A social studies teacher gave the commencement address at Eastern High School in Greentown, Indiana, on June 2, and told the girls to go to the back of the line.
I challenge you to devote yourself to your families and your children. If you choose to have a career, God’s blessings upon you. But I challenge you to recognize what the world scoffs at, that your greatest role in your life will be that of wife and mother. The greatest impact you could ever contribute to our world is a loving investment in the lives of your precious children. To solve the problems plaguing our society, we don’t need more women CEOs. We need more women as invested mothers.
We need the division of labor that God intended and that pesky liberals have been messing around with. Women do CHILDREN and men do WORKING and that’s how it’s always been supposed to be so shut up.
Heading up major companies – “it’s more of a guy thing.”
I wonder if that teacher is also encouraging women to not be beauticians, secretaries and PAs. That would require consistency though, so probably not.
Thanks for reminding me that it might be worth all the hassle of temporarily moving to be out of Indiana for a few months!
Then she immediately quit her job so that she could follow her own advice, because she hates hypocrisy.
Right? Right??
No?
Bloody wingnuts, never following through.
Stevarious, the social studies teacher was a man. Not that that makes it any better.
This sounds like a report from The Onion (US humor “news” publication, http://www.theonion.com). What a stupid teacher. I don’t have what it takes to actually read it, but WTF, was that at a public high school?
Somehow I don’t think that this teacher would whole heartedly endorse a lesbian couple having and raising children.
Invested mothers are great, but they can’t solve all society’s problems any more than invested CEOs can.
Invested stay-at-home mothers (ahem. like moi) are great. WHEN THEY CAN FRICKIN’ AFFORD IT.
Is he really saying that Working Mothers ARENT invested in their kids?
I can think of 10 working mothers that are so focused they sometimes (to my shame) invest More than I DO!
What an ass. who gave him a job in Social Studies – oh, wait.
‘those who can’t do……’
@ shari: Hey!
Those who love kids, are passionate about learning, and care deeply about the future of our society, teach.
Go back to “who gave this ass a job in Social Studies,” you were on much more solid ground there.
Perhaps I’m just more aware of the issue than I was in the past, but it seems to me that these kinds of comments are occurring more frequently lately. It seems like every day now, there is another person writing an article or giving a presentation exhorting women to “nurture their families”, quit their jobs, or just in general to return to some notion of traditional gender roles because it’s the only way they’ll ever be happy.
If so–if I’m not just being a forgetful git, and this kind of behavior is on the rise–then maybe we’re making some real progress, given the amount of pushback that’s occurring.
Also, too: if being a parent is indeed “the greatest role” in life, then why didn’t the speaker address his comments to all the students, and not just the women? I demand that Paul Elam immediately write a 15,000-word screed screaming MISANDRY!!! about how this speaker only wants happiness for teh wimminz! (Not going to hold my breath waiting on that one.)
Because, Oolon, it really isn’t about the importance of parenting, it’s about the importance of the jerkwads who say things like this to women.
If only they would get a dose of “Liar, Liar” and would have to tell the real truth.
“I want a woman to be home to take care of Me! Me! Me! I am too important and my time is too valuable to pick up my socks, shop for groceries, cook meals, scrub floors and care for the kiddies. Which I would have to do, at least a little bit, if my wife worked. If she doesn’t work, I am off the hook and guilt free if I shirk helping out in the domestic sphere. Besides, domestic work is unpaid, unimportant (until supper isn’t on the table at 6:00pm) and BOOOORINNNG!“