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STA needs to educate its students on feminism

Junior+Amber+Brownlee+sits+in+front+of+a+view+of+downtown+Kansas+City+with+misconceptions+of+what+feminists+are+written+on+her+face+Sept.+28.++photo+by+Maddy+Medina
Junior Amber Brownlee sits in front of a view of downtown Kansas City with misconceptions of what feminists are written on her face Sept. 28. photo by Maddy Medina

 

“I wouldn’t consider myself a feminist but…”

 

Doesn’t this sentence sound a little strange coming from the mouth of someone who attends an all-girls school? Chances are that if more students knew what feminism was, they would automatically consider themselves feminists. However, when a group of random STA students were asked if they identified as a feminist, many said no.

 

For being a school that claims to produce empowered young women, STA does not focus enough on integrating feminism into their curriculum.

 

The St. Teresa’s website states in the school’s philosophy that “contributions of women are emphasized throughout the curriculum.”

 

However, there are only three courses in the STA curriculum that mention in their description that students will spend time studying women in the class. These classes are Art History, Women in Literature and College Western Civilization II. None of these courses are required.

 

STA needs to put a stronger emphasis on women and female empowerment in all of its courses. This is fairly simple to do. There are strong women behind many events in history, though a lot of them don’t receive recognition. Women are responsible for multiple scientific discoveries and theological philosophies. Yes, even in math there are influential females. Giving examples of women who have excelled in these subjects serves as a great motivation and inspiration tool for students.

 

Another way to inform STA students about feminism is to have presentations or have guest speakers come and speak at all-school assemblies or class meetings. This way, students can become familiar with female empowerment and see more women as role models.

 

School activities highlight women’s issues as an essential part of the STA education, according to the school’s website, but St. Teresa’s could be doing so much more to push this initiative forward. Groups like Social Justice Club and Girls for Social Awareness (GSA) that work toward promoting gender equality and women’s rights need more publicity throughout school. Opportunities can be created for students to get involved with these organizations and educate them on current women’s issues.

 

However, just because there is not a strong influence on feminism at STA that does not mean our students are not empowered and intelligent women. We attend a school where we are fortunate enough to receive an amazing education and are given the right tools to succeed later in our lives. Students are able to thrive academically and socially in our same-sex environment, therefore creating strong, confident graduates. And although it may not say so in its course description, there are some classes that do in fact discuss women’s issues.

 

So just think of what could happen if all of our students were informed about feminism. STA could become an even better environment for its students to grow to be strong women.

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