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Education needs more innovation such as ‘Diva Tech’

Several decades ago, the line was clearly drawn between male and female students in many public schools around the country. At some point, girls took home economics and boys took some version of “shop.” Typically, girls learned how to cook, sew and do other domestic tasks. Boys learned welding or how to work on cars, etc. It was stereotype central even if it didn’t necessarily offend many people or seem strange to many people at the time. But it was an embrace of stereotype and it would have been considered strange had people known then what they know now.

Today in Minot, we have the wonderful “Diva Tech.” The Minot school district has been holding “Diva Tech” for a number of years to help girls in the district explore non-traditional careers and learn about all of the classes they can take in different areas once they reach the high school level. The free workshop was open to girls in seventh through 11th grades. This year 54 girls from Minot and surrounding communities signed up.

Among the things taught: welding, changing a tire, coding a mobile application, engineering a boat and sailing it and much more. Instructor Jeff Ball taught girls how to wire a light switch and Aviation Technology instructor Meric Murphy taught the girls how to fly a plane using a flight simulator. Earlier in the day, a variety of women in interesting professional positions shared their experiences.

Families should love this program. This isn’t 1955 anymore. High school girls have the same options available to them as boys; and, furthermore, young women need to know the same things as young men to be high functioning members of society. Who wouldn’t want a daughter to be able to change a tire instead of waiting by the side of a dark, cold road? Who wouldn’t want our daughters to feel they have the same capabilities and career options as our sons?

In fact, Minot Daily News would strongly support an expansion of the program to teach high school boys a few skills once designated as for “girls” only. How about a few household skills? How about being able to patch their own clothing? How about the basics of cooking? A half-century ago, these were relegated to “girls skills.” Rubbish. They are human skills.

How about an expansion to include basic financial life skills? How to balance a checkbook? How to understand compound interest? What the real cost of buying a car or home is? The role of insurance? Making a household budget?

The Minot school district is ahead of the curve here and could pull even further ahead. MDN does not deny that certain professions have a strong cultural attraction to one gender or the other. But this continues to evolve and those schools that prepare students for the most options, enable those students to achieve whatever their personal goals.

Great job by the Minot school district and may the program enjoy strong support, growth and evolution in the years ahead.

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