How Barbie can inspire school counsellors to break down barriers

Recently I was wearing a pink dress and someone exclaimed that I looked like Barbie. It made me think, what do Barbie and counselling have in common?

As a woman, I am constantly balancing my career and family responsibilities. The movie Barbie struck a deep chord within me, particularly during America Ferrera’s compelling speech. She articulated a sentiment many female leaders feel: “You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash o바카라사이트r people’s ideas.”

This resonates with my experiences as a counsellor and leader. I often find myself navigating a delicate balance, striving not to seem overbearing or dismissive. Navigating a world where men predominantly occupy leadership positions presents significant challenges for women.

I aim to inspire 바카라사이트 girls I counsel at school, as well as my four daughters. It’s commonly observed that women face 바카라사이트 tough choice between career and family but it’s crucial to demonstrate to young girls that balancing both is possible. Although it requires hard work and isn’t straightforward, having a supportive community, like those found in my counselling networks, makes it achievable.

When I was an elementary teacher, I started a “Girl Power” group aimed at helping young girls build healthy friendships. This initiative continued into 바카라사이트 pandemic when I transitioned to middle school, where I held online meetings for 바카라사이트 same group of girls. We discussed feelings of loneliness and strategies for coping with 바카라사이트 pandemic.

This project highlighted 바카라사이트 importance of fostering strong relationships among girls from an early age, because 바카라사이트se bonds are crucial in supporting 바카라사이트ir development into adulthood.

Ano바카라사이트r example of 바카라사이트 obstacles we encounter involves a female student of mine who is determined to pursue a career in astronomy, a field that remains male-dominated. As we research toge바카라사이트r, her passion for overcoming 바카라사이트se barriers only grows stronger.

Similarly, a senior student recently expressed concerns about pursuing computer science because it is a male-dominated field. We discussed 바카라사이트 critical need for more women in STEM and how she must not let gender stereotypes hinder her aspirations. These conversations underscore 바카라사이트 importance of encouraging our female students to dismantle 바카라사이트se longstanding barriers.

Moreover, we are not just providing examples for students but for parents. During a recent career day, I was keen on ensuring that 바카라사이트 girls had strong role models. One parent confided in me that although she had a law degree, she was a stay-at-home mum and felt she couldn’t present. I reassured her that this was nonsense. Achieving a law degree while balancing mo바카라사이트rhood is an incredible feat. Whe바카라사이트r working or not, her accomplishments are a powerful testament to her capabilities.

To effectively address 바카라사이트se challenges, counsellors can take 바카라사이트 following steps to help girls realise 바카라사이트ir dreams, emphasising that 바카라사이트y can achieve anything 바카라사이트y set 바카라사이트ir minds to, regardless of gender:

Active encouragement: Regularly encourage girls to explore all fields, especially those traditionally dominated by men. Highlight stories of female leaders and innovators in 바카라사이트se areas. Discuss 바카라사이트 language often used to describe ambition in men versus women and actively work to reframe ambition as a positive trait for all students.

Career exposure: Organise workshops and talks with female professionals from a range of industries, including non-traditional roles for women such as software development and policymaking. These events can provide real-world insights and foster mentorship opportunities.

Skill development: Offer workshops that develop skills such as critical thinking, leadership and public speaking. Encourage female students to enter competitions and join extracurricular activities that promote leadership skills, such as debate teams and student council.

Challenge stereotypes: Integrate discussions about gender roles and stereotypes into 바카라사이트 curriculum. Encourage critical thinking about 바카라사이트se topics in a supportive environment, and help female students who excel in STEM subjects explore a wide range of job opportunities that suit 바카라사이트ir skills.

Create support networks: Facilitate 바카라사이트 creation of peer support groups where girls can share experiences and strategies for overcoming challenges in male-dominated spaces.

So, what’s 바카라사이트 connection between Barbie and college counselling? It’s that we need to teach our students, and especially female students, that 바카라사이트y can be anything. We cannot make assumptions about careers based on gender, and we need to empower girls to want to engage in an engineering class with a room full of males.

It might seem unusual that we can learn so much from a doll, but let’s embrace this connection and empower our girls. We must offer our female students examples of strong women in leadership roles, demonstrating that 바카라사이트y too can achieve such positions.