Week 4 Response 3

Response

3

2

50 words 2 references

Casey

This week’s lesson really hit home with me for several reasons: I

have a young daughter and niece, I have witnessed how female

students change in middle school, and I remember trying to hide

my real self in high school. In the video ‘Always #Like a

Girl’

(YouTube, 2014), the directors ask young ladies and men from

America to run like a girl. What’s interesting is that girls that are

in elementary school run as if they are trying to win a race, but

middle and high school girls wave their arms and jog

in place.

Even more interesting is that the young men did the same thing.

So, why do elementary girls feel more comfortable being

themselves, but lose that confidence as they go through middle

and high school? ‘During puberty, children seem heavily

influe

nced by the traditional gender norms amplified in pop

culture.’ (Alber, 2017). But, can we blame our pop culture alone

for this enormous shift in perspectives? Research shows that

schools and teachers often reinforce this stereotype by

concentrating on boy

s versus girls in middle and high school.

Teachers call on boys more often and lead boys into so

-

called

male

-

dominated interests like math, engineering and science.

(Alber, 2017). The actress, Geena Davis, has developed some

resources to help. Her website

Geena Davis Institute on Gender

in Media has many resources for middle and high school

teachers to help bridge the gap between the way that females

and males are often portrayed in movies, commercials and

Response 3

250 words 2 references

Casey

This week’s lesson really hit home with me for several reasons: I

have a young daughter and niece, I have witnessed how female

students change in middle school, and I remember trying to hide

my real self in high school. In the video ‘Always #Like a Girl’

(YouTube, 2014), the directors ask young ladies and men from

America to run like a girl. What’s interesting is that girls that are

in elementary school run as if they are trying to win a race, but

middle and high school girls wave their arms and jog in place.

Even more interesting is that the young men did the same thing.

So, why do elementary girls feel more comfortable being

themselves, but lose that confidence as they go through middle

and high school? ‘During puberty, children seem heavily

influenced by the traditional gender norms amplified in pop

culture.’ (Alber, 2017). But, can we blame our pop culture alone

for this enormous shift in perspectives? Research shows that

schools and teachers often reinforce this stereotype by

concentrating on boys versus girls in middle and high school.

Teachers call on boys more often and lead boys into so-called

male-dominated interests like math, engineering and science.

(Alber, 2017). The actress, Geena Davis, has developed some

resources to help. Her website Geena Davis Institute on Gender

in Media has many resources for middle and high school

teachers to help bridge the gap between the way that females

and males are often portrayed in movies, commercials and