CR1

Dear Mrs. Therese Carter,

It is unfortunate that the people in your community find your ambition to teach a laughable matter. It is not only unfortunate because they have no such ambition but also because they agree with society’s standards of women just as housewives. We live in a gendered society, where women and men are held to a certain standard and this standard is instilled in us from birth. Boys have blue while girls have pink rooms; boys are expected to get in trouble while girls are expected to act like ladies. What most people in our society overlook is that all these boys and girls have one thing in common. They are all children and as such they are bound to act as children, get into mischief, get dirty, make mistakes, etc.

The issue with conditioning our children to act a certain way is prevalent in today’s society where we see people finding ambitions, such as your teaching, laughable. We cannot blame any one person for these people thinking you should not dream of being a teacher. We cannot blame them for having such sentiments for they were conditioned to believe that women should be housewives and men should be the breadwinners. The important thing to remember is that sometimes-taboo practices are required not only to challenge to norm but also to progress as an in individual despite societal norms.

The norms that we have set in place are ones of a patriarchal society, that is a male dominated society so it makes perfect sense that many people believe that women should not be educated or be reading in their free time. Doing simple things such as reading every day can challenge patriarchy. This way you can participate in conversations about politics, philosophy, current events, leading men to think in the back of their heads that women can in fact contribute to a stimulating conversation. This may be a small step to diminish the stereotype of the housewife, but it proves to not only men but to other women that they can be on the same level playing field as men.

I would like to encourage you to read as much as possible, for knowledge truly is power and the knowledge one receives is something that can never be taken away from you regardless if you are a man or woman. Furthermore, I think you should pursue your dreams of becoming a teacher. The passion you possess for teaching will make you an excellent addition to any faculty and I’m sure that your students will also enjoy the enthusiasm you have about learning.

Sincerely,

Bojan Stankovic