Sheryl Green: Plucking weeds and throwing pebbles

I had a candid conversation with a few of my senior girls yesterday.

We were huddled in the back of the classroom trying to solve the world's problems, or at least those at Jordan High. I've taught these girls for three years now, so we have developed a neat rapport. They can speak honestly and openly with me, and I try to do the same, of course.

This small panel of experts, as we would like call ourselves, vocalized an issue running rampant through the halls of our schools. The issue is no respecter of halls either. It doesn't matter if the halls are elementary, middle or high; there is a sad, perplexing contagion plaguing our young girls -- a lack of self-respect.

My girls and I discussed what the void looks like and how it manifests itself in their classmates. A touchy subject, for sure. As adults reading this column, we can imagine what the list of symptoms look like. But the disease does not require the focus; the cure does.

My girls and I wanted to investigate a solution. Much sucking-of-teeth, shaking of heads, and sighs of dismay occurred within our short conversation, and we commented on how difficult it is to truly define a remedy for our female counterparts. If there is one thing I've tried to teach my kids in our three years together, it is to become a part of the solution, not the problem.

It's hard, though, isn't it? We all can identify with the frustration and cynicism that comes from facing an uphill climb or a daunting battle. I can testify and confess that I certainly mumble disdain under my breath when I look up from my bicycle to see an insanely steep hill looming before me. David felt the same way when facing Goliath. But it is in times like these that giants fall with the smallest of pebbles. The hill is conquered one revolution of the pedal at a time.

So, my girls and I chatted. We questioned life, the world, the election, Economics class, and our sisters in the struggle. We decided lacking self-respect is the root of many battles facing our young girls. As my daddy taught me, if you want to clean up the weeds out of the cracks in your driveway, you must pull them up from the roots. Uprooting deep-seeded voids of respect is difficult. My girls hypothesized that it may start simple, like telling a classmate she looks beautiful just the way she is. Or, stepping in when boys speak harshly to her. Maybe it looks like having a heart to heart conversation about the soul ties created with intimacy. Perhaps it looks a lot like simply telling her that she most certainly can do whatever she dreams or desires.

That's what we decided to do in our circle of conversation. We decided to leave Room 212 and begin seeking out the distraught and making one revolution of the pedal, hurling one small pebble towards the giant of inward disrespect.

What can we do as a community to inspire our young girls? I certainly do not claim to have all the answers; I really am just a teacher. Much of what I have learned has come from being a keen observer and listener to my students. They do shed a great deal of light in this dark world. For those existing outside a school's hallways where the community's female future are harder to find, the suggestion is simple. Find ways. Create ways. Brainstorm with your family around the dinner table how you can invest in the life of a struggling teen mother. Consult with your coworkers around the workroom ways to show success to young entrepreneurs of the girl kind. After Sunday school, get together and create a co-op of powerful women who will walk beside a young girl up this incline.

It begins with a simple conversation with like-minds and bending down to pick up a pebble.

Sheryl Green is an independent contractor. Contact her at sherylgreen14@yahoo.com.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 7:40 PM with the headline "Sheryl Green: Plucking weeds and throwing pebbles ."