Thinking Piece #9:Orenstein Reading

Peggy Orenstein: School Girls

Premise:

• Silence
• Gender
• Schooling
• Equality
• School
• Teachers
• Society
• Communities
• Inequalities
• Racism
• Sexist
• Differences
• Fairness
• Disadvantages
• Adolescence
• Data
• Struggles

Argument:

Orenstein argues that there are silent and hidden curriculums when it comes to teaching a co ed classroom. Girls are hidden and rarely mentioned in any type of text books, media, etc. and the men always seem to be imaged as superior. This causes our women of our society to grow up with a lower self-esteem that is always presented silently.

Evidence:

1. "I usually find that boys only resist studying women when they're presented as 'lesser,’ She says.’and if they're presented 'lesser' girls don't want to study women either"(16). People (especially teachers) do not know how important it is to teach ALL of their children/students that both men and women have equal opportunities and strengths. Orenstein states that in today's society women are always given the 'lesser' roles, therefore, causing student’s to never want to exemplify them, rather than being able to play a big, macho, lead role that of course belongs to the males.

2. "Sexual harassment is part of the hidden curriculum for girls, and for boys, too, because they learn whether it has anything to do with them or not"(25). While most teachers today are still hiding the ides that in their everyday lessons and text books there are many sexual harassment examples for both males and females. Orenstein proves that if all teachers not only read and point out the different ways each curriculum involves a certain type of sexual harassment then each student (male or female) will be able to recognize if it is similar to something they have experienced or not. This way children are able to understand the truth behind all types of sexual harassment because they are finally able to compare it to everyday life experiences.

3. "They're trying not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying not to dress a certain way. They learn to become silent, careful, not active or assertive in life. That's what the hidden curriculum teaches girls'"(25) Orenstein proves her argument by stating that even though Ms. Logan taught her students that every student, male or female, might have experienced some form of sexual harassment. But all of the girls stayed quiet, they acted like society has intended, they were conservative and of course silent.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:

This article was a great read, it kept me interested all the way through. As I read I realized that every point the Orenstein presented about how girls are always portrayed as a 'lesser' role, I realized it is 100% true. I never once thought of how our important texts books, media, est. are always exemplifying men and their masculine achievements, but there always has been many women who have also made many great life changing achievements such as, Susanne B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and even Amelia Earhart, but no one really talks about them because in today's society because women are supposed to remain silent.