Posted on 08/27/2006 9:05:00 PM PDT by Pharmboy
PH--there's an evo angle here, I just haven't figgered it out (thought you all would find this interesting, but did not mean for you to ping your lists).
I've learned from both.
I wonder if he control for what subjects the teachers taught. If there's gender bias there (e.g., wood workshops are more likely to be taught by male), then his results would be problematic. I hope his study look at the same subjects.
I teach in a low-income, primarily black neighborhood in the Deep South. I find that the boys will pay a lot more attention to me, but then they take it a lot harder when I punish them. However, I really don't think the girls do worse. I do think though, that many of these single-mother boys need a man in their life to teach them what it is to be a man.
They REALLY do!
Will they ever learn that you can't control the thoughts and fantasies of anyone, at any age?
If you think somebody sucks (a teacher for example), then it is your God-given right to think that in your head.
Interesting....I'm female and all my students are male except for one female. They had the option of choosing another teacher/class. They chose mine, which makes this doubly interesting to me.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa---I'm in shock. Are they talking about,.... dare I say it,........ gender segregation!
Agreed, I think it is because male teachers tend not to take a lot of crap from students where as women tend to be more patient.
"leading education advocates"
s/b
"NEA spokespersons"
I agree. One of my 7th grade teachers was a knock-out.
I'm a male teacher. No need for complicated explanations, either. Boys need male role models and girls need female role models. I taught the supposed "class from hell" - 25 fourth-graders, 21 boys - and within the first week I demonstrated beyond a doubt that I was the alpha male in the room, and the boys willingly, even eagerly, fell in behind. The same boys had driven the female third-grade teacher to distraction with their usual mix of mischievious behavior and non-stop movement. Being male myself, I understood what was going on and made sure that the students moved around a lot, had chances to laugh out loud, and be boisterous when it was connected to learning. (The test scores shot through the roof, too.)
I can see the same thing in my son. He loves his mother, of course, but he studies and copies my behavior and models his opinions after mine. (He's eight years old; that'll change soon enough.) Boys need the guidance of men.
On the other hand, now that I'm teaching high school, I have to confess complete confusion about the motives and actions of the girls in my class. For instance: we were looking at hunter-gatherer people in my World History class and went on a field trip to look at the local foodstuffs in the environment. We gathered stuff and the girls in class decided that they wanted to have a tea party with some of the herbal teas we collected. I would have never in my life thought of such a thing. Hunting and fishing I get.
I would put this article in the heap of information indicating that the "all gender differences are culturally derived" I was fed in the 1970s is crap.
Good comment...I agree completely.
I get that...lol... However, my students test much higher than the other teacher, which I neglected to mention. And my guys tell me I'm the "coolest" teacher they've ever had. I never have a problem with them. Of course, I teach something they like. Think that might be it? I thought I'd just throw in some stuff for discussion.
I just think it's a good and proper bias to have, a natural caution that we're born with: that the opposite sex has much to offer, and much to be desired -- but it is very dangerous and can hurt you terribly.
Both males and females are right to be wary of each other. That's why boys and girls play separately, then slowly come together as they mature and find trust.
But keep up the great work!
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