Dd is the only girl in her AS Further Maths class - what could the school do to support her?

In answer to TheWordFactory -

My stance as a mum is that approaching a problem from a few different angles means that when we do suss out the actual reason for a problem we can act on it.

There were 2 boys out of 50 on my college course.

Oh Giles it is obviously not inevitable but there is many a 16/17 year old girl "unable to cope with boys" and vice versa.

Give thanks for your super confident, nothing fazes them teens. Aren't you great, aren't they great.

Consider though, if you can factor the time in amongst the smugness, that people are not all the same.

But it may well have nothing to do with the actual subject.
What if it was something else. If her dd can't cope being in a group of boys that's not ten teacher or the subjects fault is it.

DS2 is the only boy in his A2 Sociology class, it was the same at AS. Last year he was the only boy in his tutor group, too. When he goes to university, there might be 2 or 3 other males on the course, but that's it.

He doesn't feel intimidated or uncomfortable, as someone said upthread, his friendship group is mixed now (has been for a few years). They just get on with it, like every other lesson.

giles all the research into my STEM is male dominated fully accept the difficulties women face.

carriads the tenor of the thread is that the problem here lies with the girl.

Or perhaps her mother.

No one's giving her a kicking. Just asking why it's apparently inevitable that her dd would feel this way in a class full of boys and wondering exactly, when she's reached the age of 16/17 unable to cope with boys, what she expects a teacher who's had her half a term to be able to do.

Chased Do you think there will ever be an end to maths being seem as a boys subject or is this sexism so ingrained in every culture that there will never be an end to it?

To the OP I would say encourage your daughter to continue. There are lots of online resources if she is not following the class lesson and does not want to ask in class, such as Khan Academy. I did a STEM subject and being in a minority did not really bother me, but everyone is different.

I did my degree back in the eighties and felt I was on the vanguard of women going into science. How depressing to find nothing has changed.

OP has DD got friends in the group? Has she only female friends normally? What about role play or acting classes to help her feel more confident? What about developing male friendships?

The OP is not being given a kicking. Its merely being suggested that the source of her DD feeling like this could have many causes.

Surely its in the best interests of the DD if remedying the situation is done for the right reasons.

I appreciate that for your daughter, it's a challenging situation. I was the only girl (with 10 boys) in my A-Level Physics class, one of only 2 girls in further maths and, when I started my first job I was the only female "technical" staff in an office of 30 (there were PA/admin type ladies).

I'm not the most outgoing of people (am actually quite shy and don't have much confidence) but I've NEVER felt intimidated by the males.

I'd say there's a few things you could work on:

1. her self confidence - she needs to believe that she's as good as the boys and that her questions are just as valid as theirs
2. the opportunities the teacher is giving her to participate- is he encouraging her contribution and helping to increase her confidence
3. Finding a supportive female mentor (maybe a maths teacher or an upper sixth student) or maybe on-line support. There must be girlie "mathmo" forums out there?

The blokes I've studied/worked with have always been ambivalent about there being a girl in the room (pretty much). Yes, there's banter and occasional jokes directed my way but only in the same way that there's banter and jokes directed at each other. I would say a bit of joshing and the odd joke is to be expected (and is a positive sign that she's accepted into the group) but if they're crossing a line or creating a negative environment this needs tackling. I sometimes think that for all the "equality" talk these days, social media portrayal of poor female role models actually makes men less accepting of women's status than they were 15 years ago (but that's a whole other rant!).

You know, this OP was probably written by a woman hoping to get advice to help her with her daughter - and to help her stay in a class, doing Further Maths.

It was't posted as an invitation to give someone a kicking when they are worried enough to ask advice from anonymous people on the internet.

Having read this post I just feel sad that in 2014 a further maths class in a comprehensive school only has one girl in it. I would be asking why has there been this culture in her school of maths being a boys subject.

It's a national (if not international) culture. I don't think you can blame this individual school for this.

It is not useful to say: 'it was ok for me' because you are the group that continued - precisely because if was ok: it's almost a tautology.

People are saying it was ok for them because of the "needless to say" comment. It implies it is inevitable but it is not at all.

It just all seems very defeatist.

Yes Coconutty, the 'needless to say' was disappointing and Im wondering if the OP has the view its also rubbing off on her daughter.

"I found most disappointing."

Do you mean to sound like a condescending twat, coco nutty?

The OP is posting because she's worried about her daughter, and you're critiquing her writing style.

Now THAT is disappointing: a total empathy fail. I would say you fail the Turing test.

Yes, this, its spot on,

If your DD needs support, help her to ask for it. I think the issue some posters have with your stance is that you've presented her difficulties as an inevitability for any girl in this position.

I was the only girl in my A Level physics class. Never really occurred to me to worry about it. Boys are a lot easier to make friends with than girls at that age I think - far less bitchiness!

I think this thread perfectly sums up why so few women succeed at STEM.

Any girls who try it and feel uncomfortable in the male dominated environment are discredited. Examples of other superior women for whom it was no problem are offered as evidence if where the blame lies.

Plus ca change. ..

Having read this post I just feel sad that in 2014 a further maths class in a comprehensive school only has one girl in it. I would be asking why has there been this culture in her school of maths being a boys subject.