While I have noticed some gender differences in the classroom I am observing, I’m hesitant to extrapolate them onto a wider sample size. However, as we have mentioned in class, lots of research has been done to more formally state what I have observed and the reasons behind it.
In the advanced class I observe, I see very little if any gendered behavior. Some may exist, but it has not manifested during the class period. However, gendered behavior is clearly displayed in the regularly-paced class. The class I observed today was the last class of the students’ day before fall break. This fact, and the fact that it was shortened class, could have heightened everyone’s excitement levels. It was clear from my spot in the back of the classroom, that male-presenting students were more likely to cause a disturbance. They are slower to follow through on the rules. When Mrs. Talbot calls out instructions, the boys are the last to catch on and move in the right direction. For example, every day at the beginning of class, Mrs. Talbot has the students pull out their assignment notebooks and write down the homework. The female-presenting students seem to have an easier time following through on this class.
However, in both classes, male and female students participate equally, and no gender seems to catch on faster than the other. I have not noticed any gender regimes, nor have I picked up on students embracing or resisting gender expectations. One reason for this I suppose is because the math classroom does not allow for much freedom of expression. There is a single right answer, and at their math level, there is only one way to go about finding that answer. I have not noticed the female teacher setting separate expectations for the genders.
To be honest, I have very little idea how my gender and gender identity have influenced my educational experiences. I only learned about the idea of gender identity at Carleton and did not know that gender could influence a classroom until speaking with female classmates and teachers in my STEM classes. Because this topic is so new to me, I haven’t been able to pick up on the ways it has influenced me. Carleton faculty have been so inclusive of their female/nonbinary students, that if anything, being female has positively impacted my education experience. I am reassured by groups like PUGS, Lovelace, and GeMMS that I do belong in STEM. However, before getting to Carleton, I didn’t have any doubts that I didn’t belong. However, I do not believe I came to that conclusion passively. My father played and continues to play a significant role in giving me confidence as a student.
I continue to be so impressed by Mrs. Talbot, the teacher in my eighth-grade algebra class. During class today, as she was going through single-step equations, she would speak the steps out loud. Before giving the answer, she would pause, and without fail a chorus of student voices would respond with the correct answer. Even though there was a lot of instruction at the beginning of class, it was not a time for students to sit back and kick up their feet. Every 15/30 seconds, she would give the students a chance to respond. Mrs. Talbot wanted them actively engaged, and they were.
One thing I am struggling with is understanding why the students don’t understand how to solve something like 3(4x-2x)=12. It seems so intuitive to me that you would first combine like terms, multiple by the 3 and divide by 6. However, I need to remind myself that this understanding has come from years of practice. I believe this is the first time when I have truly looked back to see how far I have come in my learning. Being a Carleton student, I am constantly challenged to learn more and fill in my knowledge gaps. I am always forced to focus on what I don’t know that I forget how much I do know. I get worried that I can’t help these students because I can’t relate to their level of understanding. But by watching Mrs. Talbot teach, it’s clear that teachers quickly learn what their students do and don’t understand and what are common areas of mistakes.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Angela Ellis.
• This topic was modified 4 years, 6 months ago by Angela Ellis.