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Lyons Township Board of Education

Implementing The Feminist Course
Proposed by Andrea Simms

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Table of Contents

Introduction Page 3
Modern Inequality...Page 3
Required U.S. History Course Work...Page 4
Time Management..Page 4
Importance of Feminist Teachings......Page 5
Support System of Feminist Teachings...Page 5
Young People Morphing Their Values...Page 6
Other Schools Implementing Feminist Studies...Page 6
Call to Action......Page 6
References..Page 7

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Introduction
Hello, I would like to introduce myself to the Lyons Township Board of Education. My name is
Andrea Simms. I just graduated from L.T.H.S. in 2016. My time spent at L.T.H.S. has so
positively impacted me not only as a student, but also as an individual. The multiple learning
opportunities available at Lyons Township High School have developed me into an observant,
eager, and respectful learner. They support a plethora of activities, events, and classes for all
different interests, ranging from male beauty pageants to charitable 5K runs, from Relay for Life
to the student run Improv Show. Even still, these activities do not compare to the education
Lyons Township provides for its students. The multiple courses and engaging teachers instill in
their students a passion for learning and a strive to improve their world. Offering courses in
Organic Chemistry or the extensive history of Europe, students have the opportunity to explore
their interests and expanding their depth of knowledge. There is no denying Lyons Township
more than provides its students with a strong educational background; however, there is always
room for improvement. Lyons Township does not shed enough light on a specific topic that
needs more coverage: the ideas, history, and modern day examples of feminism. Lyons
Township should have a required three-week feminist study as a part of the required U.S. History
course. This not only has historical importance but it is also essential the school educates their
students on current events and examples of inequality.
Modern Inequality
In order to educate students on the circumstances that will directly affect their future, the
feminist course will cover the statics of the inequality that still negatively affects our world
today. It is fairly easy to push aside the inequality that is still present and regard it as nonexistent or unimportant in comparison to more pressing issues. Inequality among genders not
only is still prevalent but it is the schools responsibility to educate their students on these issues.
If the schools stance is neutral, they are indirectly siding with the suppressors. The National
Womens Law Center provides statistics for the wage gap of the sexes. It is important to take
into consideration that these statistics include women of color, who are paid even less. White
women are paid 80 cents to a mans full dollar, African Americans are paid 63 cents, Latinas are
paid 54 cents, Native Americans 58 cents (Campbell). These statics overwhelmingly support that
women are blatantly oppressed in the work force. This is so vital to teach students because they
are the future of the work force, by observing these oppressive patterns, they are pushed to put an
end to them. This is just one of the many examples of inequality that still exist today, there are
still examples of women being suppressed socially, politically as well as economically. For
example, women currently hold only 4.6% of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies (Catalyst).
Another shocking but overlooked fact about the political oppression of women, is the lack of
representation in the highest power position: President of the United States. Lyons Township
can make a stand to modern inequality by implementing this course. The class will highlight the
multitude of inequalities among the sexes that still exist and how students can work to eliminate
these issues.

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Required US History Course
Since 1928, Lyons Township has required its students to take an American history class in order
to graduate (By The Numbers). This requirement highlights Lyons Townships dedication to
preparing intelligent individuals for the world beyond high school. By creating well rounded and
responsible individuals, students materialize how their presence can have a positive or negative
impact on the world. The American Pageant published in 1956 by Thomas Bailey is now on their
15th edition, this updated version is currently being used in Lyons Townships AP US History
coursework. The book covers history ranging from 33,000 BC to 2014 (Bailey xxiii-xviii).
These wide arrange of topics provide students with a basis on how they can learn from history
and as a result how they view the world. There are a large range of topics that need to be
covered. However, certain topics and groups of people are not presented with as much
information and are under-represented. The Board of Education is responsible for making sure
that the material the students are consuming, is material that encompasses the most accurate
representation of history. They must identify why these events are significant instead of just
reiterating the history that is pleasant to hear. The current American Pageant being used in the
classrooms of Lyons Township has 41 chapters and not a single chapter is dedicated to women.
The US Census Bureau calculated in July 1, 2015 that women make up 50.8% of the population
(Countrymeters.info). Therefore, this text book is essentially leaving out history of half of the
countrys population. Now that is not to say the book does not mention women at all. Chapter
22 mentions social activists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Katy Stanton and their fight
for womens right to vote (Bailey 656). There are other sporadic mentions of women throughout
the book, but in such a way that subjects them to minor roles. The limited access of information
about the oppression of women and minorities does not do any legitimize the severity of
injustices they faced. By implementing a three-week course, students will be exposed to more
than just the most popular movements of feminists.
Time Management
From covering the Cold War to the formation of colonies to the stock market crash in 1929, there
is an extensive amount of history that needs to be covered in the required U.S. History course
(Bailey Table of Contents). Teachers have to split up the 50 minutes of class time they get to
cover as much information as possible, while still maintaining a pace at which high schoolers can
attain information. This process takes skill, planning and guidance from the course work, which
is set by the Board of Education. Although there is a lot of history to cover, certain groups of
people should not get more time than others just because they have more history written about
them. Winston Churchill is famously quoted, History is written by the victors revealing that
the majority of the information recorded and distributed about history is primarily focused on
those who have the power to preserve their name. However, it is just as, if not more important to
learn about the groups that are under-represented in society. Dr. Joellen Maples, a professor of
the School of Arts and Sciences at St. Fisher College, conducted a study on the influence the
history textbook had on eleventh grade students (Giarrizzo). Her results show, through multiple
perspectives, and accurate portrayals of minorities allowed students to form deeper connections
and understandings. This reveals the impact of spending extra time learning about certain
groups that were overlooked in history. It is in the best interest of the board of education to take
three weeks out of the U.S History course to implement a feminist course. It is important not

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only to give them these minorities time they deserve after years of oppression, but it is also an
opportunity for students to connect to different perspectives of history.
Importance of Feminist Teachings
The word feminism still seems to make some people uncomfortable. There are so many negative
images and stereotypes society has ingrained in our minds. Some example myths were
culminated by the Women and Gender Studies professors at Villanova All feminists are
lesbians and bra-burning radicals who hate men or Feminism only liberates women at the
expense of men (Hughes and Cardiel). The misunderstanding behind the core beliefs of
feminism can lead to hostile feelings when suggesting a required feminist course. However, an
increased exposure to this particular way of thinking will allow students to influence how society
understands the ideas of feminism. Not only does feminism encourage students to broaden their
ways of thinking, but they also are encouraged to engage a new set of skills. Part of
understanding the feminism ideas is being able to analyze the different portrayal of gender roles.
Then to continue how this analysis affects the way students perceive themselves and others.
Ileana Jimnez, a high school teacher and founder of The Feminist Teacher journal, talks about
her experience with teaching a feminist course. She explains that the root of the struggles
associated with self-identity are directly linked to the major influence of media and its strict
gender roles. Students inability to fully express their true self is discussed and explored by
implementing feminist teachings (Jimenez). By analyzing how certain groups are represented
students are not only learning about themselves and others who are misrepresented but they are
also developing their critical skills. The success of Jimenezs class is a specific example of the
positive effect a feminist course has on high school students. The Board of Education should
keep this in mind when deciding to incorporate the feminist study at Lyons Township.
Support System of Feminist Teachings
When introducing the idea of implementing a three-week study that focuses on a single topic, it
may seem like over kill and a waste of time. This is in fact a close-minded statement. Feminism
covers many different types of topics and they are not only about women. The topic of body
image is incredibly important. This is not discussed at length in any other class and it plays a
heavy role in most teenagers lives. 53% of American girls at age 13 are unhappy with their
bodies this number increases to 78% at 17 years old (Gallivan 2). Not only is this percentage
overwhelmingly high but it continues to increase. Feminist teachings cherish all types of body
images. It also teaches students about the role media plays in distorting images of ideal body
types. Exposing students to this information and will positively impact their perspective and
increase self-esteem and acceptance among peers. If students are exposed to feminist teachings
about body image in their high school education, they will have the support they need for a more
positive body image.

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Young People Morphing Their Values
Introducing the feminist theory at a developing age is important for students to be able to fully
develop into open-minded people. People who are aware of the inequality that exists and are
inspired to make a change. For this reason and many others, Lyons Township High School
should require a three-week feminist course in the required U.S. history course. Especially
during the years where students are discovering who they are and still in the process of creating
an identity. Having a background in the feminist theory will develop critical thinkers who are
aware of the inequality that still rests among sexes and races. The American Psychological
Association represents the importance of introducing the ideals of feminism at an early age,
During the formative years of adolescents, it may be more difficult for young girls to define
their own values and discover their own worth with selections that are predetermined(American
Psychological Association). Introducing students to the ideals of feminism will not only make
them aware of the inequality that exists, but it will also make them conscious of how a skewed
representation of the different sexes can affect their self-concept and identification. During the
early years of life, the mind is still developing and is easily adaptive. The ideas and information
adolescence are exposed to will be engrained in their memories and will easily become
crystallized intelligence. The ideology they are exposed to will become part of who they are and
influence how they think. In order to nurture a society that is open to the idea of equality among
races and gender, high schools should require a mandatory three-week study on the history,
ideas, and modern examples of feminism.
Other Schools Implementing Feminist Studies
Loyola Marymount University conducted a study in which they observed several classrooms
who taught a gender specific course on how the media depicts women. In order to evaluate the
changing mentalities of the students, they conducted interviews both of the students and the
teachers before, after, and during the course. These interviews reveal that as students evaluated
the manipulations of the media and its perception of women, they gained insight on the topic.
This also allowed them to enhance their intellectual capabilities. Specifically the teachers felt
that media education enhanced the classroom experience through the development of critical
thinking skills and research aptitudes (Lapayese, 215). This reveals the positive effect of
teaching the ideas of feminism especially when students are interacting with contrasting ideals
every day. It is not only essential that the ideas, history, and modern examples are taught to
students, but it is important that they are taught while the mind is still developing. At the age
when exposure to new ideas has more of a lasting effect.
Call To Action
The power is in your hands. The power to decide whether or not our society will move forward
and learn to not only embrace equality but to recognize where there is inequality and fight to fix
it. Implementing a three-week feminist course to the high schoolers of Lyons Township will
help accomplish this. High school is the transition period from being told what to believe to
truly formulating ones own thoughts and opinions. The exposure to different types of ideas will
help to create students who are consciously aware that how they think and how they act will have
an impact on others. Time and money should not be the top priority when deciding the

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requirements for students. Prove to your students that the education system is more than just
grades and points. Prove that it is focused on creating fully developed and well-rounded students
who understand their responsibility in the world.

References
American Psychological Association, Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. (2007). Report of
the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls.
Bailey, Thomas A., and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant. 15th ed. Lexington, Mass:
D. C. Heath, 1991.
Campbell, Nancy D., and Workplace Justi. The Wage Gap Affects Single Women without
Children, as Well. Nwlc.org. 11 Nov. 2016.
Catalyst. Women CEOs of the S&P 500. New York: Catalyst. 10 November 2016.
Countrymeters.info. "World Population." 2016. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
Gallivan, Heather R. "Teens, Social Media and Body Image." 11 November 2016
Giarrizzo, Taylor. "History Losing Its Value: Representation of Minorities within High School
History Texts." Fisher Digital Publicaitons, n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.
Hughes and Cardiel. "Myths and Truths about Feminism." Myths and Truths about Feminism. 03
Nov. 2016.
Jimnez, By Ileana. "Teaching Feminism in High School: Moving from Theory to Action by
Ileana Jimnez." Teaching Feminism in High School: Moving from Theory to Action by
Ileana Jimnez. 03 Nov. 2016.
Lapayase."Going against the grain: gender-specific media education in Catholic high schools.."
The Free Library. 2012 Loyola Marymount University.
Numbers, By The. "About LTHS." / History of LTHS. www.lths.net. Nov. 2016.
Winston Churchill