->> I took no position either way; I found some of the comments in the
->> stories somewhat pertinent to what was being discussed.
 SK> FWIW, I think this is a pretty common response to someone sharing an
 SK> article, unless at the beginning before the quote you make some big
 SK> disclaimer about not sharing that opinion.
I guess I'm just naive & stupid, because I assume that, unless someone
is either claiming authorship or makes an actual statement in favor of
a quote, information is information & the author is the one answerable
for the information.
 SK> The article I cross-posted from the Daily Report Card about the
 SK> girls-only math/science classes was not some pet peeve of mine. I only
Exactly.  Altho', I'm starting to get more interested in the subject
because I think girls are having a hard time.  Look at those poor little
gymnasts in the Olympics.  A nutritionist was brought in, for crying
out loud, because they had eating disorders & were suffering from
malnutrition.  I mean, breaking bones because they don't get enough
calcium, that's a crime in a country like the US.  The whole body image
& fitness craze thing is giving girls fits.
 SK> shared it because I thought it was interesting. Yet, many of the
 SK> responses I got were of a tone that indicated others had assumed I was
 SK> backing that position, as they proceeded to enumerate for me points
 SK> against the article.
I know what you mean.  Almost a tone of trying to convince you that you
were "wrong."
 SK> I guess it is somewhat reasonable to assume a person would _tend_ to
 SK> post articles that were in line with their own point of view. Isn't that
 SK> what Chuck Beams is primarily doing?
I didn't see it that way, I just thought he was presenting articles with
a view toward informing & creating a springboard for discussion.  Now I
know what Chuck's real intent was, I think I'll start having a go at
him. ;^)
->> There IS a lot of sexism in schools & society in general, but we
->> often don't recognize it because "that's the way things always have
->> been."  It can be very subtle.
 SK> I agree, although I think it is interesting that Ron points out some
 SK> examples of "the shoe on the other foot" for the guy.
Hmmm.  I had a girl this year who was making unnecessary, borderline
sexual innuendos to a neighboring student.  When I explained to her that
what she was doing constituted sexual harassment, she explained to me in
quite a superior way that "only boys can do that."  I reminded her about
the Demi Moore movie, "Disclosure," in which the tables are turned.  She
touched my arm & very seriously told me, "That's a movie, Miz Payne.
Movies aren't real."  So much for the Hollywood influence.  I referred
her to a counselor, who had much more time to explain, in depth, what
happens to girls who make pointed comments to & about others the way she
was doing.  Whatever he said, it worked, because she quit her game.
I think a big part of the problem starts in elementary school.  Some
of the things I have seen which I believe support that?  There is an
emphasis placed on boy/girl count.  The students are encouraged by
some teachers to keep track of whether a boy or a girl ran the last
errand.  The boys & the girls are pitted against each other for
incentives (this one floored me.)  Some teachers have a cardinal
rule about allowing one boy _and_ one girl to use a restroom at the
same time or alternating boy/girl/boy/girl.
New 7th graders have come into my class & become outraged, "But you let
a (boy/girl) go last time!!"  So I ask 'em, "The next time you need to
use the restroom, do you really want to have to wait until a member of
the opposite sex has been to the restroom & back before *you* can go?
What happens if nobody needs to for awhile?  *I* didn't _think_ so."
I have spent time trying to convince them that we are all people & that
focussing on that sort of equality is pretty small minded.  It's stuff
like, "Do _only_ the boys/girls get to use the restroom?" they should be
worrying about, not whether boys had to relieve themselves more often
than girls or vice versa.
By high school, much of this boy/girl competition-jealousy thing has
disappeared & isn't as much of an issue with them; however, I have
noticed a tendancy in some junior high girls to attempt to hide their
talents so that the boys won't ream them.  It continues through to
senior high school with some of them.  I think that is one of the main
purposes of the girls only classes because different teaching techniques
can help both boys & girls.
Leona Payne
... Never feed your cat anything that doesn't match the carpet.
--- Via Silver Xpress V4.3P SW12194
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