#Likeagirl

I wasn't going to share this video but the reaction it caused my 6th graders to have justifies the post. My colleague and I planned a lesson on gender stereotyping as part of our 'Respect' unit for our 6th grade advisory programme and all seven of us 6th grade advisors delivered the lesson this week to our classes. As well as a few games and activities, we explored issues of prejudice and stereotyping raised in films like Billy Elliot and this short Always advertisement.

The advert, hand in hand with a short Billy Elliot clip, provoked such strong discussion from the students. Aged 11 - 12 and just starting their journey through puberty, they all agreed that it is absolutely fine for boys to do ballet if they wanted. They recognised though that it could potentially lead to bullying and we talked about why that might be. We discussed why so many sports are separated by gender and they were all quite pragmatic in their understanding of the need for this. The girls in the class were especially concerned that ballet performances wouldn't exist without boys and emphasised that ballet dancers are true athletes showing tremendous dedication and strength.

When they watched the Always advert, all the students gasped: the girls shouted out their protests during the first half when the older people and the young boy were being interviewed. When the younger girls entered and gave their responses to 'run like a girl', my girls cheered and shouted, 'yeah! Exactly!'. It was so powerful to watch their responses and facilitate the discussion that ensued. It's incredible to work with young people who seem so far removed from and so incapable of comprehending the gender inequalities of our past and of course those going on in so many parts of the world today. I've experienced this before when teaching some of my humanities units and, every time, I truly feel that their inability to comprehend why there should be any difference in the ways boys and girls are treated speaks volumes about the time and place in which they live. Their ignorance is bliss but, more than that, I think, also speaks of a bright future. I really don't consider myself a feminist at all but, nonetheless, their innocent and naive views on the topic of gender inequality give me hope that very soon the suppression of women will be a thing of the past. May women all over the world someday enjoy the same levels of freedom and empowerment that my students and I have.