Gender and Education: The Sambia and United States

1849 Words4 Pages

As a child going through public education, from kindergarten to my senior year of high school, I noticed an undeniable trend with my instructors. In elementary school (six years) I had all female teachers, 11 in total. Once I got to middle school (three years), I had a few male but most female instructors: 3 male, 19 female. And then in high school (I only attended two years of before enrolling in college), I had more male teachers than I did female: 10 male, 7 female. This trend continued into college where I have an equal distribution of male and female instructors. I believe that this trend is not accidental but a manifestation of our society’s gender roles. As anthropology major, gender roles and how they interact with activities such as education are important. This essay will evaluate the history of education in the United States and Sambia with an emphasis on the anthropological theme of gender and then compare and contrast their intersection.

The first public school built in the United States, back in the colonial days, was Boston Latin School in 1635 [Boston]. The school most likely only admitted students who could already read and write, suggesting that home schooling was essential. However, from the mid-1600s to the mid-1800s, public schools were virtually non-existent, and the educational needs of America were satisfied at home through the purchasing of books [Peterson]. Parents felt that it was their responsibility to teach their children how to make a living, and how to live. And so the Bible was the most important influence on the lives of Anglo-American children. Early American education was based on the principle of voluntarism. Since women were not expected to be working outside of the home or bringing in incom...

... middle of paper ...

...sions/Churchwide-Organization/Global-Mission/Where-We-Work/Asia/Papua- New-Guinea/Mission-History.asp&xgt;.

Robert, Peterson. "Education in Colonial America." This Week in History. TJ ED, n.d. Web. 17 Nov 2011. .

Stockard. Ed. Globalization and Change in Fifteen Cultures. Sambia, Gender, Sexuality, and Social Change. Herdt, Stople. Belmont, CA: Eve Howard, 2007. Print.

Waldrip, Bruce G., Joe T. Timothy, and Wilson Wilikai. "Pedagogic Principles in Negotiating Cultural Conflict: A Melanesian example." International Journal of Science Education 29.1 (2007): 101-122. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2011.

Weiler, Kathleen. "The Historiography of Gender and Progressive Education in the United States." Paedagogica Historica 42.1/2 (2006): 161-176. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Oct. 2011.

Open Document