2012 National Women’s History Month: Women’s Education – Women’s Empowerment

Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.

African Proverb

I believe in the power and influence of strong women. While I was the first woman from both my mother’s and father’s family to graduate college, I came from a family who highly valued the power of education . . . along with courage and independence. There was never a time that my family did not expect that both my brother and I would go to college.

I grew up listening to the stories of grandmothers who were pioneers…literally. They worked alongside their husbands and children. My great-great grandmother traveled west on a wagon train and successfully farmed 80 acres while raising five children alone after the death of her husband.

It is important to introduce our students to strong women and men from our history, but it is also important to celebrate the resilient women from our own families and our students’ families. Think of this as you plan lessons and activities for Women’s History Month.

In Their Honor

The NWHP encourages discovering stories about our mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers to help us better understand their lives, the challenges they faced, and ultimately, ourselves and our own times. Recognizing the dignity and accomplishments of women in our own families and those from other backgrounds leads to higher self-esteem among girls and greater respect among boys and men.

To ignore the vital role that women’s dreams and accomplishments play in our own lives would be a great mistake. We draw strength and inspiration from those who came before us – and those remarkable women working among us today. They are part of our story, and a truly balanced and inclusive history recognizes how important women have always been in American society.

http://www.nwhp.org/whm/inhername.php

Below are resources for WHM. Two are previous posts here on From Surviving to Thriving. Let us know about the lessons and activities from your classroom.

Have a great week.

Linda

Resources for Women’s History

• The Prize: Three Women Win Nobel Peace Prize
• Surviving to Thriving Authors Contribute to Women’s History Project
  • Second to None: Inspiring Stories of Extraordinary Women
  • Teacher Resources

• Library of Congress: Women’s History Month
• Library of Congress: Women’s History Month for Teachers
• ReadWriteThink: March is National Women’s History Month (Grades 3 – 12) Lesson Plans and Activities
  • I especially like Females in the Spotlight: Strong Characters in Picture Books.
• Celebrating Women Brave and Strong - Podcast
  • Resources
• Scholastic
  • Women Who Changed History
  • Lesson Plans
  • Honor Roll of Notable Women
• Larry Ferlazzo: Best Sites for Learning about Women’s History
• March is National Women’s History Month
• National Women’s History Project Blog
• KidLit Celebrates Women’s History Month

Updated March 8, 2013