole females into prescribed gender roles. The reason for this has a lot to do with the experiences that I have had academically, professionally, and culturally. No matter how far we have come as a society with regards to tolerance and equality, one cannot deny that there still exist many stereotypes about what women's and men's roles in society should be. From a parent's perspective who is trying to raise two boys, I am even more aware of the messages that my husband and I are sending our sons about gender and equal rights. Unfortunately, however, my husband has been a little more resistant over the years to letting go of some of the "Machismo" that he was raised with in a Latino household. You see, in traditional Latin culture like in many other cultures, boys are raised to be strong and to be providers while women are raised to take care of the home and be the nurturers of the … [Read more...]
Let The Girls Shoot!
As many of you know, my older son is very athletic and his favorite sport to play is basketball. Currently, he is playing on an intramural team since his regular season for the school Bantam team has finished. Today, as I was sitting in the bleachers watching the game, I noticed that whenever one of the girls on either of the teams had possession of the ball, the coaches would call out to the male players, "Let her shoot!" Now, I'm all for being a gentleman and chivalry but, am I the only one who thinks that this is sending the wrong message out to all the kids about gender equality. By telling the boys to back away and allow the girls to shoot the ball they are saying, in essence, that the girls are not as skilled at basketball as they boys are and that a special set of rules applies to them. I wonder if professional female basketball players would be offended if they were playing on the same team or against their male counterparts and this took place. It sends the … [Read more...]
Judge My Character, Not My Tattoos!
Today I had an interesting conversation on social media about the correlation between tattoos and piercings and a lack of professionalism in the workplace, specifically in the education field. Let me begin by saying that I have both tattoos and piercings and have been an educator for the past thirteen years. Of those years, I have always been regarded as an exemplary teacher by my supervisors as well as my colleagues. The way that I choose to express myself has never been an issue nor has it impeded me from being a true professional. Frankly, I take offense to statements that suggest that people with tattoos or piercings are inappropriate or unprofessional. My excellence as a teacher should not depend on how I look or what I'm wearing. As a matter of fact, some of the least qualified or unprepared educators that I have encountered throughout my career had neither tattoos or piercings so what does that say? The way that I choose to express myself or my individuality does … [Read more...]
You Said What About My Kids?!?!
Today I took my sons to the park with my husband. This was just like any other ordinary trip to the park with the family except for one specific incident... It was a beautiful day and the park was full of happy children and their parents. I immediately found a bench to sit on which allowed me to supervise my boys from all angles of the park. My husband and I sat down and proceeded to laugh and talk as the boys climbed on the Jungle Gym and made friends with the other kids. After awhile, my husband ran into another parent from my sons' school who has coached intramural basketball with him in the past. The two men stood and talked a good distance from me as they watched the kids organizing a game of baseball, my boys included. As they were talking, another man sat a few benches away from me with his son. I only noticed them when they came in so I wasn't paying much attention to the conversation he was having with his son. Eventually, his son walked over to the … [Read more...]
