Sexism in Classroom

Sexism in the Classroom

In "Failing at Fairness" one of the most important topics of sexism is addressed, and that of course is sexism in the schools. From the beginning of public education there is evidence of hidden sexism in the classroom, yet not until recently have researchers began to take a closer look at the dilemma at hand.

Sexism in the classroom is not a problem that has just occurred overnight in schools. I believe that it has a history, staring long before I was born. I love to listen to the stories that my Grandparents share with me, as do many children my age. They always tell me how great those "good old days" were. Yet the stories make me step back and look at my grandparents, and see that those "good old days" are very different from today. Back then, the male role was heads of the household and they were responsible for any of the "physical work" to be done around the house. On the other hand, women had much less say in what was going on in the house, community, and even the nation. For the most part, women stayed home to take care of the kids and do all the housework that needed to be done. This has been the way of life for along time right up until the Second World War. Then slowly women began to work their way into the work force, leaving those elementary ideas behind. Through the years women have gained more and more rights focus on equality, but are they really equal? To some extent yes, and by law yes, but there are still those hidden views and ideas that are continually being pushed on society.

I have always witnessed sexism in the classroom, even though I have attended catholic school all my life. I believe that it is more harmful if it is not that obvious. For instance, if sexism is taking place in a kindergarten class, and no one is there to correct it from the beginning, girls will feel like they are inferior to the boys and therefore hold back in participation. I was reminded of my encounter with sexism when hearing Sadker speak of their first observation in the second grade class. Two girls were instructed to move out of the way so that the boys could play with the blocks.

In my school we had an advanced math program that began in the third grade. The second grade teacher would pick those students that they thought were the brightest in math and moved them forward. I was one of them. The strange part was that I was the only girl, out of about ten guys. I never really gave it much thought until I read this article. I thought that the other girls just were not as smart as I was. I was reminded of a comment that was made to me that I did not find offensive then. The advanced math teacher always called me her "rose among the thorns." The teacher was implying that I was the only good student in the class. Then, in eighth grade class I remember it surfacing again. On occasion, the principal, or even other teachers would come to our class and ask for volunteers to help with something and the teacher would always and ask the guys. The girls did try to volunteer, but they were simply overlooked. There was one exception, if the librarian need help, then the girls were automatically chosen to assist her. This happened throughout my days in grade school. I noticed it again at my high school where my history teacher, being a female, would always call on the boys for answers. It did not matter how many girls had volunteered. Also, she tended to socialize with the guys more then any of the girls. Lastly, I have found sexism even in college. I have one professor who, whenever she needs help, getting a movie together, or setting up the overhead projector, she will call on her "VA man."

I am not trying to say that these were bad teachers because each one that I have talked about I liked and have done well in their class, yet I tend to feel that they could not help but to be socialized into this way of thinking.