Module 2 Assignment: Gender stereotypes at a Young Age
Gender stereotypes I have seen in the classroom. Children often want to play Girls versus Boys in PE lessons. The girls then complained that the boys always beat them in sports. I have also noticed the boys often ‘act’ as girls to joke or mock. They put on high- pitched voices and refer to the girls as being ‘Teacher’s pet’ ‘Never misbehaving’ and basically ‘goody two-shoes’.
Even I, at times, feel more reluctant to give out to a girl student in the same way I would the boys. I try not to let this affect my discipline in the room but I do notice that I fear the girl students will get more upset if corrected sternly, whereas the boys will ‘take it on the chin’ and move on. It is clear that we, as a group in the classroom, have taken on this stereotype, that boys are more mischievous and tough than the girls. This is something I would very much like to challenge in my classroom and I feel that the PLAN International lessons could really help me to open this dialogue and explore it with my students in our school.