I believe that schools are not only places to learn subjects but also places where we learn how to behave and understand ourselves. One of the strongest ways this happens is through language. The way teachers and students speak to each other often shows and shapes gender roles. I have noticed that sometimes language keeps old gender ideas alive, but it can also be used to change them. Here are some examples from real life, media, and my own experience that show how gender and language interact in education.
The first example , speaking in class. In high school class boys talked much more than girls. They answered questions quickly, interrupted each other, and spoke loudly. When boys take more speaking space, and girls stay quiet, it repeats the idea that men are more confident and women are more silent. The teacher’s silence allows this inequality to continue. When i was in high school the vice principal asked the 'girls' in my class to clean the classroom but not only that ,she said that after the classroom we have to clean the entire school. When we said -"What about boys, they will not clean? And the lady's cleaners ?" , but she ignored us and said that boys don't know how to clean and they are tired of the classes they 'attended' , and that we are young so we will finish sooner . Didn't we attended the same classes? Are we not tired either? After we finished she said we need to clean the bathrooms , the girls and the boys... They don't have hands? If they mothers didn't teach them then you should. Its not our job.
The second example for school rules and behaviour. In many schools, I have heard teachers tell girls to “sit properly,” “be polite,” or “don’t talk too much,” while boys were allowed to move and speak ffreely. Boys can come late to class but girls can't? Boys can curse at others when they made them angry but girls can't? These are not official school rules, but they happen every day in class. Teachers teach that girls should be calm and modest, while boys can be active and loud. I think these messages make students feel limited in how they can express themselves.
The third example is the film "Matilda the Musical" tells the story of a young girl named Matilda Wormwood who is very intelligent and loves to read, but her parents do not value her education. They think girls should not be “too clever” and prefer her to watch television.At home, Matilda’s father speaks to her with disrespect and often calls her names like “stupid”. He believes that only boys can be smart and successful. Matilda learns that society expects girls to be quiet and unimportant, while boys are encouraged to be confident and strong. The language her father uses shows how girls intelligence is often ignored or undervalued. Girls like Matilda are often silenced or punished for using their voices, while boys are expected to be louder and more active.
In conclusion ,through these examples, I have learned that language has a big impact on how gender is performed and understood in schools. Words can include or exclude, encourage or silence. I believe teachers and students should be more aware of how they speak and listen to each other. When everyone has an equal voice, the classroom becomes a place where both girls and boys can learn, grow, and express themselves freely.
Worked by Xhoeda
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