Talking Point #9--"School Girls"

Talking Point #9--"School Girls"
-- by Peggy Orenstein

Premise:

• gender
• equality
• education
• collecting data
• women
• family's
  
• teachers
• statistics
  
• fairness
• racism, sexism, classism, victimization
  

Argument:
Orenstein argues that teachers and educators need to pay more attention to the hidden curriculum that is undermining girls' senses of self-worth and self-esteem because schools are a proving a position for the truth of what girls are taught about themselves.

Evidence:

1. "... The Gender Equality Education Act, which should be implemented in 1995 includes provisions for improved data gathering, for the development of teacher training programs, for programs to encourage girl sin math and science, and for programs to better meet the needs of girls of color."
2. 2. "Curriculum should be both a window and a mirror for students , that they should be able to look into other's worlds, but also see the experiences of their own race, gender, and class reflected in what they learn."
3. " Feminist teaching is not about allowing a win/ lose situation to develop between boys and girls."
4. “My older brother had Ms. Logan,” she says. “And he said all she ever talked about was women, women, women. He didn’t like her.” I guess its because all the other teachers ignore women….”
5. "As the girls talk, I recall what a teacher at Weston once told me, that "boys perceive equality as a loss." Apparently, girls are uneasy with it, too. Even these girls, whose parents have placed them in this class in part because of Ms. Logan's sensitivity to gender issues, have already become used to taking up less space, to feeling less worthy of attention than boys."

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
I thought that this article was very interesting and easy to read because of the examples used. This article made me realize how much we are not used to being taught about females who have done many accomplishments throughout history. Until i read this I never really thought of making the curriculum in my classroom more female based, not making it the more dominant gender, but making it equal to the male gender. I think that it is crucial to have a classroom that recognizes gender equality and fairness for all.