IMPLEMENTING GENDER-FAIR TEACHING IN A RURAL HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM

Rural Educator, The, Winter 2003 by Lindstrom, Heidi L, Tracy, Dyanne M

Stick figure drawings. Of 28 students who asked to draw a stick figure of a nurse, only one student drew a male nurse. When asked why, the student stated that his uncle was a nurse. Further, students' drawings of truck drivers, were all male. Most students gave their truck drivers catchy names like "Big Bob" or "Truckin' Tom.'" Students engaged in a discussion about why women are not found in large numbers in the trucking business. All students agreed that there were no physical restrictions that prevented a female from being a truck driver. Other drawings included a surgeon (two depicted as female), a rescue worker (four depicted as female), and an auto mechanic (none depicted as female), someone ironing (two depicted as male), someone riding a horse (five depicted as male), and a gardener (one depicted as a male).

Students analyzed the class results. Possible reasons for drawing and naming traditional gendertyped occupations and activities were brainstormed. Cartoons, personal experience, television shows, Hollywood movies, television commercials, magazine ads, family or parental occupations and hobbies, gender socialized limitations all impacted students' perceptions.

Gender essay questions. When students (N= 115) shared their gender essays describing what would be different about their day as the opposite sex, most males reacted to waking up "as a female" in anguish, making much commotion about how terrible their lives would become. Other males reacted to the essay question with an opportunity to belittle females. However, the females took the opportunity to share with their fellow male students the many options that would become available for them based on their "new" gender.

The following statements have been summarized and purposely arranged to accentuate the opposite nature of gender-role perceptions held by males and females in Lindstrom's classes. Statements were evaluated as negative (n) or positive (p).

M: I would have to get up hours earlier.(n)

F: I would get to sleep in and not have to worry about my hair.(p)

M: I would have to spend my weekends shopping.

F: I would go hunting on Saturdays.

M: I would wear sexy clothes.

F: I could wear the same thing to school everyday.(p)

F: I would get to drive fast and be cool.

M: I would hang out with good looking friends.

F: I would not be judged based upon my appearance.(p)

M: I would have to be a cheerleader to get attention

F: I would yell out in class just to get attention.

M: I would miss playing football and basketball.(n)

F: I would finally get to play football and be someone in school.(p)

M: I would talk hours on the phone.

F: I could eat all of the food I wanted.

M: I would never have to pay for a date.(p)

F: I would make more money.(p)

M: I would have to sit home waiting for boys to call me for dates, (n)

F: I would have control over who I wanted to date (p)

F: I would never be judged or called names if I dated more than one person at once.(p)

M: My dreams in life would be gone.(n)

F: I could be anything I wanted.(p)