Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The role of teachers
Essay gender equality in schools
Nature of Gender Inequality in Education
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The role of teachers
Women have dominated the field of education – in regard to a career – ever since the 1970’s (Riddell, Tett, 2010). The feminization of teaching displays the high status of women within society, which continues to be on the rise. Within this paper, the ratio of female to male teachers will be explored, in regard to all divisions of education, and the impact that it has on their students. These concepts will be further explored through eight different literature reviews.
In a research study conducted by Drudy (2008), she examines how gender imbalance within education affects the role of a teacher. The focus of her research was based the reasons behind why this profession has become feminized. Examining the number of female teachers within different countries tested her hypothesis. By testing this theory, Drudy came to the conclusion that teaching attracts many females throughout the world. Drudy also discovered that there are many reasons why a person decides to become a teacher and by studying and interviewing males, it was found that there are many reasons as to why males do not want to become a teacher. The study conducted tried to determine whether or not the gender of a teacher had an effect on the achievement of the students as well. The Drudy article is very informative and provides accurate research completed on all areas that need to be addressed when examining this topic. The outcome of Drudy’s research is consistent with other studies by Acker (1995), Griffiths (2006) and Statistics Canada (2013) that state the teaching profession is very feminized. The only flaw in this research is that there are no real interviews or personal perspectives included in this study, which would add to the depth of this issue. Wi...
... middle of paper ...
...ndary level of education continues to decline. The research done provides detail on the statistics behind the teaching profession, which provides supporting documentation to other research done. The Sun article helps achieve an alternate view to the studies outlined within this paper.
Studies have proven that teaching is a very female-dominated profession and there are many reasons as to why one becomes a teacher. The ratio of female to male teachers is always changing within the different levels of education. The focus should not be on how to control the number of people entering the teaching profession, but how to entice more males to become teachers. The feminization of teaching may have an adverse affect on males considering teaching as a career. If students were shown that teaching is not a gender-specific role, more males may be apt to become a teacher.
In “The Teacher Wars”, by Helen Goldstein, the book focuses on the historical implications of school policy and how it affects teachers. The author goes into depth with everything from the rise of female teachers to the rise of technology in today’s teachers. As Goldstein argues teachers have an incredible ability to be able to widen equality, yet can also narrow the achievement gap that is created from birth. Her showcase of the constant strife against teachers throughout the ages gives way to multiple ways politics and decisions affect the achievement gap.
“Men are from Mars, women are from Venus” as the famous saying of John Gray goes. It is believed men and women are nothing alike in almost every aspect. In Deborah Tannen’s essay “Gender in the classroom: Teacher’s Classroom Strategies Should Recognize that Men and Women Use Language Differently” she focused on how men and women differ when it comes to communicating, with emphasis on how it effects to how men and women behave in the classroom.
Data proves that America does not have enough African American males teaching in today’s schools. As a matter of fact, only 2% of America’s nearly five million teachers are black men (Bryan 1). In our American society, more and more African American females are fiercely taking over both public and private classrooms. Although this might be a great accomplishment, school officials believes that if more black males teach, it would reduce the numbers of minority achievement gaps and dropout rates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 44% of students nationwide are minorities, but nearly 90% of teachers are white. Polls and surveys further read that if there were more African American male teachers, the dropout rate would decrease while the graduation rate increases. In urban societies most African American teens would be more likely to succeed if there were more black males instructing secondary classrooms.
The first teacher that I observed with my group was Mr. Leonhardt at Streams Elementary School. While I was there, I was able to observe him teach two classes of fourth graders, two classes of third graders, and one class of second graders. One of the most valuable things that I have learned from observing him, is that there are male teachers who are very successful in the area of teaching. He was able to keep control over his all of his classes because he set specific guidelines and rules that he wanted them to follow. He left very little time between lessons so that they would not lose their focus, and get distracted. He was also very
Sadker, Myra, David Sadker, and Susan Klein. "The Issue of Gender in Elementary and Secondary Education." Review of Research in Education 17 (1991): 269. JSTOR. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.
1. Reasoning: Sitting in a classroom too long to listen to teachers’ lectures is seemed to be more of a “feminine” activity for girls. Boys are not expected to excel in education as much as girls (Sage Journals, 2010).
This hidden curriculum of lessons endured in the everyday functioning of the classroom where teachers are unaware of their own biased teaching behaviors for the sake their diligent duties as teachers. These teachers are applying their teaching based on how they obtained it. In the younger age, the learning environment is feminine since the adult females outnumber the male teachers. Teachers present curricular materials that contain gender stereotype behavior which the students internalize and exhibit these behaviors which in turn guide their own behaviors and preferences. In these institutions, teachers receive little training in combating gender stereotypes of their own and others and as a consequence, teachers often model, reinforce and lay the foundation for gender role differentiation among their
Education was sex segregated for hundreds of years. Men and women went to different schools or were physically and academically separated into “coeducational” schools. Males and females had separate classrooms, separate entrances, separate academic subjects, and separate expectations. Women were only taught the social graces and morals, and teaching women academic subjects was considered a waste of time.
Sending a child to a gender based school, is a very big decision to make. The decision is so big, that looking at what research has to say about the topic could alter one’s decision to send their child to a gender based school. “Educators must apply different approaches in teaching make, and female students” (Gurian). This is said by Gurian, because he also believes that boys and girls learn differently. “Social pressures can be gentler and your child can learn at his own pace” (Kennedy).
One of the main issues today 's students face is the act of being given gender roles and experiencing gender bias. To further explain, "Society treats boys and girls differently and expects them to develop different gender-role identities" (87). Throughout the gender section of the book, there are several examples given on how boys and girls are divided and given gender specific roles. For instance, girls are told that “Women aren’t good at math” and boys are told “Men don’t make good nurses” (87). These stereotypes affect the thinking of the students and later become obstacles when deciding careers. One way I would promote gender equality as a teacher is by completely eliminating the use of stereotypes in my classroom. This change will be accomplished by doing group activities and assignments in the classroom which avoid gender bias. It is important for students to have an equal opportunity to achieve their goals and follow their dreams. Sadly, when we expose our students to specific tasks and activities with respect to their gender, we limit their chances of having an optimistic approach towards their higher education and
In a society where kids must go to school up to the collegiate level, teaching is an impactful career choice. Teachers help contour the minds of future leaders of the world. Furthermore, teachers play a crucial role in guiding students to the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to succeed in life, and teachers lead students to make informed decisions on any topic the meet in the future. As a teacher, a person must relinquish their knowledge onto students. Finally, they must prepare their students for all the obstacles they will face later in life.
Same sex classes make it possible for teachers to cater to student needs in a more efficient way. In general boys benefit from hands on learning, but girls benefit from calm discussions (Mullins 3). Girls tend to doubt themselves while boys think they can do anything. Boys need to be brought down from the clouds while girls need to be dug out of a hole (Mullins 3). David Chadwell says, "Structure and connection are two key concepts when examining gender in the classroom. All students certainly need both, but it seems that teachers need to consider the issue of structure more with boys and the issue of connection more with girls" (7), and Kristen Stanberry’s research has shown, "Some research indicates that girls learn better when classroom temperature is warm, while boys perform better in cooler classrooms. If that's true, then the temperature in a single-sex classroom could be set to optimize the learning of either male or female students" (1). These observations further support the idea that same sex classrooms can cater to student’s...
Teachers are what make the doctors, lawyers, policemen and the list goes on, yet many people still do not consider their job a profession. Argumentors ideology is a bit logical because not all students graduate high school; enter college/university, graduate and end up in a profession. Students are the reaped crop and if some are not delivering fruit, how can others tell that the students were taught properly? Also, as seen through Savage Inequalities: Children in American School’s, by Jonathan Kozol, some teachers should not be allowed in that field. Teachers are supposed to instruct, engage, and place attention to the students, but if they do not have a passion to educate the students, they will receive that negative atmosphere in the classroom and decide no to learn. In the beginning, teachers were mainly women because the government did not have to pay them too much. Currently, we have both male and female instructors doing the job. Teachers are educating the future, so they should receive proper education and tools, like a lot of other professions, teachers should undergo a series of lessons and tests every two years, so they can be kept up to date on the methodologies of teaching. Furthermore, in order to teach the children properly, teachers need the right materials for that peculiar subject. Lastly, teachers should receive multicultural training, so they know what types of students they are dealing with.
The teacher tossed a Styrofoam basketball to the outstretched arms of a fifth grade boy. Catching the ball was the incentive for the boys to point out missing conventions in a paragraph. The teacher projected a paragraph on the board with omitted punctuation for the students to add. The other boys in the class watched him as he went to the board to add the missing comma and then tossed the ball back to the teacher. A few seconds later, other arms shot up in the air to point out other missing conventions (Stotsky). A simple incentive of competition for the boys made them enjoy learning and actually got them to participate in class. Although single-sex classrooms can develop stereotypes for both genders, separating boys and girls can be beneficial for the students. Single-sex classes are more effective because they raise test scores, create fewer distractions, and make kids interested in school.
...appy. With the difference in gender, both a male and female teachers' exposure to society's youth is critical, and male teachers are just as important as females in the educational field.