Gender and LGTBQ article reflections (Post 6)

This post is a reflection on two articles that I read and led class discussions on for the Group Differences forum: one in the gender category, and another about an LGBTQ issue.

     

The gender article I chose is not what I would think of as a typical gender difference in schools. The article “‘Not Just Boring Stories’: Reconsidering the Gender Gap For Boys” by Donna Lester Taylor (Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, December 2004/January 2005) was about how boys are not reading at grade level by eighth grade. The author compared this problem to the disparity of girls’ scores in math and science that schools have sought to rectify the past few decades (which has worked—that gap is closed now). It’s not that boys can’t read—they read all the time—but, since they aren’t interested in, and therefore don’t “get”, the classic literature embedded in curriculum and reading tests, they have identified themselves as poor readers. And if they think that they are poor readers, then they will have low self-efficacy about reading in general. The author had some very interesting points about how curriculum should be expanded to include a variety of text styles such as magazines, internet, and informative/non-fiction readings. One of the most interesting things I learned from this article is the difference in how boys and girls read the same text. Boys will read to gather information and girls will read to dissect relationships. With this new knowledge, I imagine the different reactions when a book like Pride and Prejudice is assigned. Suddenly, I understand “the shudder” that so many males give as a reaction.

Visit Guysread.com

Since becoming an elementary school librarian, I have, somewhat grudgingly, come to accept that the evidence proves that boys read a certain kind of book and girls read another kind of book—therefore, there are “girl books” and “boy books”. I have come to this knowledge grudgingly, because I don’t like to show gender bias in anything—let alone when suggesting books to readers. But this article further confirms that the evidence is there. This article suggests that teachers should use a variety of texts within their assignments to appeal to boys as well as girls, and also suggests choosing topics of interest to boys. Common Core requires a variety of text types since this article was written, so hopefully this change to our curriculum will positively affect boys’ reading scores. I’m not sure if Jon Scieszka’s website Guysread.com existed yet when this article was written, but I wish it was listed as a resource. Guysread.com is solely dedicated to boy books, boy humor, and helping guys find books that they are interested in.

Not surprisingly, the LGBTQ article, “Sissies, Faggots, Lezzies, and Dykes: Gender, Sexual Orientation, and a New Politics of Education?” by Catherine A. Lugg (Education Administration Quarterly, February 2003) also included quite a bit of discussion about gender in addition to sexual orientation in school. This article enlightened me about a very specific area of study called queer legal theory (QLT). Lugg explores the relationship of education policy and how it intersects with QLT. Since it is only through laws that education policy is shaped (another thing that I have not contemplated before), the purpose of her article is to explore the history of legal mandates shaping current education policy regarding sexual orientation and gender, so that education policy makers can use QLT to have a framework for a future agenda to affect policy change “for a better, more equitable future for all” (p. 124).

The history of education policy laws in effect regarding homosexuality is very interesting. For example, I did not know that most of our current policies are from the cold war era, when, the second sure-fire way to lose your job as a teacher was to be a homosexual (second only after being Communist). What I already knew, but was still shocked by, are the number of teachers and administrators who still allow bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students. While I try to do so now, I will have to be more aware when I teach to stop any bullying immediately, and to even report teachers whom I see that are not intervening when they should. Overall, I wish our class had had the time to discuss bullying and the steps to take when bullying happens. Stopbullying.gov is full of great resources for students and teachers.