Monday, January 17, 2011
Chapter 10 Reflection
I've heard stories and information about the disparity between genders in certain subjects in academics. I loved the case study in this chapter about Cassie Brown. Everyone loves a good "Rudy" story. Where the person defies all odds and achieves his or her goal. However, it isn't realistic to expect that "feel good" story with everyone, and I realize how difficult it is for teachers to tell students the harsh reality sometimes. Lastly, I knew there was a gap between men and women in the field of math/science, but I had no idea the gap was as large as it was.
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Like you said, everyone enjoys stories with a happy ending, but it is unrealistic for everyone to defy all odds. There will always be bumps in the road, and whether female or male, we have learn and overcome the difficulties and move on no matter if we fail or succeed in the end. In the case of Cassie Brown, I do however believe that teachers should be realistic but not forget that everyone is different no matter what statistics say. Although minorities and females are a majority of the time seen to do poorer in math than others, it does not mean that a female that is African American, like in Cassie's case, will continue this statistic. Telling a student about the work they must consider is fine, but discouraging something (especially of interest to the student) altogether should not be the way to handle this issue.
ReplyDeleteAbout the gap between men and women in the field of math and science, I agree that the gap was pretty astonishing.