Monday, April 14, 2008

Talking Points #9 on Orenstein


"School Girls" by Peggy Orenstein
Premise- This article is about:





  • gender


  • schooling


  • inequalities


  • equalities


  • girls vs. boys


  • compare/contrast


  • teachers


  • students


  • education


  • women/girls


  • community


  • parents


  • debate


  • perspectives


  • fairness


  • differences


  • sexism


  • curriculum


  • statistics

Author's Argument: Orenstein argues that teachers need to improve the curriculum by making it more gender neutral, being equally fair to both boys and girls. She goes on to warn about a so called "hidden curriculum" that misguides girls and toys with their self esteem issues.


Evidence:


1) "On a national level, 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 girls in math and science, and for programs to better meet the needs of girls of color."


2) "Women are one-half of the world's people; they do two-thirds of the world's work; they earn one-tenth of the world's income; they own one-hundredth of the world's property."


3) "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."


4) "In her book, Teaching Stories, Ms. Logan writes that, during lessons that explore gender roles, which can easily turn into opportunities to cast blame for inequities, emphasizing tolerance is especially important."


5)"Feminist teaching is not about allowing a win/ lose situation to develop between boys and girls."


Questions/Comments/Points to Share:


I found this article easy to read and understand, therefore it was a good experience to read. I felt that the examples of gender in the classroom used by Orenstein really helped me comprehend her main argument. This article made me think of how many times in school I was heard "policeman" or "weatherman" instead of a more gender neutral approach to describing these professions. This article has inspired me in that when I eventually become a teacher, I want to modify my curriculum to be equal to both genders and not female or male oriented.

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