Sir John Talbot's School | Herstory - February Issue 2022

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ISSUE NO. 4

February 2022

Written and edited by Lucy Craig, Zara Leary, Betsy Holmes, Holly Gilbert, and Emma Craig

February 2022

|Local Primary Schools|

Last month our Herstory Team had the pleasure of interviewing pupils from three primary schools across the Marches Academy Trust, asking them about their views on social issues and education.

Our interviewers, Zara Leary and Holly Gilbert spoke with Year Six pupils, Joy and Emily from Oakmeadow, Mollie and Abbie from Tilstock, and Evie and Danielle from Lower Heath.

As a history-based newsletter, we were eager to ask the pupils their opinions on the importance of learning history, as well as gaining an insight into the curriculum and any of the key women that they had studied in and out of the classroom. In response we received an all-round positive consensus that pupils believed that learning history was a crucial aspect of education holistically. They advocated that “Both boys and girls learning about the past meant gaining a better understanding of social issues. The girls from Tilstock and should believe in Heath pinpointed women that they had learned about themselves, both are Lower and found inspiring. At Tilstock, Mollie and Abbie talked really strong and if about contemporary Serena Williams, an American tennis they want to achieve player who has won 23 Grand Slam single titles and is something, they can widely regarded to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time. When asked why they regarded her as significant, and will” – the girls aptly understood that Williams’ representation Oakmeadow, Emily. within sports shows that although sports is a typically gendered industry, sporting achievement does not depend on gender. At Lower Heath, Evie and Danielle looked at the spectacle of Annie Edson Taylor, a 1901 stunt woman who was the first to survive a trip down Niagra Falls in a barrel at age 63, showing her reckless and fearless composition. When asked whether they’d like to learn more about women in history, the girls across the schools all agreed, saying that they were often intrigued and inspired by the women they learned about.

Not yet aware of the term ‘STEM subjects’, (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), it was clear that these subjects are already influential with many of the girls citing their favourite subjects as Science, DT and Maths. All pupils demonstrated an eagerness to learn and held a strong belief in the importance of education for young women. What was clear was their assertion that school was an important aspect of their

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lives and that they actively enjoyed being part of their school community. Oakmeadow’s Emily and Joy showcased key opportunities within their school community to practise leadership skills, such as their roles as Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl respectively, believing strongly in the charity work they organise and the help they offer contributing ideas of improvements to staff. The pupils at Tilstock and Lower Heath too attested that they felt an affinity to their school environment, Mollie from Tilstock was particularly secure in her belief that if there was such a role available to her, she would be happy to help, as all the girls were confident in their ability to be “Never be afraid of what able to voice their opinions. The clear enthusiasm of all these pupils confirmed their strong attitude other people think” – to education. This was further exemplified in their Tilstock, Abbie & Mollie. current wishes to attend university when they’re older.

Lending from their views about education, we were curious about the primary pupils’ ideas of the workplace, after hearing some of the occupations that they wished to enter. When asked what future career paths interested them, the girls all gave confident and ambitious answers. Teachers, “Anyone can vets… a dancer! All expressing a clear passion for personal interests both inside and outside of school. Pupils have any job they actively possessed an awareness of the hard work and want” – Lower processes required to achieve their goals, as driven and Heath, Danielle. capable young women, demonstrating a love of learning and a natural curiosity. Additionally, the girls all shared a firm and intrinsic belief that there is no such thing as ‘a man’s job’ or a specifically gendered job. When prompted why they thought some people regard certain jobs as ‘more masculine’ or ‘more feminine’, or why there are statistically less women in leadership roles, they answered that perhaps some girls might not think they are good enough. Concluding that young girls and women should have more belief in themselves and be more confident in their abilities. When asked what advice or encouragement they would give to a younger pupil, many shared similar ideas about the importance of self-belief and not letting other people get in the way of your ambitions or wants. There was a large stress on respecting everyone, individually, and that everyone is equally deserving.

Our team were curious about the younger pupils’ views on leadership, or specifically women in leadership. When asked what they thought made a good leader, many of the girls expressed that they thought self-confidence is highly important to be able to lead others successfully. Oakmeadow in particular stressed that a strong leader must be respectful to others so that you can lead with the support of your peers as well as their input. The girls were certain that gender should not matter, you can be confident in your ability regardless – your gender should not stop you from believing in yourself and should not dampen what you can achieve. Despite not being sure what the term ‘feminism’ meant, from the girl’s previous answers it is clear they demonstrate an understanding on the concept of equality between men and women – as Zara and Holly proceeded to explain and define feminism, demonstrating that many of the girl’s answers to previous questions coincide with the principle belief.

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In terms of key figures of inspiration and influence to the girls, we received a range of answers. Personal figures such as family members, as well as headteachers, teaching assistants, who all were said to display strong leadership qualities and capability, as well as general kindness and patience. Abbie was passionate about how she looked up to Serena Williams, as she acted as a fundamental turning point for changing people’s perspectives on tennis, typically portrayed as a ‘masculine sport’, as well as changing Abbie’s views. The issue of representation is implicitly of large significance, as these girls show even from a very young age, continuously we see the importance of being gifted the opportunity to observe people who we identify with, represented in jobs, fields, or media around us. The girls all displayed an extremely impressive awareness of wider social issues, as when asked if they could change something about the world, all schools responded with ideas centering around climate change, pollution, racism, and sexism, as the concept of equal opportunity for all, and a fairer world was expressed by all.

The interview ended on an optimistic note, with a discussion about hopes and excitement for moving onto secondary school. The pupils stated they are greatly looking forward to increased independence and a larger diversity of subjects, particularly drama and more involvement in sports and extra-curriculars. Their eagerness to learn about the next step in their education and how they saw their future at Sixth Form and higher educational institutions is testament to the current encouragement they have received from their educators. Our interviewers assured them about the large change that soon becomes familiar when moving to secondary and the exciting opportunities KS3-5 brings.

The experience of speaking to our younger pupils in primary has shown how headstrong, determined, and capable the pupils in our primaries are. They are our future leaders, and they taught us a lot about how far we can go to encourage future generations that limits don’t exist on your potential.

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February 2022

|Halima Aden| Written by Zara Leary and Lucy Craig

“When I was young, education, my family and our

UNICEF gave me an empowering myself, community”.

Halima Aden is a Somalian model, best known for being a trailblazer as the first woman to wear a hijab within the Miss Minnesota USA pageant. Making history as the first hijab woman on the cover of Vogue Arabia, Allure, British Vogue, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, and Essence, she has gone on to be an advocate for Muslim women globally.

Halima Aden has featured in a hijab and burkini on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit which “pushed the needle” in regard to public opinion, due to it being banned on many public beaches in countries such as France. Hamila has triumphed within the modelling industry, becoming the first model to walk an international runway wearing a hijab while signed to a major modelling agency, IMG Models. She has consistently broken boundaries regarding diversity in her industry, pushing for more inclusivism of Muslim women.

Not only does has Hamila done amazing work within the modelling industry, but she also works as a UNICEF ambassador campaigning for children’s rights. She uses her platform to engage with young people across the USA to bring awareness to the work that UNICEF does, evoking significant social change. UNICEF is a campaign close to her heart due to having benefitted from the work they do as a child herself. Hamila continues to push boundaries within her career, incorporating her hijab into her modelling contract and refusing to sacrifice her beliefs to conform to certain designers wants; despite the challenges she may face. Hamila has even designed her own modest clothing line with the brand Modanisa to incorporate more of the designs she wants to see on the runway into the women’s fashion on the market. She continues to make her line inclusive by including items such as a turban and shawl, while still stating that “her clothing line is for everyone, whether they wear the hijab or not”. Hamila plans to be the first Somali woman to compete within the Miss Universe beauty pageant. She follows her own set of terms and conditions that she will not compromise, after quitting large runway shows in November of 2020 due to feeling she was losing her sense of identity by no longer being able to control her own image. She has received support from names such as Rihanna and Gigi Hadid for her work and strong ethics within her job.

Written by Betsy Holmes

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February 2022

|Valentina Tereshkova|

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space, and the first and, currently, only woman to complete a solo space flight. Tereshkova was an engineer, politician, and former cosmonaut from the height of the Cold War era Space Race.

To begin with, Tereshkova’s interest in aviation arose from her time parachute jumping and skydiving which drew her to be selected as one of four women to go through training under the Soviet Space Programme to become a cosmonaut. Tereshkova took inspiration from Yuri Gagarin, who became the first man in space in 1961, and volunteered for the Soviet space “A bird cannot fly with program. Although she did not have any experience one wing only. Human as a pilot, she was accepted into the program because of her 126 parachute jumps. At the time, space flight cannot cosmonauts had to parachute from their capsules develop any further seconds before they hit the ground on returning to without the active Earth. In preparation for the space flight, Tereshkova trained for 18 months with isolation participation of women” testing and artificial gravity testing, and became the woman selected to pilot the Vostok 6 spacecraft. The flight was launched in June 1963, and after 48 orbits of the Earth and 71 hours in space, she returned to earth, having spent more time in space than all U.S. astronauts combined to that date.

Upon completion of her mission, Tereshkova was honoured with the title Hero of the Soviet Union. She never flew again, but she did become a spokesperson for the Soviet Union, directing the Soviet Women’s Committee in 1968 and from 1974 to the collapse of the USSR she was a key member of the Politburo. While fulfilling her role as spokesperson, she received the United Nations Gold Medal of Peace.

Written by Lucy Craig, Edited by Emma Craig

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