Does unionization in a non-traditional field guarantee lack of sexism in the work place? Educators should raise these questions and present case histories, then encourage groups discussion of solutions. This method will emphasize the systemic nature both of the discrimination and its correction. Women students need to learn to be assertive in speech. I have been surprised that in my Public Speaking For Women Courses students from all kinds of jobs are paralyzed by a fear of speaking out. Public speaking skills can be encouraged by having the students make presentations or by role-playing situations. Women need to learn how to debate. Encourage the use of humour, voice projection and appropriate body language--for example, it is not always appropriate to smile when expressing something of importance. Whether through class presentation or special workshops, speaking assertively is an important skill for women in the workplace. Students should be aware of its place in their lives and why it is they have such difficulty speaking out.

Feminist education must have a foundation of consciousness-raising. While some claim that this is "old hat," it is still news to younger women and even older women who missed the ferment of the sixties. Without exploring the historical, social, economic, and political roots of women's oppression with reference to each woman's experience, feminist "facts" will not help in a time of crisis. The foundations of feminist consciousness must be built at a visceral level to be useful when needed.

The teacher is a key figure in women's training. It is foolish to assume that the absence of the Y chromosome is any guarantee of sympathy to or aware of feminist education. Since many teachers in these programs are men, they too need to be trained. Many who have excellent credentials in their specialized fields, have no familiarity with feminist educational theory or even with women's issues. All teachers must be asked to undergo a consciousness-raising program.

Feminist pedagogy, aimed at the empowerment of women, cannot afford to replicate the dominant authoritarian model. It must not be authoritarian, condescending or materialistic. Ask students to buy into these standards, to "own" them, with the understanding that they are responsible for, have power over, their own behaviour and choices.