Highlighting Women in the Education Field

In the last year, women have moved back a generation in terms of work and pay, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, women in education are continuing to empower, uplift, and push forward, despite the challenges of 2020 and beyond. Now more than ever we see the impacts that trailblazers in education have. They have led us through this last unprecedented year, putting children above all else, and working tirelessly to ensure their needs are met. In March, we celebrate women’s empowerment month, and our team at JET has been reflecting a lot about women in education who have made a real impact – on adults and kids alike. A few names have surfaced in our conversations that we wanted to share.

Below are just a few incredible women that we wanted to highlight. Casel Walker is a local leader, Beverly Daniel Tatum is a national leader, and Malala’s work impacts the global community.

Casel Walker - from the voice of Casel Walker 

"My journey all began with my dolls! As a little girl I can remember lining them up on the stairs and instructing them on how to recite the alphabets and sound out the word "apple". Teaching has always been a part of me. However making the right choices along the way, comes from having people in my life who modeled and believed in me. Their encouragement and examples on how to be the best at what you do gave me a clear idea of the type of educator I wanted to be. 

My career in education began as a Speech and Language Therapist in Boston Public Schools. After seven years, I was offered to teach a substantial separate language based classroom and had my first real classroom experience. From there, I supported parents in a BPS parent center and teachers as a reading specialist. Along the way watching and being influenced by the great leaders around me. I worked closely with some thoughtful, intentional leaders. The opportunity to enter into leadership came when I was appointed assistant principal to the Blackstone ES and then I was appointed principal of the Manning ES. Being principal is a very rewarding position. Over the years, I realized what I enjoyed most was developing future leaders. After the Manning ES, I worked in the BPS District Office as the Executive Director of the School Leadership Institute. This opened up the world of adult learning and leadership preparation program. I began teaching at UMA-Boston Education Administration Program and served on the Board of Boston Green Academy (BGA). It was from BGA that I learned about JET. Working with the co-directors of JET we developed the JET Mentor Program and I have continued to learn more about supporting the development of adults as they pursue being teachers and leaders in education."

Beverly Daniel Tatum

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum was formerly the president of Spelman College, a historically Black college and sister school to Morehouse College. Tatum is the author of “Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria'' and has been a thought-provoking, radical scholar and author. Dr. Tatum has worked hard throughout her career to empower women, specifically when she spearheaded the Wellness Revolution in 2012 at Spellman as an avenue for female students to be empowered about their own physical and mental health. Additionally, Tatum helped to run the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, and was especially acknowledged as a woman leader of color throughout her tenure. Leaders like Beverly Daniel Tatum pave pathways for women with and after them in education spaces and beyond.

Malala Yousafzai

Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education. She is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient for her tireless fight for the right of all children to education and her struggle against the suppression of youth. The award was granted to her in 2014 at age 17. Malala’s advocacy began in 2008 when she was just 11 years old following the Taliban take over of her home village and ban on girls attending school. Malala is truly a trailblazer in international education and the fight for equality in education. At only 23 years old, the future is bright and the opportunities are endless for this young woman and her advocacy work in girls education.

Closing and Implications For the Future

This is just the very tip of the iceberg. There are countless women in education around the world who have made and continue to make a vast impact in the lives of youth and in the education space as a whole. Because of the steps backwards that society has taken for women in the workplace, it is critical now more than ever to empower women in all spaces – young and old. The four highlighted females are great examples on how to do this in an education space. This work is never complete; there are always challenges to overcome and mountains to climb. We hope you join JET in this effort as we continue to engage in this work together.