discussion

Course 608 discussion

What are your thoughts about the following statement: Teachers, administrators, and counselors must be prepared and encouraged to bring gender equity and awareness to every aspect of schooling. Discussion Option

Please discuss your thoughts regarding School and Society and how you might have grown through the assignments and readings.

First student

Indeed it is the reponsibility of teachers, school administrators, counselors to ensure there is gender equity and awareness to all students. Teachers can promote gender equity and awareness when they encourage both boys and girls as capable of taking any subject of their choice. There is no such thing as a subject or course which is seen as the presrve of boys.  Teachers can assist students to identify their strengths and weaknesses so that they can receive the necessary instructional assistance. Considering the school administartors, they are the ones who group students according to ability. I think, it is fair to say that they need to assign students to classes they believe the students are capable of taking. Jennifer is allowed to take cooking in addition to her other classes, so she also hopes to be an elementary teacher who can have time to raise her children. The administrators I believe did not help her by assigning her a cooking class. This reinforces the stereotipical role of a woman. On the part of the counselors, they can thoroughly discuss with students their interests so that they can guide them to make the right choice in relations to their career-related subjects. The school counselor in Jennifer's case discouraged her from going to college because it is believed it is the preserve of men and expensive. I think the counselor could have encouraged her and given her directions. Another example is Susan, who is a student who began a college major in science, shifts to anthropology, and later considers to become an elementary school teacher. To me, it looks strange. What she wants to be has nothing to do with what she is studying for her masters degree. It indicates the school counselors did not help to make the right choice. Susan is a typical example of girls who start off with high grades but are discouraged by counselors who are stuck to stereotyppes, so such brilliant students end up taking  courses far below their capabilities. Consequently, they join the large pool of unemployed women after graduation. 

Second student,

I have learned a great deal from the assignments and readings about School and Society. This course provided me with many opportunities to expand my knowledge and expertise about the Schools of thought (Functionalism, conflict theory, and interpretivist approach), and how the latter approach applies the rules of society in a different way–a game analogy. I have learned that the three theories/approaches differ but at the same time they share similar views/aspects. I have also learned about the capitalist system and how it teaches the students how to work, function, as well as contribute to the society. In addition, we have also covered attitudinal content, which conveys feelings with the delivered message. We have discussed the curriculum and how it should fulfil many requirements such as physical, organizational, and political. We have also learned that a successful school/college should have winning characteristics such as credentialed teachers/instructors, functional classrooms, truthful mission, clear vision, and a good leadership. Further, I have learned about the roles of teachers as transformative intellectuals (Teachers who have the ability and knowledge to challenge a political or community concern. Lastly, the RSA animate video was one of my favorite pieces; it was really informative and provided interesting thoughts/facts in regards to the current educational system and how the system is designed for different age groups. It was fun!

Other student

Teachers, administrators and counselors must have gender awareness and sensitivity in all aspects of schooling. In the field of counseling, I have found that being a female counselor to clients that have experienced trauma by males in their lives, can be helpful. These clients are usually not comfortable with having male therpists or doctors. Students may have these same struggles in the schools and gender should be taken into consideration when working with students. I believe it is also important for children to observe positive role models of each gender.  

I have grown through this class, with the assignments and textbooks. I have benefited from reading other perspectives on all of the discussion topics.

Thanks for everything this semester,

Last student

Teachers, administrators, and counselors must be prepared and encouraged to bring gender equity and awareness to every aspect of schooling because of student's development, legal obligations, and changing ideas of sex roles. 

Schools have children during some of the most impressionable years of a person's life. What is taught (whether by word or deed) is absorbed by students during these fragile times and is put into their mental model of their own personal identity. With that said, it is the duty of a school to teach both young male and female students that male and female students will be treated equally. If there is a hint of inequity between the two groups, a major dysfunction in development can occur -- males can think they are superior and females can think they are inferior. It is the job of the school staff to ensure that all programs are being offered equally and that there is no sexist jokes, comments, or influences within the school.

It is also important to bring gender equity and awareness to every aspect of schooling because of the legal obligation to do so. The last thing anyone would want is a law-suit to the school because of gender equity issues under Title IX. The school must ensure that programming and opportunities are equal within the overall structure of the school.

Lastly, the 21st century has proven to be much different between the idea of gender roles than the 19th or 20th century. For the most part, our current time considers woman equal to men. We see this by celebrities, growing amounts of woman in political office, and woman becoming CEOs of major corporations. It is not happening quickly, but woman are more in the spotlight now than they ever have before. This trend is a very positive one and if it continues, gender stereotypes may disappear altogether. Because of this shift in thinking nationally and globally, our schools must reflect this and embrace it.