Schools are supposed to be a safe place for students, but events of recent years have made it unfortunately clear that isn't always the case. A number of issues facing students today make getting an education more difficult than it's been before. It's important to keep students' issues in mind as a new school year ramps up. As one teacher returned to work to do just that, she discovered her Texas school had made a change that didn't quite jibe with the spirit of equality one hopes to see in a place of education.
She sent a photo of her discovery to a friend, Lisa H. Beckman, who then shared the photo to Twitter. Thousands of people saw the quote that had been added to a hallway wall at Gregory-Lincoln Education Center over the summer break. The school, which serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade, had installed a quote that read, "The more you act like a lady, the more he'll act like a gentleman." People were furious to discover that this was being touted as an inspirational message to deliver to the student body — a message that had clearly problematic implications concerning female students' bodies and behavior.
Like most people who saw the photo following her tweet, Lisa was disgusted by the idea of this quote in a school hallway. In the #MeToo age, it takes the onus off men, relieving them of responsibility for their actions, and implies that a woman's actions should determine a man's.
People who saw the tweet were horrified not only because of what it implied but also because of who it was attributed to.
A quick bit of research will tell you the quote was allegedly spoken by Sydney Biddle Barrows, who owned an escort agency in New York City in the 1980s.
Though the "Mayflower Madam" never served any jail time for her crimes, she isn't exactly the role model most parents have in mind for their children. The quote in question is reportedly something she used to say to her "girls."
As the photo of the quote went viral, some people took it upon themselves to work some Photoshop magic and make it acceptable.
Fixed that for you!
While the Photoshopped images did bring some light comic relief to the situation, most people wanted to know what was really going to be done about the quote.
The presence of the quote in the hallway would surely make for an uncomfortable environment for both female students and staffers.
There's also the question of male accountability and where students would learn it, if not in school or at home.
Texas is a fairly conservative part of the country, and, certainly, parents of students who didn't see an issue with the quote also spoke out. The voices of those disturbed by its message, however, were much harder to ignore.
People were pleased when Diana Davila, a trustee for the school, tweeted out this photo showing that the quote had been painted over.
Even more good news came a few days later, when this image of a quote by Malala Yousafzai was first tweeted.
The Houston Independent School District confirmed that Malala's quote did replace the earlier quote and that third-graders at the school would be reading Malala's Magic Pencil during the upcoming school year.
Lisa and those following the story on Twitter were elated with the school board's decision.
She made sure to tweet her gratitude out to the Houston ISD and the elected officials who enacted the change.
We live in a far-from-perfect world, and once in a while, injustices present themselves. It's great to see people on both sides of an issue come together for a peaceful resolution. We hope Malala's quote will inspire students all throughout the school year!
