Community

Olivia and I are working on a unit about community. Today we talked about community helpers like police officers, firefighters, mail carriers, librarians, and other jobs in the community. We read lots of library books about the jobs and then she had to do a write/draw journal entry about which community helper job she might like to do as a grown up. When we finished the last library book, she looked at me dead serious and said, "Okay, Mama. So, now, which of these jobs are for girls to do?"

WHAT!?

I went through the list one by one and named a girl/woman we personally knew who did all the jobs in our community. She knows a female police officer and firefighter and scientist (thank you, Tita Jen) and teachers and librarians and endless health care professionals. Our mail carrier, bank teller, dry cleaner, doctors, and even the mayor are all females she knows personally. WTH am I doing wrong that she thinks these jobs aren't for girls!?

She eventually settled on writing her journal entry about wanting to work as both a scientist AND a waitress when she grows up. She wrote that she would enjoy doing both jobs because she could make people happy by cooking for them and that the most difficult part would be all the measurements.

This girl.