bell hooks once wrote, "feminists aren't born, they're made," which is a sentiment I fully agree with. As a feminist, I find some of the most interesting observations in unlikely places, such as in my elementary school.
Today, my first and second graders learned about toys. During the course of the lesson, they learned that "las muñecas" are dolls and "los motos" are motorcycles. They pipped up and said "las muñecas son para las chicas!" This, of course, proved to be the perfect feminist teaching moment. The Bilingual Coordinator (who is a man) asked them why they thought muñecas are only for girls. Afterall, can't boys play with muñecas? And can't girls play with motos? When asked for their reasoning, the kids drew a blank and the room was silent. They couldn't think of one good reason why traditional gender roles should currently make sense.
In my next class, we worked with the 4 and 5 year olds on colors. During the lesson, one little girl asked me, "señorita Brittany, are you married?" to which I obviously answered no. Then another little girl asked "señorita Brittany, do you have a boyfriend?" and I said no. She continued by asking, "do you have a girlfriend?" I smiled and said no, that I am single. The little girls went back to coloring. I just love kids' innocence at this age. To them, the status quo is not heterosexual relationships, but loving, equal relationships (a staple in feminist thought). I couldn't help but think, wouldn't it be wonderful if sometimes adults could see the world through kids' eyes?
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