Sadker, M. & Sadker, D. (1994). Failing
at fairness:How America's schools cheat girls. New York: Charles Scribners
Sons.
For anyone interested in learning more about issues relating to how
our
schools teach girls, this is an excellent resource. I first checked
out
the book from the Corvallis library more than three months ago while
doing
some research on the history of education of girls in the U.S. Since
then,
I have not wanted to return it! I have read much of the book off and
on
during this time and have found it both very informative and entertaining.
Being the male that I am, much of the content has been new to me. For
example, I guess I had never thought much about the various and severity
of obstacles that girls have faced in showing an interest in traditionally
male-dominated subjects. One woman interviewed for the book said:
In 1952
my friend Nancy and I signed up for woodworking shop. When we arrived
the
first day of class, we were blocked at the door. "Youre just here to
meet
boys," the teacher told us. The whole class of boys laughed us out
of the
room. Discrimination today probably is not this overt, but it still
exists
for girls in the school setting. The book is filled with short stories
like the one above. This is what brings the book to life and makes
it a
joy to read. There is even a chapter entitled "The Miseducation of
Boys."
It seems boys, too, can be singled out, especially by teachers when
it
comes to expectations and discipline. The book has opened my eyes and
taught me many new things. I have shared some of the reading with my
wife
and more than one discussion has resulted from the interesting stories
inside. She can relate; it spurred her to remember some of the inequities,
or sexism, in her school experiences. As a soon-to-be teacher, I found
this book to be so valuable. Now I will hopefully recognize the constant
gender bias that exists in most schools. Now I will better understand
why
girls act the way they do in my classroom. Now I will find ways to
creatively engage girls so that their education can be as close to
equal
as that of boys.
5 questions for the author:
* What kind of feedback have you received from those who have
read the
book? Are males surprised? Do females feel validation? Have teachers
and
administrators used this information to help better their schools?
Has the
book instigated parents to better monitor what goes on at their childs
school?
* What can parents do in their home to help the schools
do a better job
of eliminating sexism?
* In conducting your research for this book, what are two
or three
things that surprised you the most? - (the classroom practices that
really
made you think that this is not right)
* What advice would you give someone (like myself) who is
going to begin
teaching next year? What things should I look out for and what can
I do to
make a difference in the lives of girls?
* Do you have any children (and daughters) of your own?
Describe their
experience and how it has/has not followed the script of How Americas
Schools Cheat Girls?
Contributed by Mark Swartzfager
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