Empowering Girls
Apr 15, 2014
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” -- Buddha
Words have immense power. There are obvious, offensive words that evoke polarizing emotions. There are also those common, everyday words that seem innocent enough, but may have unintentional negative effects.
There are many differences between boys and girls, men and women. There are the obvious ones, and then there are the differences that spark intense debate such as the wage gap, or emotional stereotypes. At World Academy all students, regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation are taught they can be anything. We believe that each student has the potential to do great things in this world, and we aim to nurture and encourage them to reach their goals.
#BanBossy is a movement that has been popularized by LeanIn.org and the Girl Scouts. This movement aims to create equality between boys and girls. The campaign asserts that little boys who are outspoken are called leaders, strong, and assertive. On the other hand, outspoken little girls are often nicknamed "bossy". Campaign supporters propose that parents, teachers and caregivers begin promoting alternative words to explain strong, assertive and confident behavior in both boys and girls. Leadership-like behaviors and attitudes in both genders should be equally applauded.
At the end of the day, the point of the #BanBossy campaign is not to ban a word from our lexicon, it is to raise the level of discourse. The goal is to challenge the idea that girls who assert themselves are "pushy" or "bossy". Instead, they support the notion that these independent-minded girls should be viewed as "assertive" and "strong".
As we nurture and prepare our all of our young students (both girls and boys), the goal is to ensure that both genders are equally and positively encouraged to speak up; to take the lead; and to express their opinions without hesitation or concern of negative stereotypes.