Teacher & Gender
It is no secret that female employees have been paid less than male employees over the years, and the teaching profession is no different in that regard. It wasn't until 1897 that teachers began to organize and when they did join the Chicago Teachers Federation they found out that the reason their pay was so low was because corporations were not paying taxes -- which meant cities did not have enough resources to pay female teachers what they should be paid. Meantime, it wasn't just female teachers that were -- and in many cases still are -- given the short end of the stick. It was also female students who were not treated with respect. And as this assignment points out, some older teachers still don't get it when it comes to today's female student, who doesn't want to be categorized and kept out of careers just because she is a woman.
Case Two
Gender does matter, but gender should not be used as a way to prevent women and girls from seeking the careers they wish to be part of. We have recently witnessed the horrendous act of terrorism in Africa...
But even here in the United States, there is bias towards the education of boys and men. The Case 2 scenario has a woman named Mary who goes by the cliche, "Boys will be boys," which is an outrageous rationalization justifying the bad behavior of males. That is a stereotype that is outdated and unacceptable.
In this case, it is not just old fashioned to try and restrict what girls would like to do; it is blatant bias against girls. You don't have to be an outspoken feminist to understand how out-of-touch "Mary" is when it comes to classroom dynamics. This is an example, pure and simple, of gender stereotyping, which as the "Does Gender Matter?" correctly presents, has a negative impact on the learner. If Mary is only calling on the males in the ESL classroom for adults, she should be removed from that position. The self-esteem of the females in the room should matter to any teacher worth her or his salt, and furthermore, today's teachers should be taught about gender equality. Mary, a…
