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Lori Griffin is an elementary school teacher in a nearby St. Lawrence Co. community.
This past year she instituted a course she calls “herstory.” Initially I laughed at that title because it reminded me of a group of women who were upset at words like mandate or manhole cover or the expression to a man that means unanimously.

My reaction to those objections was: “Hey, chill out ladies. Isn’t that carrying this femme thing a little far?” I soon discovered, however, that Ms. Griffin’s course was designed to study the influence of women in American history.

Students will earn a half credit upon completion of the course that meets every other day for a year and is open to boys and girls in grades nine through twelve. Ms. Griffin hoped that by year’s end her pupils will gain a better understanding of women’s contributions and potentials. “It is not really a feminist course,” said Ms. Griffin, who also teaches English along with drama and journalism electives. “Its more of a research of self-identity. It’s a celebration of women.”
In a recent interview with Jeff Horseman, Watertown Times staff writer, this creative teacher explained that a huge part of the course depends on students being able to develop and share their research. “I don’t do a lot of lecturing,” she explained. “I just show students examples of what I expect and they go out and do it.” I’m willing to bet that most readers of this column will agree that this is an interesting way to learn a part of American history. Younger people, in particular, are probably not fully aware of the struggle to obtain political, social, and economic equality for women.

Those of us who can remember when only children wore denim have had the opportunity to observe the dynamic progress of gender equality and civil rights. Younger people, however, are not as likely to be aware of the struggle that was involved. The struggle of people like Susan Anthony, who with others worked so hard at the turn of the century for the right for women to vote. It would take over fifty years (1920) until the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was finally ratified guaranteeing that no state could deny the right to vote on the basis of sex. Or the courage of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her bus seat to a white person. That refusal challenged the constitutionality of a Montgomery, Alabama, segregation law.

By having the guts to say no, Rosa triggered a boycott of the city’s bus system by black commuters. It was one of the most dramatic demonstrations of nonviolent protest in the history of American race relations. Or Sally Ride, who through her considerable abilities became the United States’ first female astronaut.

It wasn’t too long ago that women were not allowed to participate in certain running marathons. Maybe you remember when the race director of the Boston Marathon was horrified to discover a girl running in that event. (She had used her first initial instead of her full first name to register and covered her curls with a baseball cap.) The director was so incensed that he rushed in among the runners and attempted to forcefully eject her from the pack. (He didn’t reckon that her brawny, 6-foot, 4-inch boyfriend was running alongside her.) In part, because of the publicity resulting from that occurrence, women today make up a large percentage of marathon entries and are even lowering the winning time gaps established by their fellow male runners.

Flashback to the time (remember?) when high school girls had to wear those silly bloomer-like gym suits? When the Physical Education program for girls was typically a lecture on health and some moderate calisthenics? Contrast that to today and high school sophomore Audrey Svoboda doing an outstanding job fending off hockey pucks fired at bullet speed as she holds down the goalie position of the boys’ hockey team.

What an excellent opportunity for a college scholarship! Or to move on to the U.S. Women’s Team, which is presently such an international power house. Let’s admit it, only fierce determination on the part of women has given us the enabling legislation to Title IX. It forced the male-dominated athletic directors almost everywhere to give equal gender weight in budgeting their athletic program. We can count the success of that mandate in a hundred different ways.

Call me a compassionate liberal but, in my opinion, educator Ms. Griffin has struck a chord of “herstory” that is valuable and, while it may be only a hiccup, it is a start. A start of an awareness of how far women’s rights have advanced. It can also provide a focus on women’s accomplishments like those of 56-year-old Tara Holonen, who just this week became the first woman president in Finland’s history.

Copyright William C. Frenette Collection