Math Is A Waste Of Time By Susan Jacoby

In “The Daily Grind: Lessons in the Hidden Curriculum”, Peggy Orenstein gives an observation of an eighth graders day in math class at middle school. Orenstein in this selection is trying to give the reader a view of how there is a gender gap between girls and boys and how control of power is different between male and female. In the beginning Orenstein states that Mrs. Ritcher the math teacher, “is a ruddy athletic woman with a powerful voice.”(97) While class is in session, Orenstein observes the teacher showing more attention towards the boys then the girls. The author observes that: “Allison, a tall, angular girl who once told me, “My goal is to be the best wife and mother I can be,” raises her hand to ask a question. Mrs. Ritcher, finishing

The article titled "Girls Against Boys," published in the 30 January issue of The Nation magazine by author Katha Pollitt, brings to light pressing issues of gender discrimination and how this nation's education system has changed over the past forty years but still isn't up to par with where it needs to be with issues of gender equality. Pollitt exposes the views of conservatives toward feminism in the school systems of today. This article describes how changes in society are taking place, and what the future may hold for men and women in the world of employment and education.

The introductory sentence of Anna Hulbert’s article, “Boy Problems”, led to my reminiscence of my childhood days as a girl scout. My time spent as a girl scout was filled with cookie sales and father-daughter dances, not adults persuading me to pursue a career in either science, technology, or math. The “Girls Go Tech” campaigns warn that “by sixth grade, an alarming number of girls lose interest in math, science, and technology. Which means they won't qualify for most future jobs." However, this idea falls under the booby trap of a small sample. Concluding that young woman will not be qualified for a job based on a statistics that only represents the woman's primary schooling is absurd.

Women have always been viewed as the weaker sex, and society will continue to view them that way unless they do something about it. In the essay “When Bright Girls Decide that Math is a Waste of time”, the author Susan Jacoby discusses the problems women steering clear of math and science subjects because of the traditional view of a woman. She focused on what causes high school girls to focus on arts courses instead of STEM courses and what are the effects of it on themselves. The underlying discrimination amongst boys and girls, stereotypical thinking of parents and teachers that girls are not good at math eventually decreases the self-confidence among girls to solve science and math problems.

2. Risman and Seale write about middle schoolers and their beliefs about gender. How did they collect their data? Who was their main source of information? What questions were Risman and Seale raising by their research on middle schoolers? In what ways are their answers of value? (Chapter 34 Barbara J. Risman and Elizabeth Seale: “Betwixt and Be Tween: Gender Contradictions Among Middle Schoolers”)

When you send your children off in the morning to go to school, no matter what grade they are in whither it be elementary, junior high, or senior high, you expect that they will receive the best education that they can get. They should be asked challenging questions, encouraged and called upon to participate in class, they should also be given as much help as they need to secede by the teacher. However, this is most commonly not the case. Parents and the children themselves are unaware of what is going on because gender bias is not a noisy problem. Most people are unaware of the secret sexist lessons that occur every day in classrooms across the country. In this essay I will use two essay's from the reader:

An ever changing, yet common issue, in today's generation revolves around how society views gender. The general consensus dictates that gender, as a whole, is a spectrum, rather than a standard set for each individual male and female to follow throughout everyday life. However, there are those individuals who wish to remain reluctant in changing their view of society. Some believe it is better to allow the education system to be segregated by gender, in order to provide more resources to both girls and boys. One person in favor of this public education reform is David Brooks, a neuroscientist who published the article titled “The Gender Gap at School.” A thorough analysis of the effects of literature on men and women, biological factors

Associate professor Julie Bette at University of California wrote an essay regarding young women views about their gender. In this chapter titled “Women Without Class”, the author, Julie Bette, explores how female teenagers express different version of their femininity. Bette conducts her exploration by observing and interview female high schoolers in small town located in California’s central valley. The tittle “Women Without Class” to reflects Bette’s interest in young women from modest means and low educational attainment, who have low “cultural capital” to enable class mobility.

In "When Bright Girls Decide That Math is "a Waste of Time", the main claims that are argued, are that adolescent girls are more susceptible to be pressured into an old stereotype that conveys women should not indulge themselves into mathematics and the sciences. This is a stereotype that has gradually weakened over the years. In paragraph 9 she constitutes an assessment ran in 1981 on female achievements. By doing this it created a sense of logos. Tests were run on girls between 9th and 12th grade to determine the difference in studies. Girls were as equal to or better that boys in problem solving and spatial abilities, this changed four years later and the boys were on top in these areas. The author provides counterevidence when she describes

The award for getting above a 100 for an overall grade in algebra one, intensified, goes to the person who has tried very hard to do her best. Some things come easily to one person, but, very difficult for another. She has done well in math her whole life. In elementary school, she was in gifted math and has been in an above grade level math ever since. She works better with numbers and formulas, over shapes and proofs. This person got a 106 for her overall grade in algebra one, intensified in 8th grade. The award for doing above-average in algebra one goes to Mia Larsen.

Most of this gender disparity starts early. As early as in grade school. Young girls are rarely motivated to take Math and Science. This can be problematic because studies show that a lack in intellectual belief can in turn inhibit intellectual growth. There is also that persistent unconscious bias that Science and Math are male fields while females tend to do well

The discovery of interests in school begins at a young age, “career aspirations based on individual aptitudes, interests, and values are formulated during adolescence and shape the academic choices that lead to the STEM career pipeline” (Wang 771). Girls may discover that they are interested in science or mathematics at an early age, but they are generally compared to their male counterparts, who are given more attention at a younger age to pursue careers in this field. This time frame is critical, if attention is not given and more concentration is placed, girls may lose interest or consideration in the subject, seeing that it has nothing to offer for them. Jill Bystydzienski asserts, “little attention is paid, however to girls’ engagements with engineering during early stages of decision making” (1-2). If young females were given personal interactions with a field, they can then decide if they have a further interest in the subject. With no introduction to the field in middle school or even high school, the girls do not really understand what they can do with the profession. Some may explore options on their own, and others may just bypass the opportunities that could await them, “young girls cannot possibly consider opportunities they do not know exist” (“Why STEM”). Even when interest is expressed by girls at a young age they still do not have as many resources to opportunities to learn more about the

Using the survey and interviews of teachers, I wanted to answer the question “What is causing fewer females than males to pursue higher level science classes during grades 11 and 12?” I gathered both qualitative and quantitative data from these activities. From the survey, given to 11th and 12th grade female students who were either have taken or will be taking an AP science classes or regular science class this year, it was evident that there is a lack of interest with science outside the classroom, but most believe they have a good understanding in scientific tasks. This survey was given to 23 female students who met the criteria. Out of the 23 females, nine of them have been or would be in an AP science course. Of the female students who have been enrolled in an AP science course, 89% feel like they have a lot of success in science and 78% of them feel these courses help with their future career choice, yet even though they believe their teachers have made science exciting, all of them believe the school lacks the opportunities for pursuing science related fields. The difference between the female students in AP courses and those who are not, have a different outlook on how they feel regarding being successful. The remaining 14 girls, 78% of them feel successful within their science courses.

Interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is thinning for women as they progress into higher levels. Women in grades 7-12 were surveyed to see if their interest in STEM fields were diminishing. According to Van Leuvan, this survey showed that there was a decline in interest as these girls progress through high school. Throughout middle school and junior high a love for mathematics can be developed. However, a loss of interest is present as soon as girls hit more demanding classes like calculus. Grades will highly diminished and a fear for comprehension of mathematics in the future will develope. According to the article “Women and Minorities in Engineering” a major outlook on success from students is their ability to understand calculus.

Gender equity issues in mathematics and science have been the focus of many educators and researchers for years. Women have often been denied an equal education in math and science for many reasons. Parents and teachers must realize this fact and change their habits wherever necessary. Girls must be given the same opportunity as boys from the beginning, particularly in math and science where girls tend to lag behind.