International Women ' s Day
Here are two student perspectives on the International Woman ’ s Day presentations :
Let ' s break the bias
Speaking to Ms Jayne Hrdlicka on International Women ’ s Day afforded the boys and myself the opportunity to absorb a wealth of knowledge and life experience . Touching on points such as work-life balance , people who inspire , and awareness of those around us , we discussed a wide range of topics that are so relevant to today ’ s society .
Ms Hrdlicka stressed one of the most important skills to acquire after you leave school and embark on life is ‘ the ability to understand what matters ’. The skill of being able to prioritise is vital for success . She explained that in order to thrive , one needs to know what is important in family , work , study and personal life , and be able to find balance to deliver appropriately .
While completing her Masters of Business at Dartmouth University , she learned that managing time and being able to make trade-offs was a critical skill to manage a busy life . The ability of ‘ figuring out what to focus on and what to put on the backburner ’, she labelled as being the single most important skill in our toolkit which enables us to make a difference to the things that matter .
Ms Hrdlicka also draws inspiration from the influential people of today , and appreciates the skills and attributes that lead them to such success in their professional lives . Involved as she is in her role in the tennis sphere , she commended Ash Barty as someone who is nothing short of extraordinary when it comes to her work ethic . She played tennis from a young age , switched to play cricket for a while , and then returned to the court , having figured herself out as a professional tennis player . She worked hard on physical and more importantly mental resilience throughout her career , and the result shows as she ended up winning the women ’ s singles final at the Australian Open . Not only did she win the final but the match had more TV viewers than any other sporting event in Australian history , showing the sheer impact she had on her fans in her home country and around the world . Jane admired the fact that no matter her level of success , Ash constantly seeks to learn from every day to get better for the next . As she so well put it , ‘ we ’ re never done learning ’.
We finished by discussing the key themes that young people should focus on for International Women ’ s Day . This day , she affirmed , should matter to us all , as we all have important women in
our lives – our mothers , sisters , aunts , grandmas or friends . International Women ’ s Day is an opportunity to reflect initially on the fact that there is so much that has been achieved already , but also to acknowledge that we are far from achieving our goals .
Around the world , and in Australia , there are issues of inequity in every aspect of our community . All the women in our lives should have the ability to feel safe and secure , and that the world of possibility is available to them if they work hard to achieve their dreams . As we celebrate the social , economic , cultural and political achievements of women across history , who have fought against oppression and inequality , it is essential we recognise the part we can play in achieving genuine equity for women . TOMMY LIVADARIS – SCHOOL CAPTAIN
On International Women ’ s Day , the boys in our Junior School were privileged to have a special guest , Professor Ingrid Scheffer , speak to them during a special online Assembly .
Professor Scheffer is a paediatric neurologist who has been a leader in the field of epilepsy genetics research for the last 20 plus years . She has won numerous awards , such as the L ’ Oréal- UNESCO Laureate for Women in Science award and the Prime Minister ’ s Prize for Science .
The presentation began with Professor Scheffer talking about resilience , gender styles and bias . She told us that it doesn ’ t matter what gender you are , you should always give it your all . She emphasised that she never set out to receive awards and that women should be treated equally and with respect .
We learnt that women can have different perspectives on topics than men . She spoke to us about how important it is to have men and women working together to solve problems as they both have very different ideas .
I personally felt that Professor Scheffer ’ s presentation gave me an understanding of what life is like outside of school . Her message about how we need to use resilience to overcome challenges is very true . I also understood the idea that when men and women work together in leadership the results are far better than one gender dominating .
CHARLIE LAMB – YEAR 6 www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 35