Role of Gender in the Classroom

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When students do not conform to their gender's specific stereotypes and roles, they tend to be bullied by their peers. Boys are supposed to be tough, strong, aggressive, and athletic. They need to be masculine to be accepted by their peers. However, if boys do not conform to these roles and stereotypes they are judged and are bullied. Boys tend to use homophobic slurs in order to define their masculinity, and make them feel better about themselves. Girls find the need to conform to their stereotypes of being pretty, skinny, dependent, and weak. Girls are afraid to show strength and power in school because they know that the boys are supposed to be in charge. They also tend to have emotional and physical problems from trying to become like the underweight television stars and models that they always see. When students follow these stereotypes it affects their health, as well as their ability to learn in our classroom. They cannot learn properly if they are focusing on being bullied or losing weight. They need to be taught that these stereotypes do not define them as a person and they have to just be themselves. Also, stereotypes pinning specific genders to specific subjects, such as females can’t do math, tend to shy some students away from those subjects and not perform as well because they believe in the stereotypes. The psychological effects of these stereotypes make them become true when they are not. As a math teacher I will make sure to let my students know not to follow these stereotypes and to know that they can all succeed and can all do well at math. Gender stereotyping affects our students greatly, so we need to do everything we can to explain to them the negative effects of it and explain why stereotypes do not define them as an individual. (AM)