So it turns out lady teachers are making little ladies nervous about their abilities in math, probably because the lady teachers are worried about their own math skills, since everyone knows girls are no good at math. But have they done any studies on whether the lady teachers are helping the little girls feel pretty? Because I bet they totally are! Also: Larry Summers was unavailable for comment.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
13
I'm trying to be less stupid, Awl. Really. But that's just too many big words this early in the morning.
Also: I remember all my female math teachers as notorious hard-asses and in no way intimidated by the subject. My male math teachers were laid back athletic coaches just wrote their notes up on the board and then read the paper for the rest of the hour.
While I didn't have the direct correlation between gender and hardassery, my best math teachers were definitely the hardasses, male and female.
This is just ONE of the many problems the new Apple tablet will solve.
Ok, girls, what's 36 plus 24 plus 36?
Aww, that's mean. Lady math teachers always made me feel pretty!
In Algebra 2, Mrs. Zavorsky would announce "I wish you nothing but a clear mind!" before every test and quiz, which totally made me nervous, because I thought it was kind of obnoxious and uncalled for, and I got a C- as my final grade. It was Mr. Pizinsky who made me feel pretty.
My A-2 teacher sang a song:
Get your desks cleared off
Don't be late
'Cause we're gonna have
A quiz today
Jesus christ that was 17 years ago.
I don't think it's the study itself that is perpetuating the idea that boys are better than girls at math, so much perhaps as the media coverage of it.
I mean, we all know girls don't read studies.
I blame Talking Barbie.
My ex-wife has a masters in math and used to dismiss my numerical analysis skills, calling my answers "silly approximations," until I told her I couldn't call the ammunition supply point and order a closed form expression amount of bombs but needed to supply the sergeant with a discreet integer or I would get nothing.
Is your ex-wife Linda Hamilton and/or Kathryn Bigelow?
SINCERITY ALERT. It really is all about mentoring and setting an example. Some colleges have wonderful programs where women students and faculty go into the middle school and high schools to give presentations, set up fun lab days, and offer tutoring to girls. If you are a woman in science, get involved with one of these programs, or start one in your town. Science-girl power!
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM.