March is the month when we focus on the amazing women who have helped to shape our culture and our society. We celebrate and applaud those who have accomplished extraordinary success or participated in activities that changed the nation. Those women who were “firsts” in their fields deserve our thanks. We stand on the shoulders of those who have opened the doors to our success today.
However, March is also a time when we should acknowledge that there are many ordinary women who go about their lives each day in ways that create extraordinary opportunities for others. We must celebrate that woman who returns to school at age 40, so that she will be better prepared to serve her community. We must acknowledge the sacrifices that many women make as they care for family and friends. Our thanks should go to the teachers, nurses, social workers, and others in the “women’s professions” who choose these important roles in our society. That single mother who gets her children to school on time every day also deserves our attention.
No matter which extraordinary women we choose to celebrate this Women’s History Month, it is important that we remember that they were able to do what they did because they were prepared by formal and informal education to be the women they are. Educators believe that the best outcome of education is a life of contribution, contentment, and continuing intellectual engagement. At the DPS Foundation we help to provide those educational experiences that lead to productive lives for everyone.
Surprise a woman this March by telling her how extraordinary you think that she is.