Rant alert...

So yesterday I was walking through Dillard's looking for a shower gift for a friend when I ran across a shirt with the words "too pretty for math" on the front of it. Now maybe it is because I am a teacher or maybe it is because I am a woman, but I got so mad when I saw this. By the time kids are in the 10th grade, many girls already believe they just aren't cut out for subjects like math and science and teachers have to battle these beliefs every day. Even worse is when teachers themselves write off other subjects as not as important, namely math, because they just "can't do it." I got so annoyed at the fact that Dillard's was selling this shirt that I wrote them a letter. I mean, I can see it at a place like Hot Topic or Spencer's...but Dillard's? Come on, show a little class. Anyway, I'm sure they'll continue to stock the shirts...because moms will buy them for their sweet little teenagers...but at least now I feel better. I know what you're thinking: I'm overreacting. But spending every day trying to teach high schoolers that education IS important is enough of an uphill battle without having to deal with stores like these reinforcing a belief that outward beauty is what's important, and not intelligence and inner beauty. It's been a while since I wrote a letter and told everybody I knew not to go there, and hopefully I won't have to do it again for a while.