Social Justice at Govs

Ms. Finch’s lecture on Gender and specifically gender portrayed in literature were the perfect time to have this lecture. This was my first time as a senior who has been at govs for four years to look over the curriculum and what I was taught about feminism. I would argue tho that I learned more from my peers who had a voice in the community. I specifically remember Afoma and Melissa talking about social justice and hosting SWAGA. The Governors Academy’s curriculum does not focus on gender until mainly junior or senior year, depending on the teacher. This is a mistake because knowledge is power and by educating the 9th and 10th graders on social justice would benefit the govs community and their own life.

The learning curriculum has impacted my education on social justice by allowing me to form my own opinions. I specifically remember having my first “eye-opening experience” my Junior year in Mr. Taveras’s English class. Through reading literature like How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Americana, and We Should All Be Feminists I dove right into social justice and realized how important social justice is. This experience is what made me take Women Studies too further my understanding of a topic that was introduced fully my Junior year. I have always understood that a man is not better than a woman, growing up in a household of all girls. So I just thought it was normal and a social acknowledged fact when I was growing up. I never experienced the stay at home mom and dad who goes to work American lifestyle. I had a mom who did it both so I didn’t get the traditional family values that our society experiences. Due to this, I didn’t realize women were still fighting for equality (and still are) until eighth grade, and I saw how reality was for women around the world.