Empowering Minds: Teaching with Purpose During Women’s History Month!

Teaching during Women’s History Month provides a great opportunity to engage and inspire students in meaningful discussions and activities centered around the achievements and contributions of women throughout history. I try to get students to interact with texts by women all year, but I do so even more during this month. Here are some tips I use to make the most of this important month:

1. Integrate Women’s Stories Across Subjects: Incorporate stories of women in various subjects, including history, literature, science, and art. Show how women have made significant contributions across different fields and disciplines,
2. Highlight Diversity: Ensure that your curriculum reflects the diversity of women’s experiences. Include women from different races, ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds to provide a comprehensive view of women’s history.
3. Encourage Critical Thinking: Prompt students to analyze the historical context in which women lived and the challenges they faced. Encourage critical thinking by discussing the barriers women encountered and how they overcame them to achieve their goals.
4. Explore Intersectionality: Help students understand that women’s experiences are shaped by multiple factors, including race, class, religion, and sexuality. Explore intersectionality by discussing how these intersecting identities influence women’s lives and opportunities.
5. Empower Student Voices: Provide opportunities for students to research and present on influential women in history. Encourage them to choose figures who resonate with them personally and explain why these women are significant.
6. Promote Role Models: Showcase contemporary women who are making a difference in their communities and fields. Invite guest speakers or organize virtual interviews with women leaders, activists, scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs.

7. Connect History to Current Events: Discuss how historical movements and achievements by women have shaped the world we live in today. Explore current events related to gender equality, women’s rights, and social justice issues.

8. Engage in Creative Projects: Foster creativity by assigning projects that allow students to express themselves through art, music, writing, or multimedia presentations. Encourage them to create works that celebrate women’s achievements or raise awareness of gender-related issues.

9. Encourage Empathy and Respect: Create a classroom environment that values empathy, respect, and inclusivity. Teach students to appreciate and celebrate the diverse experiences and perspectives of women around the world.

10. Reflect and Celebrate: Take time to reflect on the progress that has been made in advancing women’s rights and recognize the work that still needs to be done. Celebrate the achievements of women past and present, and inspire students to become agents of change in their own communities.

11. Provide opportunities to showcase these women: I am able to highlight 4 women weekly on a bulletin board in the hallway across from my classroom. I make it interactive. I show a face, a quote, and pose a question stemming from the quote for students to ponder as they walk by. And, as I’ve mentioned above, these women range in age, race, walks of life: singers, rappers, business women, poets, congresswomen, etc. nationality,, sexual orientation, religion, etc. Students all over the school, as they walk by my classroom, are inspire or become curious by these women. Lastly, to promote the awesomeness of the women we study in class, sometimes I put our original works and writings and projects on the same bulletin board for the building to see how amazing these women are.

By incorporating these tips into your teaching during Women’s History Month, you can create a rich and engaging learning experience that empowers and inspires students to appreciate the contributions of women and strive for gender equality in today’s society.

PSSST….THE ANGRY TEACHER STORE has a sale all next week: MARCH 3 – 7 to promote these wonderful women of literature! Check it out to have an awesome time celebrating wonderful women writers!