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| Women by Paul Richards, Candidate for U.S. Senate - Montana |
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| When
I entered second grade, Hawthorne School on the west side of Helena
had a new teacher. She went around the room, having us introduce
ourselves and telling what our parents did. I introduced myself
and said my mother was a doctor. Mrs. Keith said that I was wrong. “Your mother can’t be a doctor, Paul,” she said, “your mother has to be a nurse.” I repeated that my mother was a doctor. ]Mrs. Keith corrected me again and then sent me to the principal’s office for my insubordination. Of course, principals make you wait, that’s part of having to see the principal. After about an hour, Mr. Roth invited me into his office. “You’ve never been in trouble before, Paul, why are you here?,” Mr. Roth asked. I told him I had told Mrs. Keith that my mother was a doctor. “But your mother is a doctor, Paul,” he said. I said I knew that. Mr. Roth walked me back to Mrs. Keith’s room. By then, class had been dismissed. Mr. Roth told Mrs. Keith that my mother was indeed a physician. I don’t remember Mrs. Keith apologizing. The following day, there was no attempt in class to correct the situation. The class never heard the truth - that women could actually be doctors. My mom, Dr. Belle C. Richards, the only female doctor in town at the time, raised all five of her kids to believe that women were capable of anything. She taught us to respect women as complete individuals, whose identities and professions were to be determined by their own competence, not by sex, race or skin color. |
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| Women
deserve equal pay and consideration. |
| Paul
Richards 2006 • Richards for U.S. Senate P.O. Box 422 • Boulder, MT 59632 406-225-4235 paul@richards2006.us |