How to Throw a Punch
A smile.
Out of 16 men, none of them have actually shown me how to throw a punch without hurting myself. A few have hesitantly told me I need to turn my wrist as I punch. One told me, briefly, that I should hit with a certain part of my hand so I injure them more than myself. I've picked up bits and pieces about how to punch someone properly and have constructed a basic understanding of how to do this.
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| Here's an info-graphic of how to throw a manly punch, because apparently only men can learn how to punch properly according to Google images. |
The follow up question is usually this (if there is even a question of why I want to learn this particular skill): Why do you want to learn how to punch someone?
Why not? I want to live in New York and San Francisco. I am a 115 lb woman and I don't exactly have bulging muscles. The answer should be obvious. I shouldn't need someone to protect me if a person could just show me how to hit someone hard enough that they might think twice about their intentions.
Yet, no one will teach me. Many of them laugh it off. I actually got patted on the head once. I was told that if anyone tried to hurt me, they would take care of it. I was told that I should never have to end up in a situation where I will need to know how to punch if I'm smart.
This made me angry.
I shouldn't have to take self defense classes to live alone. I shouldn't have to be afraid to walk through safe-as-flowers Fort Collins at night after work.
I shouldn't have my motives for wanting to know how to defend myself questioned. I know that violence isn't what I should jump to, but it's often what women are forced into. Many of my male coworkers and I goof off and I don't often have the upper hand.
How does this translate into the classroom? I remember getting my bra snapped in 8th grade. I remember my bra being unhooked in high school. I remember getting jostled frequently. I remember seeing girls pushed up against lockers in the hallway by boys twice their size. I remember the cat calls (though not aimed at me particularly) and the laughing and the blatant sexual innuendos. I remember the difference in treatment depending on the subject.
As a teacher, I want to keep that kind of behavior out of my classroom. I want to let the girls in my classroom know that they are safe. I want girls and boys to know that they are free to learn and experiment with all the knowledge they want. I want them to feel unafraid of the things they find interesting because society has told us that only girls can do certain things and only boys can do certain things. I think it's important to never use the phrase "boys will be boys" in my classroom. I want all of my students held accountable for their decisions, because that is true equality.
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