I am tired of boys second-guessing my answers to questions. I am tired of boys trying to answer questions I pose at the teacher before my teacher can respond to them. I am tired of boys only asking my male partner about how we did something on our project, even though I know just as well.
Sexism in math and science classes at this school is real, and it gets worse the higher up you go. In my math and science classes, my and my female classmates' views are slower to be trusted and quicker to be questioned. I have checked answers with male classmates who, seeing that their answer differs from my own, try to point out where I have made my mistake. It is only when they see that a male classmate has also gotten my answer that they turn back to their own work.
Math is one of my favorite subjects, but I do not like classroom environments where I am doubted and questioned because of my gender. Or ones in which I feel pressured to suppress my questions – to hide any signs of intellectual weakness – for fear of playing to male classmates' views that girls aren't as good at math or science. And it's hard to not wonder whether this treatment of girls in high school math and science classes relates to the treatment of professional women in STEM fields.
No comments:
Post a Comment