Gender Equity

I came across the self-evaluation handout on Heightening Your Awareness on Gender Equity today.

At one time I thought that I tried to neutralize the way I treated my students, at least in regards to their learning, comfortability in the classroom and in the student-teacher relationship I shared with them. Turns out not so much. I didn't fail. But I wouldn't say it was an honorable pass either.

I answered 11/20 yeses. This means I got a 55% on Gender Equity in my classrooms.

I am fully aware that I use the words "hun" or "darling" specifically for girls and "bud" for boys. I also make comments towards socially acceptable self-expression and appearances. However, in my defense I haven't singled out or excluded students that show individuality through neutrality of gender or of cross gender appearances. I definitely give more attention to the boys because generally it is their behaviour and mannerisms are the ones that need to be in check more often. The novels I have used have been more likely to have male protagonists. I never considered the discussion of reversing the roles of males and females in the literature we read. I am more tolerant towards boys and roughness or foulness, than to girls.

Oops? As I have defended my actions before in that I agree with socialization to some degree, I don't feel that my giving compliments or "pet names" to boys or girls does not harm them. I think it builds a relationship and builds their self image in our culture. If I were in another country I would probably give complements that would be appropriate for that culture so that children feel accepted and comfortable in their environment as they have been raised. If a social construction crosses a moral boundary that is when I have an issue.

However, I did take the effort to eliminate stereotypes. I made an effort while creating a powerpoint for FSL 10 for a lesson on occupations. I had made the powerpoint with images, quite stereotypically. I noticed this as I looked back through it. So what did I do? I went back and "messed" up a bunch of them! I turned nurses to men, servers to men, etc.