WIBU to print off this article and give it to the teacher.

[Imalldonethanks]

DD (8) came home from school at the end of last term talking about the differences in male and female brains (not relating to their weight or structure!). Her teacher had declared she has a 'male' brain because she is logical and rational.
This sort of talk boils my blood.
My next child is in her class this year and I don't want her to listen to this sort of crap.

I get on reasonably well with this teacher, but there are very few opportunities to chat.

So WIBU to print off an article from The New Scientist debunking that theory and send it in with a note saying 'thought you might find this interesting'?

The teacher is correct in what she said. Sounds as though it has touched a nerve and you don't like it.

To be quite frank you would look a complete fool handing that to her.

Do yourself a favour, save yourself and embarrassment and leave well alone.

YANBU.

The teacher is not correct and this kind of thinking is seriously backwards.

I'd also get her to watch the programme on BBC2 recently "No more boys and girls...." (it's on iPlayer) as it was really interesting and talked about boys and girls aged 7-8 and the actual differences between them.

E.g. strength is the same at that age with children of the same size regardless of sex, also the brains are no different.

The teacher is talking bollards. Brains don't have genitals. People have innate abilities and are shaped by experience. End of.

Teacher is completely wrong. Why is she even in tecahing if she doesn't know basic knowledge?

Definitely give it to her

HelloBigWorld maybe you'd like to read the article and then I'd be interested to read any well researched articles that support your view?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.newscientist.com/article/dn28582-scans-prove-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-male-or-female-brain/amp/

Yanbu. But I would be inclined to approach it a different way, and ask for the research she is using because dd and her man brain like scientific facts and the documentation behind them.

hello I didn't realise they had wifi in 1940, well done you for locating some and posting from there.

I would drop it and back off - mainly because I do not think of teachers as the be all and end all of education. I am responsible for my kids and their education -

they understand that different people have different viewpoints and some things are "theories" - and that "theory" does not mean FACT.

YANBU

hahaha lurked

I think without knowing what was said, and in what context, you are being unreasonable.

There are differences, particularly in "the wiring" between an average male brain and an average female brain. As I understand it, often the paths to an outcome tend to be different but the outcome is the same. As these things are linked to hormones it's not surprising.

However many people don't have an average brain. By pointing out that your daughter doesn't have an average female brain surely the teacher is acknowledging the science and the exceptions.

Having said that it's not clear if what causes the differences. I'd be very interested to read the article myself, as I wasn't aware that the differences had been debunked.

Her teacher had declared she has a 'male' brain because she is logical and rational.

What a horrible thing to say to a child. Assuming the teacher is nice and generally well meaning, I think I'd ask to have a word in person to get the point across clearly and in a friendly way. Point out that it wasn't accurate and could have really upset your DD (or did upset you!). And bring a copy of the article to back up your view. The BBC thing could be a good "in" as it's in the news at the moment.

If they do it again with DC2 it would be a formal complaint.

I hadn't got the link to the article when I posted. Thanks for that.

It is a daft thing to say to such a young child as well. What if it (negatively) impacts her behaviour as she tries to act as if she has a pink brain?
I'm a teacher and although I'd be embarrassed I'd want to know I was wrong.

Ok, the article says much the same

"When the group looked at each individual brain scan, however, they found that very few people had all of the brain features they might be expected to have, based on their sex. Across the sample, between 0 and 8 per cent of people had “all-male” or “all-female” brains, depending on the definition. “Most people are in the middle,” says Joel.

This means that, averaged across many people, sex differences in brain structure do exist, but an individual brain is likely to be just that: individual, with a mix of features. “There are not two types of brain,” says Joel."

The jury is still out. Whilst you've clearly made up your own mind as to what you believe to be true, they have a differing opinion. "Formal complaints" would be laughed out of the building at my school.

Notions of mosaic brains are certainly something that most educators I know subscribe to. The very fact we talk about average or typical is acknowledgement that we are recognising that many people are outside of these averages.

Feel free to 'challenge' the teacher, just remember that every minute they spend placating you is a minute less they spend educating your children.

If I were you I'd save my crusades for more concrete issues.

sendcoffee

That is interesting and I haven't seen that one, but did see another where parents inadvertently treated girls and boys differently.

I assume these scans were done on adults. It would be interesting to see the differences in children, if any, and if there is any evidence of the causes.

I think you've been restrained - I'd complain to the school.

HelloBigWorld - thats funny, like a proper dripping with sarcasm sarcastic post, so sarcastic I almost missed it!

OP you know you arent BU. I'd speak to the teacher more about it though and depending on their response would challenge further or just go to the head and ask why the teacher is enforcing stereotypes.

YANBU at all.

notevilstepmother

It was really interesting. They went to a school on the isle of wight and tried to make the children more open with their views of men and women and their roles. They spoke to doctors about physical differences and until puberty each child matches another with regards to strength (if they're the same size). They also showed a brain scan of a child and talked about how it was the same no matter the sex. They also tried to change the teacher and him calling all the boys "fella" or "mate" and the girls "love" and "sweetpea".

A good watch. 2 parts I think.

The article I read linked to the study referred to in new scientist, but also to this one about "wiring"

www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2013/december/brain-connectivity-study-revea

www.webmd.com/brain/features/how-male-female-brains-differ#1

I recommend Cordelia Fine's Delisions of Gender to anyone suffering from the misapprehension that there are differences between male and female brains. Apart from which, as a matter of pure logic, how could the OP's DD have a male brain when she's a girl? By definition, she has a female brain.

I will try to watch it if I can.

I must admit I was horrified that my teeny niece is already saying things like "pink is not for boys" which I assume she learned elsewhere. I did tell her boys can like pink if they want.

YANBU. This teacher is using unconscious bias in their dealings with their pupils. Very damaging for girls (and boys).

Her teacher had declared she has a 'male' brain because she is logical and rational.

So girls are irrational and illogical!

Definitely have a word. Suggest they watch the BBC programme mentioned above.

There's a reason why the 7 year old girls had low self esteem and thought the only thing girls could do better than boys was 'look pretty'.

And this teacher is part of the problem. However nice.

Thanks for the replies.

The lesson was part of personal and social education. They were discussing biology, differences between male and female bodies, naming the different parts of genitalia etc. It was within this context that the teacher talked about her 'male' brain.

It wasn't a general chat about 'everyone is different, some people say I'm more like a man because...' (not that this would have particularly pleased me either!). DD came home and was adamant that men and women have different brains.

And it did provoke interesting discussions at home and was a useful opportunity to discuss sexism and feminism.

I may well be 'that parent' as I've spoken to the teacher previously about assemblies falling into racial stereotypes...
maybe she's testing me!!