Teachers and education system bias towards girls

[asdmumandteacher]

What do you all think? I am a teacher (secondary) of 14 years and feel the secondary curriculum (and primary too) is heavily weighted towards girls' natural skills and less so to boys' skills. I have taught all girls for most of the last 14 years in selective (grammar)and high schools (the equivalent of secondary moderns) and i have two sons. We are forever hearing about girls outperforming boys (when in O level days twas the other way around and the 1967 Plowden report sort to redress the balance) I think it has gone way too far in the other direction.

'And Mabanana is making some great points that people are choosing to ignore:

"Boys and girls get told all day that X or Y is not a suitable colour/activity/career for them, they don't need to hear it from teachers and it makes me very sad that they will get those pernicious, damaging messages at school, which should be a haven from them."'

God, nobody is ignoring this. This is precisely what I AM arguing.

'mabanana - how thick do you think teachers are? Its a HIDDEN attitude fgs - unconscious not teachers saying "Ok boys use blue and girls use pink" I find your comments so patronising to our profession '

Agree asd. I think for mabanana if it's not in black and white it doesn't exist.

'FC - do your daughters attend an independent primary school that used to be an all girls school?'

No.

'I can't say that I recognise any of the features from your DD's school in either of the Primary schools my DD has attended.'

Well, lucky you.

'I do get your point that a presence of males in schools would help to give boys that need the idea that learning and education are for them'

Hallelujah!

'I do not agree at all that male teachers would somehow allow boys to behave differently in their classroom.'

Is anyone suggesting this?? Not me.

'Why are you so adamant that the gap of attainment between boys and girls is not due to socio-cultural reasons? '

Nobody is disagreeing that attainment may be (mostly) because of socio cultural reasons.

Guess what? Schools are PART of society and part of culture.

So if boys only see female teachers for example and stickers for boys and stickers for girls etc etc then becomes part of their social and cultural experiences (which may mean that get the message that learning is for women).

'Not in Torquay - and last year (2007 ersults) not in Salisbury. On both cases the boys' grammar school did better than the girls' grammar school. In 2008 the girls' school in Salisbury did better again. However, all 4 schools are way above average (which of course they should be, given they are selective).'

I'm not arguing with your figures but they are exceptional in terms of boys outperforming their sisters (even for grammar schools). And you are talking about grammar schools which are not only selective but largely inhabited by middle class boys and girls.

We agreed about 500 posts ago that it is white, working class boys who are the real underachivers.

If you look at the lists of top performing tables you will see that many are girls schools and where there is a girls' grammar school or girls' independent school with a boys' equivalent the boys' equivalent is often not even on the same page it is so far behind.

www.timesexamresults.co.uk/results_for_website/exam_results_a_level.php

In fact, just look at the number of schools on the list with 'girls' in their name!!

Mabanana, I have to say I am left a little despondent that there are not more people cheering on your posts. I get exactly what you are saying. I wish more people did.

I'm left thoroughly confused by the OPs position. On the one hand she wants dispensation for 'boys being boys' and on the otherhand she wants teachers and educators not to implicitly impose gendered stereotypes. ??? And I know she is going to come back and say she hasn't requested dispensation for 'boys being boys' but she has - that's the whole premise of her posting isn't it?

I am exhausted by all of this. Obviously some people feel the same way in part or in whole about what i am rying to get at and obviously others don't. I don't now have the energy left to try to persuade those who don't.

All i am asking is why are so many girls (middle ability) outperforming the boys at all levels - is it to do with a bias in the education system, conscious or unconscious? I am asking that question - perhaps not very well articulated in OP

I can't say I'm bothered if there is a bias as I remember and lived through the bias against girls as recently as the 1970s. I have two DSs and DS1 in particular has been able to play the education system to perfection - I think that the system is biased towards focussed individuals who will learn exactly what is required for exams and no more - not really an education, more a jumping through hoops.

On the front cover of our local paper was the story that a local eight year old boy had committed suicide. It is not clear why this little boy killed himself, but I do not wonder if the modern education system and the pressure we put children under caused his death.

My son knew this boy as an aquaintaince and suspects that the fact that this boy could not read might have been a factor in the boy's decision to end his life.

"I think that the system is biased towards focussed individuals who will learn exactly what is required for exams and no more "

Lilymaid I really think you make a good point there.

Lilymaid, I think you have hit the nail on the head there. That is exactly what the education system is about now.