Each and every one of us has been deeply touched by today's attack and the
horrible loss of lives. Our Oregon governor requested that we conduct
business as usual in an effort to demonstrate our commitment to freedom and
the American lifestyle. I continue our dialogue with a renewed
appreciation
that our rights and liberties that allow us to have this discussion.
I agree with Melissa Barbier's opening statement that girls' economic
futures are impacted by, "failure to provide complete and accurate career
information, inadequate counseling on nontraditional career options,
inequitable treatment by teachers and administrators of nontraditional
enrollees and most importantly the lack of female role models in high-wage,
high-skilled blue-collar occupations." I believe most educators entered
their employment through a similar path through college. Most aren't able
to provide accurate and unbiased information about nontraditional
occupations because they don't know it or even how to access it.
I would like to share the most comprehensive K-12 counseling and career
development model in our state. I feel safe in saying that because they
just won a National "Planning for Life" Award co-sponsored by the American
School Counseling Association and the U. S. Army. In addition to academic
content standards, Oregon has seven Career-Related Learning Standards
(CRLS)
that were determined by the SCANS report: Personal Management, Problem
Solving, Communication, Teamwork, Organization and Systems, Employment
Foundations and Career Development/Career Planning. The Hillsboro School
District in Hillsboro, Oregon has systematically developed a comprehensive
counseling/career program that has sequentially woven the CRLS into all
subject areas, grades K-12. The model is outcome based, measurable and
integrates with the Academic Content Benchmarks. You can see their model
at: http://www.hsd.k12.or.us/crls. A comprehensive model is exists for
each and every student AND is delivered by every teacher and counselor.
Melissa and Lynn Shaw both referred to the importance of having women in
non-traditional occupations as role models and mentors for young women. I
invite people to visit Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.'s website at:
http://www.tradeswomen.net to learn about their work with a "Women in
Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Grant from the U.S.
Dept. of Labor, Pathways to Success program and Trades Offer Girls Options
(TO GO).
Lynn mentioned the national group, Tradeswomen Now and Tomorrow (TNT). The
2001 National Tradeswomen Conference, "Building the Power" is October 11-14
in Denver, Colorado. Conference information and registration is available
at http://www.tradeswomenconference.com.
Each of our panelists has addressed gender equity issues in society,
education and the workplace that limit career choices of girls and women.
I
believe there is an equally important equity issue in how different types
of
work are valued. Too often there is disparity in the value placed on
white-collar work and blue-collar work. Equity in career planning will be
achieved only when every student is able to choose from the world of
employment options and not be limited by stereotypes or expectations
imposed
by others.
The Oregon Tradeswomen I know share a pride in their work, their ability to
support themselves and their families, and simply enjoy following their
"calling." Many of them describe how fun and rewarding it is to pass by a
building or site that they built. My work as an educator is often
intangible, while tradeswomen's work is usually concrete and measurable.
I recently participated in a gender study symposium that required reading
Allan Johnson's "Gender Knot: Unraveling Our Patriarchal Legacy." Most of
the information in Johnson's book will not be new to those who have worked
in career and/or educational equity. Unfortunately, I learned that most of
the students were unaware of the deep-rooted patriarchy and its effect on
girls and women in our society. Both Allan Johnson and Jackson Katz admit
that their voices about equity are stronger because they are white males.
I look forward to hearing from other panelists and listserv subscribers.
June Tremain, Ed. D.
Career Development and Human Res. Specialist
Oregon Department of Education
Office of Professional Technical Education
Public Service Building
255 Capitol ST. NE
Salem, OR. 97310-0203
Phone (503) 378-3600 x2238 Fax (503) 378-5156
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