NHS Week 5

[Anonymous]

Gendered behavior and regimes in the classroom

I am not sure that I’ve witnessed any gender regimes or clear evidence of gendered behavior in S120. However, in conversing with Lisa Battaglia about other courses in the high school, we discussed the tendencies for advanced STEM courses and wood shop courses to consist mostly of male-identifying students. In this way, female-identifying students may be hesitant or less inclined to sign up for such male dominated classes. Lisa did mention that some wood-shop or metal-smithing classes are designated as “women only”, to encourage more women-identifying students to sign up for the courses. In creating learning spaces that consist only of female students, the hope is to build the students’ confidence in the subject matter without worrying about feelings of inferiority. I do wonder, however, if these single-gender class settings could potentially backfire; would expectations of the all-female class subconsciously be lowered because of the students’ gender?

Upon second thought, I do think I’ve seen more subtle examples of gendered behavior in s120. The clearest example I can think of is how male students seem to be more reluctant than female students to ask for help. In each visit I’ve made to the school thus far, I’ve witnessed several students actively asking for homework assistance, and these students were all female. I’ve also observed at least one or two students each week silently struggling through homework, visibly frustrated while staring at their iPad or homework sheet. Two of the students in particular seem to find difficulty in asking for help, and they are both male. I think Lisa and the educational assistants have long since picked up on this pattern, as they often make an effort to initiate conversations with these students and offer assistance without the students having to ask first.  For example, upon noticing that the study hall was abnormally quiet yesterday, Lisa cheerfully called, “Holler if you need anything, I’d love to help!”. In this way, I think Lisa is attempting to remove the sense of risk or chance of hurting one’s own pride by asking for help. Asking for support is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of wanting to improve oneself.

Gender in my own educational experience

Up until high school, I don’t think I ever really considered how my gender identity influenced my educational experience. There were times where my racial identity played a role – for example, there was a pressure to be excellent in math and sciences because I am Asian. However, because I was pushed to excel in STEM subjects by both family and societal expectations, I don’t think I ever felt inferior as a woman in STEM because I was often one of the top students in those subjects.

I then attended an all-girls high school, and that environment definitely foregrounded my gender identity in my educational experience. The school emphasized women empowerment not only in academic settings, but also in the professional world and through different forms of social activism. In attending an all-girls school, I was lucky to have avoided sexism in the classroom. We were all held to the same standards regardless of the subject matter. In having a constant gender identity across the student body, however, I must say that other aspects of my identity became much more salient. Many of the students noticed discrepancies in how they were treated by faculty, alumni, and trustees according to their race and especially their social class or family background.

Additional observations and insights

I overheard a very intriguing conversation between two male students. Upon reflecting that they were almost at the end of their high school career, they remarked that the high school “doesn’t realize that we’re growing teenagers” or “meet us where we are”. I was startled at this exact wording that was used; it was as if they had overheard our discussions in Ed Psych about the importance of individualized teaching and recognizing the different subject positions of each student within the classroom. The students then went on to exclaim, “I need to learn how to make money, not the Pythagorean theorem!” Their voices became increasingly animated as they discussed the fastest and most immediate ways to make money, often methods by which a college degree was not required.

These comments illuminated how the students felt that school did not recognize the out-of-school experiences of the student body.  For example, these students were faced with very immediate and material concerns such as financial stability; in their eyes, it made no sense to be learning “abstract” math when they couldn’t picture how it would improve their actual living circumstances.  There are so many external factors that can impact one’s performance and overall experience in the classroom, and I am reminded of this constantly in observing at S120 (the students in S120 receive additional support for reasons ranging from mental health issues, a lack of resources at home, and time management difficulties that come with being a 3-sport varsity athlete). I am also reminded that there is nothing inherently natural about public educational settings; teaching through banking, tracking systems, ability groupings, and other forms of stratification are all socially constructed. In addition, one’s educational experiences very much depend on the contexts within which the school and students are situated.

• This topic was modified 4 years, 7 months ago by admin.

[Author]

Posts