School Bells – Current Affairs – Grade 1 – Week 15
Gender and Careers
I am sure that today will be a fun discussion. The topic which the scholars have been discussing with their families since last week was why some people think that there are boy jobs and girl jobs.
I hear the students coming now.
Me: Good morning class.
Class: Good morning Mr. Jim. Cookies!
Me: Yes, I brought cookies. Tara and Steve, please pass them out.
They do so and in a nanosecond the cookies have disappeared.
Me: I am eager to hear your thoughts about why some people think that there are boy and girl jobs.
Tara: Dud! Boys cannot have babies. My mother is pregnant and my dad says he is glad it is not him. She looks really uncomfortable. I like listening to the baby’s heartbeat.
Me: Yes, this is true that girls are designed to be the ones who have the babies although not all girls are able to get pregnant and have children. Are there other jobs which only boys and girls can do?
Sam: My mamma said that during a war women did all the jobs which men had been doing. When the men came back they said women did not belong in those jobs. That was stupid.
Sue: In some families women stay home and take care of the children and do all the work at home.
Steve: My Uncle Matt stays home and takes care of the kids while my aunt sends people to jail.
Me: You mean your aunt is a judge. Actually, I know her and she often gets help for people rather than sending them to jail.
Susie: My dad said that a lot of babies used to die while still in their mother’s tummy. Everyone needed a lot of children which meant that women were pregnant a lot.
Me: Being pregnant a lot meant it was tough for them to do some jobs.
Ahmes: In parts of my country women still are treated differently. My mother says there here she is free to do any job for which she has the ability.
Me: I wonder why some people still believe that there are jobs for women and jobs for men?
Susie: My mother said that some people believe that God wants men and women to do certain jobs.
Sam: My mother said that was … Oops! I almost said a bad word.
Me: I think your mother thinks that we blame a lot of things on God because we are uncomfortable with change.
Sam: Yeah!
Susie: Why would God care?
Me: That is a great question Susie. Does anyone know?
Tommy: My dad says that we can ident… Ident…
Me: I think the word is identify Tommy.
Tommy: That is it. He says that some of us identify who we are by the job we do. If our job is not who we are as a guy, we do not know who we are. That is confusing Mr. Jim.
Me: I think that is a good point Tommy. If one of the things which makes me feel good about being a male is a certain job, then if girls can do that job too I do not know what it means to be a male.
Me: What is the difference between a guy or a girl?
Sam: Boys makes a mess in the bathroom because they stand up.
Me: That is true. We guys needs to be more careful and clean up after ourselves. Still, that is just one physical difference. Are there others?
Tara: My dad says that women can last longer in running or stuff, but guys are faster.
Me: Yes, that is frequently true, but not with all men and women.
So, fear of change is one reason some people think that there are boy jobs and girl jobs and fear of displeasing God is another one.
You and your families seem to be saying that males and females can do the same jobs most of the time if they have the ability.
Steve: You could not be a basketball star Mr. Jim. You are way too short!
Me: You are right. On the other hand there are girls who are much taller than I and play basketball very well.
Sofia: My mother says that many men thought they had to take care of us and tell us what to do. She said that made them feel better.
Me: Many people believe that is not true.
Sam: Uncle Jim are there any differences except for having babies, standing up to go to the bathroom and being faster?
Me: Good question Sam Although scientists may discover some additional differences, it seems as if most women and most men can do the same jobs if they have the education, strength, size and talent.
Steve: Some people say that women are kinder.
Me: I am not sure that is true, although when we encourage children to play house and with dolls we are often teaching them to take care of others in a kind way.
It sounds as if most of our families think that boys and girls can do any job they can physically do and for which they have some talent. So far one of the few jobs which only girls can do is to have babies.
Tara: My dad says that if women can do anything they do not need men which scares them.
Me: That is one of the issues which you may want to explore. What is the most important point in this discussion?
Sam: I know Uncle Jim. Keep an open mind! Uncle Jim is always reminding Paul and me of that!
Me: Yes I am. Steve what do you think that means?
Steve: It means that we may not know what we know!
Me: Very good. If we think we already know what is true, then we will not learn anything. We keep discovering that many things are not what we thought they were.
You scholars did a terrific job as usual. I am so proud of you. For next week how about we talk about how we can celebrate our holidays and still respect what holidays our friends are celebrating. For example, we have friends who come from many different traditions – Christians, Jewish, Muslim and others. Everyone needs to celebrate and respect the beliefs and traditions of others. I have written down the assignment. Steve, would you hand out the assignment? Ahmes and Sofia will you hand out the cookies?
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Written November 23, 2016
Gender and Careers
I am sure that today will be a fun discussion. The topic which the scholars have been discussing with their families since last week was why some people think that there are boy jobs and girl jobs.
I hear the students coming now.
Me: Good morning class.
Class: Good morning Mr. Jim. Cookies!
Me: Yes, I brought cookies. Tara and Steve, please pass them out.
They do so and in a nanosecond the cookies have disappeared.
Me: I am eager to hear your thoughts about why some people think that there are boy and girl jobs.
Tara: Dud! Boys cannot have babies. My mother is pregnant and my dad says he is glad it is not him. She looks really uncomfortable. I like listening to the baby’s heartbeat.
Me: Yes, this is true that girls are designed to be the ones who have the babies although not all girls are able to get pregnant and have children. Are there other jobs which only boys and girls can do?
Sam: My mamma said that during a war women did all the jobs which men had been doing. When the men came back they said women did not belong in those jobs. That was stupid.
Sue: In some families women stay home and take care of the children and do all the work at home.
Steve: My Uncle Matt stays home and takes care of the kids while my aunt sends people to jail.
Me: You mean your aunt is a judge. Actually, I know her and she often gets help for people rather than sending them to jail.
Susie: My dad said that a lot of babies used to die while still in their mother’s tummy. Everyone needed a lot of children which meant that women were pregnant a lot.
Me: Being pregnant a lot meant it was tough for them to do some jobs.
Ahmes: In parts of my country women still are treated differently. My mother says there here she is free to do any job for which she has the ability.
Me: I wonder why some people still believe that there are jobs for women and jobs for men?
Susie: My mother said that some people believe that God wants men and women to do certain jobs.
Sam: My mother said that was … Oops! I almost said a bad word.
Me: I think your mother thinks that we blame a lot of things on God because we are uncomfortable with change.
Sam: Yeah!
Susie: Why would God care?
Me: That is a great question Susie. Does anyone know?
Tommy: My dad says that we can ident… Ident…
Me: I think the word is identify Tommy.
Tommy: That is it. He says that some of us identify who we are by the job we do. If our job is not who we are as a guy, we do not know who we are. That is confusing Mr. Jim.
Me: I think that is a good point Tommy. If one of the things which makes me feel good about being a male is a certain job, then if girls can do that job too I do not know what it means to be a male.
Me: What is the difference between a guy or a girl?
Sam: Boys makes a mess in the bathroom because they stand up.
Me: That is true. We guys needs to be more careful and clean up after ourselves. Still, that is just one physical difference. Are there others?
Tara: My dad says that women can last longer in running or stuff, but guys are faster.
Me: Yes, that is frequently true, but not with all men and women.
So, fear of change is one reason some people think that there are boy jobs and girl jobs and fear of displeasing God is another one.
You and your families seem to be saying that males and females can do the same jobs most of the time if they have the ability.
Steve: You could not be a basketball star Mr. Jim. You are way too short!
Me: You are right. On the other hand there are girls who are much taller than I and play basketball very well.
Sofia: My mother says that many men thought they had to take care of us and tell us what to do. She said that made them feel better.
Me: Many people believe that is not true.
Sam: Uncle Jim are there any differences except for having babies, standing up to go to the bathroom and being faster?
Me: Good question Sam Although scientists may discover some additional differences, it seems as if most women and most men can do the same jobs if they have the education, strength, size and talent.
Steve: Some people say that women are kinder.
Me: I am not sure that is true, although when we encourage children to play house and with dolls we are often teaching them to take care of others in a kind way.
It sounds as if most of our families think that boys and girls can do any job they can physically do and for which they have some talent. So far one of the few jobs which only girls can do is to have babies.
Tara: My dad says that if women can do anything they do not need men which scares them.
Me: That is one of the issues which you may want to explore. What is the most important point in this discussion?
Sam: I know Uncle Jim. Keep an open mind! Uncle Jim is always reminding Paul and me of that!
Me: Yes I am. Steve what do you think that means?
Steve: It means that we may not know what we know!
Me: Very good. If we think we already know what is true, then we will not learn anything. We keep discovering that many things are not what we thought they were.
You scholars did a terrific job as usual. I am so proud of you. For next week how about we talk about how we can celebrate our holidays and still respect what holidays our friends are celebrating. For example, we have friends who come from many different traditions – Christians, Jewish, Muslim and others. Everyone needs to celebrate and respect the beliefs and traditions of others. I have written down the assignment. Steve, would you hand out the assignment? Ahmes and Sofia will you hand out the cookies?
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Written November 23, 2016
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