June 6, 2003

It drives me nuts when people make judgments about others’ knowledge/skills based on how young or old they look. In my work, I come in contact with people who are (and look) older than me—from school district to college/university personnel. When I meet people for the first time, there is almost always this physical reaction of surprise. The pupils get a little wider, heads move back a bit, there’s a little hesitation…The level of surprise also varies if I’m wearing glasses or if I have my hair up or down (And no, I don’t wear pigtails to meetings). I was just at a meeting and this woman kept asking (at least THREE times) if I was going to be the person making the final decision on her application into this program that I run. What, young-looking equals unknowledgeable, unintelligent, and/or unskilled? That math stinks. Go directly back to school. Do not pass go. Lose a turn. Get a life.

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