My daughter, my teacher.

I often find myself trying to define disruptive and impactful ways to get relevant points across our teams, our clients and society. Well, it was just a few days ago that my 9 year old daughter shared with me a story that she wrote as part of her 4th grade work on Realistic Fiction at her School here in Buenos Aires.

This was my biggest learning of recent days. Why? I am convinced we need more female leaders in our societies to grow towards higher levels of respect, understanding, fairness and innovation. And I felt her story like a bucket of iced water on me!!

Realistic Fiction? or maybe not: you'll be the judge. Just as background: my daughter's dream is to play for the LA Sparks when she grows up (WNBA), and wishes to actually meet Lebron James at some point in life. She plays ball saturdays in her elementary school team.

Here is her story, exactly as she wrote it... emoticons and all.

Gender Discrimination by Katia.

A lot of people say that life is not fair. If you want life to be fair you have to fight for it, and don’t give up on your dreams. This story will tell you how Luna Rose, fought to teach her school it’s not fair that only boys can be in the basketball team. And that we shouldn’t have gender discrimination.

In the resting area at Buenos Aires Argentina Luna was tying her shoelace at Lincoln school. She drank a little bit of water and went out to the basketball court🏀. Luna was running, the spectators were cheering for Luna. She was dribbling the ball directly to the hoop when suddenly the spectators screamed “5, 4, 3, 2, 1….”. But when she jumped up to score, an alarm sounded. She woke up and screamed “I’m late!” And put on her clothes while her mom yelled “You’re late!”

A while later Luna went down stairs and ate a doughnut. Suddenly her little brother (Max) came down stairs and threw a doughnut to Luna. “Max look what you did! I am all covered in doughnut frosting🍩! And now I can’t change because the bus is here!” yelled Luna. “Sorry Ms. Perfect but it’s not like it’s the end of the world” said Max with a little laugh. “When I’m back from school you are so wrecked”. Mumbled Luna with an evil voice.

After a while, Luna was at school. She was walking down the hall towards the secretary. Her heart was pounding and she was sweating. When Luna got there, she asked the secretary: “Can I be in the basketball team?”. The secretary said confused: “Of course not that’s illegal, boys do basketball and football and girls do dance and gymnastics.”. “But shouldn’t girls also do basketball?” asked Luna. “Look honey I’m smart, you’re not, I’m tall, your short, I decide, you don’t, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” the secretary answered in a mean voice😈”.

That night when Luna was sleeping, she woke up and put on black clothes. She got her bike and her cat🐱, put her cat in her bike, and road to school. She left her bike against a car and put her cat in the street so the guards would get distracted. Then she slithered as quiet as a mouse and went to sign in for basketball. When she was walking down the hall, she finally found the poster. While she was signing herself up on the poster, the principal got out of a room and spotted her. “Young lady!” yelled the principal. "I am so sorry it wasn’t my intention I swear!” The principal took her out; Luna got her cat and left home.

The next day Luna was sitting down in her math class, listening to the clock⏰ “Tik tok tik tok…..” Thinking there was still 8 hours left of the school day. When suddenly Ms. Florencia, (the secretary) stepped into the room. “Is Luna Rose in this class?”. Luna stood up confused and asked “Yes?”. “You need to come to the principal’s office” ordered Ms. Florencia. “But...bu but……...what did I do wrong……..did I do something wrong?........what will my parents say….” Luna said nervous. Her legs were shaking. “Luna calm down the principal just called you to discuss something that happened that’s it” Said Ms. Florencia trying to calm her down.

On the way to the principal’s office Luna's heart was pounding thinking what she did wrong and what she had to discuss with the principal. But when she stepped into the principal's office her mom and dad were standing right there in front of her nose👫. But after a while Luna realized they were only there to discuss that it wasn’t fair that Luna couldn’t be in the basketball team. They talked and talked until finally, the decision was made Luna and all the other girls in the school could play basketball👍.

At the next assembly in the school, Luna spoke and said in a speech: “Is any girl in this school suffering because they don’t let you play basketball or football?” and every single girl in the room raised their hand up💁. Except for the secretary, she just glared at Luna😒.

“Well girls today is the day we finally may join in to the basketball and football team. Inscriptions are at the side of the cafeteria door.” Luna raised her hand up with her fist and yelled: “No gender discrimination!”