Continuing a reader's question here:
This is from Jacquelineand... (her blog is here, if you want to check it out).
This is from Jacquelineand... (her blog is here, if you want to check it out).
"So, questions, per your request on your last blog...what led you to teaching, what aspect(s) of teaching are you most passionate about and how does it tie in with your feminism, if it does."
I already answered the first two questions here. This post is to discuss how my feminism ties into my teaching.
Ok. So for those who don't know, I'm a feminist. I believe in women's rights and in women receiving equal dignity and rights as men. This is not yet a reality, hence why feminism is still very necessary. Probably the most glaring inequalities is the amount that women are paid for the same work as men and the lack of female representation in politics and in business leadership (top 500 corporations are led by less than 2% women I believe...). I won't go into detail too much about why I'm feminist here. But I will add, that I am not just a feminist. I am against oppression of all forms. Against men, children, people of different class or race, etc. No one should be discriminated against for who they are. I am an LGBTIQ ally, against child abuse or neglect of any form, against legislated discrimination, etc. I'm still learning more about oppression and what I can do to eliminate it. This will be a lifelong journey for me.
This question only asks about my feminism and teaching. So here we go. As a teacher, I do not believe that it is my job to share my beliefs. My job is to help prepare young people to be positively contributing citizens. Young people need to be taught to think for themselves, especially in a world where the young are simply told what to believe. I always present the facts, and then guide my students to choose their own beliefs based on the facts, reminding them that facts can change. I encourage them to choose a belief that is non-destructive to others. This is done very subtly and not very often, as most of the time in language class these sorts of issues simply aren't brought up. The large majority of the time we're immersed in conjugations, vocabulary, and grammar. : ) I tend to drop facts and statistics as I go along that I think will better inform them of the realities of this world. As a feminist, I do NOT tolerate any comments that are derogatory about the female gender between my students. I immediately take action and have a discussion if I EVER hear some boy call another boy a "pansy", a "girl", or "like a girl" in a derogatory manner. I address my students as ladies and gentleman and not "guys". I keep them abreast of all the feminist happenings in France and other francophone countries. (More recently, some towns in France have completely dropped the "mademoiselle" title and started calling all women "madame", regardless of age or marital status. The French language has no equivalent to "Ms." and therefore, no marital-neutral title. They also didn't think it was fair to distinguish between whether or not a female is married when males are not identified at all by marital status, something we continue to do in the English language.) I make sure to NEVER discourage a student from ANY profession or life goal REGARDLESS of their age, race, size, ANYTHING. STUDENTS can do any job/career they put their minds to. I encourage empathetic behavior in all my students, especially those that need more practice with it. I state at the beginning of class that no one should ever be made fun of because of gender (and orientation, race, or just being different). I make sure my class knows that I have a 0% tolerance for bullying of any form. I also wear my "I stand with planned parenthood" pin and make sure that my students can get the contact info for planned parenthood/information on the facts of sexuality for whoever they think might need it. Here in WA state there is a comprehensive sex ed program, so I think they're mainly good in this area.
I also like to get to know each of my students individually and encourage them in areas where they might not otherwise get encouragement. I try to build them all up and to treat them all as respected students, not as girls vs. boys. I remind all of them to not sell themselves short.
I think that teaching biology would present more opportunities to encourage my female students. If I get a job teaching biology, it should be interesting to see what I'll be able to do to expand my students' horizons about feminist issues.
Let me know if any of you have any more questions for me. I love answering them. :)
I already answered the first two questions here. This post is to discuss how my feminism ties into my teaching.
Ok. So for those who don't know, I'm a feminist. I believe in women's rights and in women receiving equal dignity and rights as men. This is not yet a reality, hence why feminism is still very necessary. Probably the most glaring inequalities is the amount that women are paid for the same work as men and the lack of female representation in politics and in business leadership (top 500 corporations are led by less than 2% women I believe...). I won't go into detail too much about why I'm feminist here. But I will add, that I am not just a feminist. I am against oppression of all forms. Against men, children, people of different class or race, etc. No one should be discriminated against for who they are. I am an LGBTIQ ally, against child abuse or neglect of any form, against legislated discrimination, etc. I'm still learning more about oppression and what I can do to eliminate it. This will be a lifelong journey for me.
This question only asks about my feminism and teaching. So here we go. As a teacher, I do not believe that it is my job to share my beliefs. My job is to help prepare young people to be positively contributing citizens. Young people need to be taught to think for themselves, especially in a world where the young are simply told what to believe. I always present the facts, and then guide my students to choose their own beliefs based on the facts, reminding them that facts can change. I encourage them to choose a belief that is non-destructive to others. This is done very subtly and not very often, as most of the time in language class these sorts of issues simply aren't brought up. The large majority of the time we're immersed in conjugations, vocabulary, and grammar. : ) I tend to drop facts and statistics as I go along that I think will better inform them of the realities of this world. As a feminist, I do NOT tolerate any comments that are derogatory about the female gender between my students. I immediately take action and have a discussion if I EVER hear some boy call another boy a "pansy", a "girl", or "like a girl" in a derogatory manner. I address my students as ladies and gentleman and not "guys". I keep them abreast of all the feminist happenings in France and other francophone countries. (More recently, some towns in France have completely dropped the "mademoiselle" title and started calling all women "madame", regardless of age or marital status. The French language has no equivalent to "Ms." and therefore, no marital-neutral title. They also didn't think it was fair to distinguish between whether or not a female is married when males are not identified at all by marital status, something we continue to do in the English language.) I make sure to NEVER discourage a student from ANY profession or life goal REGARDLESS of their age, race, size, ANYTHING. STUDENTS can do any job/career they put their minds to. I encourage empathetic behavior in all my students, especially those that need more practice with it. I state at the beginning of class that no one should ever be made fun of because of gender (and orientation, race, or just being different). I make sure my class knows that I have a 0% tolerance for bullying of any form. I also wear my "I stand with planned parenthood" pin and make sure that my students can get the contact info for planned parenthood/information on the facts of sexuality for whoever they think might need it. Here in WA state there is a comprehensive sex ed program, so I think they're mainly good in this area.
I also like to get to know each of my students individually and encourage them in areas where they might not otherwise get encouragement. I try to build them all up and to treat them all as respected students, not as girls vs. boys. I remind all of them to not sell themselves short.
I think that teaching biology would present more opportunities to encourage my female students. If I get a job teaching biology, it should be interesting to see what I'll be able to do to expand my students' horizons about feminist issues.
Let me know if any of you have any more questions for me. I love answering them. :)
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taste: hubby's fried-egg sandwich
see: the Colbert Report, so funny!
hear: see above
smell: my new Castile Soap peppermint shampoo
touch: my fuzzy blanket. So chilly today.
think: that watching the formula 1 race with my sister and bro-in-law tonight should be fun.
feel: annoyed at all the legistlatures passing ridiculous laws in various states...
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