Guest Blog: Krystle Merchant on Teaching Women’s History
Krystle Merchant is a teacher and proud feminist at an all-girls high school in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
As a young, black female history teacher at a private school in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., I often feel pressured to speak to colleagues and parents on behalf of many different communities. As a result, I try to educate girls to be willing and able to do the same as adult women, regardless of which communities they represent. This is especially true in my Women in the United States senior history elective, where I draw my students’ attention to their current and future experiences as women, the importance of gender to the meaning of history, and the construction of the historical narrative.
On the first day of class, we start with a simple survey. The first question, “Are you a feminist?,” always gets a
Feminist Teacher Now Education Commentator on Feminist Magazine, Pacifica Radio
Feminist Magazine, KPFK 90.7, Pacifica RadioIf you missed my first commentary in July, I’ve posted the audio archive here as well as the transcript below. Watch my Twitter and Facebook feeds for updates on upcoming commentary dates.
Transcript of my first commentary on the invisibility of teachers as leaders in the media and the need to re-position our voices in political and educational discourse follows below.
I’m Ileana Jiménez. It’s a pleasure to be on Feminist Magazine on KPFK Pacifica as a regular commentator on education. I blog at feministteacher.com and tweet at @feministteacher on the intersection of education and
