Gender & Sexual Orientation- Chapter 4

Reflection:
In today's world, one would think that gender (male or female) would not be an issue, and both genders would be considered equal. Unfortunately, I learned that male and female roles continue to be unequal. As I observed classrooms to see if boys and girls were treated differently during a variety of activities. I also observed how male teachers and female teachers interacted with their students. My findings were quite interested. I learned that male teachers approached situations more level-headed and authoritative, while female teachers approached issues more nurturing and talked through situations more. I learned that even though, our world is trying to view the roles of males and females equally, there is still disconnect. As educators, we need to make sure that we are staying away from biases and encouraging each student equally.

My Project:

Boys versus Girls Classroom Reflection

             Gender stereotyping continues to set norms, appropriate for male and female roles within society. Whether the behaviors of males and females are set by society or if the behaviors are innate, there tends to be differences in both sexes, which attributes to gender stereotyping. Within schools, teachers continue to interact with boys and girls differently to continue reinforcing stereotypical gender behavior.

            Throughout the week, I observed how teachers and I interact with boys and girls in their classrooms. As I observed classroom procedures and student behaviors, gender stereotypes were evident. One stereotype is that boys are better in science and math than girls. When I observed a math class being taught by a male teacher, I noticed that the teacher was calling on boys for answers more than girls. At first, I thought that the teacher was calling on boys more, because of the stereotype, but when I observed during the teacher’s writing block, he tended to call on boys more frequently than girls. This made me think that male teachers innately interact with their same gender more than the opposite gender. Therefore, I observed another male teacher during spelling instruction. The situation was very similar. The teacher tended to call on boy volunteers more frequently than girls. I decided investigate, calling on same gender students, more by observing female teachers. In one classroom, the teacher predominately called on female students, but in the other classroom, the teacher seemed to have a system of alternating between boys and girls. Unless more research is conducting, I cannot confidently say that teachers tend to call on students of the same gender more often than the opposite gender.

            Another stereotype is that boys are more off-task and inattentive than girls. I teach a math class consisting of six 1^st grade boys. The boys in this class are more impulsive and have a shorter attention span, than my mixed gender classes. I had to create a sticker chart for my 1^st graders to keep them on task, because my instruction was interrupted several times during the sixty minute block. As I was reading through this week’s chapter, I began thinking about how instruction and classroom management methods would change if I had six female students, instead of boys. My initial thoughts were that girls would have been easier to teach, because they would have been more on-task. My opinion is skewed, because I teach three 3^rd grade female students for math. When I compare the two classes, the 3^rd grade girls were more on task and were able to get through more daily activities. After analyzing my gender stereotyping thoughts more closely, I realized that I am guilty of treating students and classes different based on society’s typical norms for students. When I examined my two math classes, I realized that I do have a female student who is often off-task and needs redirection, just like my 1^st grade boys. Therefore, I am now more conscious about using gender stereotypes.

            The final gender stereotype is that boys are more impulsive and aggressive getting them in trouble more often than girls. In most incidences, I think that this stereotype tends to be accurate. For example, my school had a fire drill, and as I observed each classroom standing in a straight line, I chuckled to myself, because almost every line had a few boys hitting each other or rustling each other’s hair. This was the exact same behavior that I observed as students walked down the hallway between classes. Some of the boys were unable to keep their hands to themselves. The teacher would offer warnings to first time offends, but would give them reset slips to adjust their behaviors. I noticed that the girls standing in line would group up, so that they could talk with each other. As the classes walked back into the school, the girls continued to walk and talk with each other. This gender stereotype is deemed as typical for girls.

            In conclusion, gender stereotypes remain evident within the school setting. I believe that the first step in correcting and eliminating gender stereotypes within the classroom is recognizing that it continues to be an issue. Society continues to stereotype individuals based on their genders. Individuals need to stand up against the typical behaviors in order to make a difference in rejecting stereotypes. It will be a hard issue to eliminate, since a lot of the stereotypes have been embedded in our minds as a correct way to think and behavior. It is important to embrace differences and try to remain neutral as educators, in creating a bias- free environment.