As soon as I saw this article title I knew that I wanted to read it. I have often wondered about where the whole pink is for girls/blue is for boys idea came from. Exactly how did it become uncool for a boy to like pink? When was the last time you saw a baby girl dressed in blue? Why do people go as far as to associate color with sexuality? These are questions I often wonder about.
This article discussed the gender/color equation, but it mainly focused on the gender gap on educational performance. I have often heard, even in education classes, that boys are better at math and girls are better at reading. Until now I had never really looked into this or asked why. I have been led to believe that it just innately happens. I like how the article approaches the subject, and the ideas that it gives as to why there is a gender gap in education. I was also particularly glad to see its suggestion that more men go into elementary education.
The author opposes the idea that girls and boys have significant brain differences. By examining data the author has found that there is more difference in brain activity among boys and among girls than there is between boys and girls. To combat the idea of brain differences the author looks at how the environment effects students actions and opinions. I could not agree more with this idea. I think children would act much differently if they were not continually influenced to like or dislike something based on their sex. This goes from toys to school subjects.
As a child I never particularly liked pink, or wanted to play with dolls, but on the contrary I never cared much for super heroes or action figures either. I loved playing with Legos and building houses. I wanted to be an architect for most of my young life. I once asked for a doll house, not because of the dolls, but because it was a life size model of a house! What more could an aspiring architect want? After much searching my mom found me a doll house that matched the stable they had already bought me prior to this. The stable seemed appropriate for a boy to play with, why wouldn't the house be appropriate? After I got the house I did not play with it much. It wasn't because I didn't like it. I did not play with it because I was afraid others would think I was girly if a played with it. Looking back I wish I would have kept the house and played with it more. As almost all children do, I was influenced by gender stereotypes.
Teachers and parents need to be aware of gender stereotypes, and strive to combat them when possible. After all, there really isn't anything wrong with a girl playing with a monster truck or a boy loving the color pink. As a future male elementary teacher I see that I am already going against a gender stereotype in itself. I think I will be more prepared and aware of gender stereotypes because of my perspective and experiences. Most importantly I hope I am able to show my future students that anyone, regardless of gender, can be good at any subject that they want to be good at. One way that I want to do this is to show my students successful individuals across various jobs that have went across gender stereotypes. I want to avoid labeling my students by their gender. I want to give them all the tools to be good in whatever subject they will naturally be good it. I do not want to hold them back by only giving them the tools to be successful in the subjects that boys or girls are traditionally good in.
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