Students at a girls’ school learn useful skills like how to fix a car and change a tire.
What a great idea! This is something that all schools should do.
We learn a lot of things at school.
Most of the time, these things are useful in the real world. We get to use what we learn in Math, English, and Science in the “real world” in one way or another.
But there are other things we learn in school that help us more in our everyday lives.
In classes like Home Economics (cooking, baking, and sewing) and Physical Education, we also learn new skills (first aid, self-defense). We know that these things might seem like a lot of fun in school, but they will come in very handy when we’re older.
The sad thing is that we tend to put these skills into groups based on gender.
People used to think that only women cooked, baked, and did housework. Men were thought to do the dirtier, heavier work, like running machinery. At least we don’t have to deal with sexism in trades or skills as much as we used to.
This Australian school was praised because it taught young girls how to fix cars.
Stella Maris College in Manly, New South Wales, Australia, is proud to be ahead of the curve when it comes to teaching young girls to be independent, self-reliant, and confident. One way they do this is by teaching them how to take care of their own cars.
They worked with a group called Gal Matic that teaches people how to fix cars.
Eleni Matikos, who started the company, used to be able to fix her own car. She realized that being able to do simple repairs on your own could save your life. So, she thought about making a program to teach young girls about cars and pass on what she knew.
In order to do this training, they want to work with schools.
Stella Maris College is one of the institutions they have partnered with for many years. Rosie stands for, the trainers’ “Rosie the Riveter” costume is a fantastic choice.
Students in grades 11 and 12 learned how to change the tires, figure out what’s under the hood, do a 10-minute service check (oil, water, tire, battery), and deal with minor car accidents.
The school said that girls their age need to have these skills.
This is the time in their lives when they start getting learner’s permits to drive and will soon be able to drive their car without their parents watching. The goal of the school was to help them feel better about their maintenance skills and be able to fix simple problems on their own.
Also, this keeps these girls safe while they are on the road.
When our car breaks down, we often ask strangers for help, which is now thought to be dangerous. If you know how to do these things, you won’t have to ask a stranger for help, who might take advantage of your weakness.
People liked what the school did, and some of its graduates could back that up.
Kathryn Bran, whose mother went to SMC, said:
“As the mother of one of those 11th-grade girls and a former Stella student, I can say that this session was very helpful. Tonight at dinner, talk about this! Here’s to safe drivers who know what they’re doing!”
Vicky Jones, a second Facebook user, praised the school:
“This is wonderful! I wish I had been there to learn this skill. Stella did a great job showing our daughters how to be strong and independent. ?”