Girls in the classroom
This week's readings will probably be the most profoundly personal for me as my experiences with friendships and schools have always been rocky. Before I begin to discuss my personal experiences, I wanted to briefly review some of the studies and theories that I have studied last semester in my Sex Roles in Modern Society Class. Last semester while we studied the different interactions between boys and girls in the classroom we saw that several studies showed that boys do in fact receive more attention from the teacher in the classroom. Also, the studies showed that girls were punished more harshly whereas boys were treated leniently for the same offenses. For example, many boys would speak out of turn/shout out answers knowing full well that one’s hand must be raised before speaking. These boys’ answers would be acknowledged; in contrast, most girls were harshly punished (comparably) when breaking classroom rules. In addition, the education system seems to track adolescent (White) boys into more rigorous classes while Blacks, Latinos, and girls are tracked into less difficult classes. But I digress. Some of the most important connections and socialization of girls begins in schools and it is imperative to realize the effects theses experiences have on us.
Personally, this week’s readings were very emotional for me because school and friendships were always areas where I struggled. I am not good at making friends. I often feel intimidated or annoyed by others to the extent that I am unable to even introduce myself to a stranger. I wasn’t always this way, though. As a kid, I had tons of different best friends. Always, a girl in my class who I was able to connect with. I never did have a lot of friends but all I needed was one best friend and I was content. I was really able to relate to Laura Lowe’s “A Retelling of the Black-Letter Days, and the Red-Letter Days, and the Fine Line That Ties Them Together.” I often felt more connected to my studies than to my peers and I just wasn’t really accepted with the popular kids. Regardless, I made it through with the small group of like-minded girls I did find. Only once during childhood did my grades suffer; I attribute that to social distractions like friends and boys.
In middle school I never wanted to answer questions in my advanced math classes even though I always succeeded in these classes. I still do not understand WHY this happened! Was I intimidated by the boys? I made the same if not better grades than they did. Why didn’t I look my male math teacher in the face but had lunch with my female language arts teacher? The dynamics of adolescence and the falls girls take is multi-factorial. Do girls not continue/succeed because of lack of resources like the girls in the “Have Cycle, Will Study” article? Or perhaps the years they spent learning inferiority make them complacent in their education? It’s difficult to say, really.
Finally, the issue of the prom was…actually rather embarrassing. Reading about the prom three years later it seems disgusting the way I too was willing to reinvent myself. I am an already tanned Latina grrl and still I spent weeks going to the tanning bed to keep a dark tan to compliment my beautiful, lime-green, princess style $400 dress. I know. The things I could do with that $400 right now. I also bought jewelry, got acrylic nails, and yes, even wore false eyelashes. In my defense they looked completely fab! Don’t judge me. Still, the lengths I went through to succumb to the stereotypical female gender roles was ridiculous. Although all these things are part of the prom, it is also a generally fun event which I enjoyed. No. I loved my prom. I just don’t like everything the prom means.
Personally, this week’s readings were very emotional for me because school and friendships were always areas where I struggled. I am not good at making friends. I often feel intimidated or annoyed by others to the extent that I am unable to even introduce myself to a stranger. I wasn’t always this way, though. As a kid, I had tons of different best friends. Always, a girl in my class who I was able to connect with. I never did have a lot of friends but all I needed was one best friend and I was content. I was really able to relate to Laura Lowe’s “A Retelling of the Black-Letter Days, and the Red-Letter Days, and the Fine Line That Ties Them Together.” I often felt more connected to my studies than to my peers and I just wasn’t really accepted with the popular kids. Regardless, I made it through with the small group of like-minded girls I did find. Only once during childhood did my grades suffer; I attribute that to social distractions like friends and boys.
In middle school I never wanted to answer questions in my advanced math classes even though I always succeeded in these classes. I still do not understand WHY this happened! Was I intimidated by the boys? I made the same if not better grades than they did. Why didn’t I look my male math teacher in the face but had lunch with my female language arts teacher? The dynamics of adolescence and the falls girls take is multi-factorial. Do girls not continue/succeed because of lack of resources like the girls in the “Have Cycle, Will Study” article? Or perhaps the years they spent learning inferiority make them complacent in their education? It’s difficult to say, really.
Finally, the issue of the prom was…actually rather embarrassing. Reading about the prom three years later it seems disgusting the way I too was willing to reinvent myself. I am an already tanned Latina grrl and still I spent weeks going to the tanning bed to keep a dark tan to compliment my beautiful, lime-green, princess style $400 dress. I know. The things I could do with that $400 right now. I also bought jewelry, got acrylic nails, and yes, even wore false eyelashes. In my defense they looked completely fab! Don’t judge me. Still, the lengths I went through to succumb to the stereotypical female gender roles was ridiculous. Although all these things are part of the prom, it is also a generally fun event which I enjoyed. No. I loved my prom. I just don’t like everything the prom means.
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