Helping Your Granddaughter Succeed

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Jan 1, 2000

Elizabeth's personality sparkled and snapped. A curious, confident and independent fifth grade child, she was a straight "A" student with a passion for math and science. Her career goal was to become a pediatrician. Junior high school was a different story. Her grades dipped until she was barely hanging on. In the ninth grade she announced a new career goal to her mom. "I'm going to be an interior decorator," she said. "I stink at math, it's too hard and I'm just not good enough."

Something is wrong with this picture. As a school psychologist I know that boys and girls start on an equal footing. The difference between their average I.Q. scores is insignificant. In fact, some experts believe girls are more mature and ready to learn. Still, by the time they graduate from high school their excitement has ebbed.

What happens to the bright-eyed exuberance of girls between the primary grades and high school graduation? A three-year study of gender bias in 100 classrooms gives some clues. The following is a summary of the study's findings described in Failing at Fairness: How America's Schools Cheat Girls, the 1993 book by professors Myra Sadker, Ed.D., and David Sadker, Ed.D.

* Boys called out eight times as often as girls. Often the rule to "raise your hand" was ignored by teachers. If a boy yelled out, he usually was praised for his contribution.

* Girls who called out were reminded of the rule to raise their hands.

* Teachers valued boys' comments more than girls' comments. Teachers responded to girls with a simple nod or "OK," while they praised, corrected, helped and criticized boys.

* Boys were encouraged to solve problems on their own, but teachers helped girls who were stuck on a problem.

Different Standards

A fifth-grade discussion about United States presidents was recorded during a visit to one classroom. It illustrates the subtle gender bias found in many classrooms.

TEACHER: "I want you to raise your hands, and then I'll call on you. If you shout out, I'll pick somebody else."

STEPHEN: "I think Lincoln was the best president."

TEACHER: "A lot of historians would agree with you."

MIKE: "My Dad liked Reagan."

DAVID (calling out): "Reagan? Are you kidding?"

TEACHER: "Whom do you think our best president was, Dave?"

DAVID: "FDR. He saved us from the Depression."

MAX (calling out): "I don't think it's right to pick one best president. There were a lot of good ones."

TEACHER: "That's interesting."

KIMBERLY (calling out): "I don't think the presidents today are as good as the ones we used to have."

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