Can we have it all?
This was going to be a blog post, I'd even made some preliminary notes, then I had an email that I was back in the rota for Jewish News writing and this seemed like an appropriate piece for there, so if you'd like to read my reflections on Girls Schools teaching girls to be home makers, or telling them they can do everything and anything they want, and female role models like my school head teacher being made a Dame, and motherhood and working... just click here and turn to p. 12 (it does all come together I hope!)
Nothing wrong with teaching girls how to cook, do the laundry, keep a home and manage your income. It's a good idea to teach these things to boys, too.
ReplyDeleteI agree it would also be good to encourage all children to fulfil their potential rather than teach them they are no good from an early age.
Interestingly my son's year 3 teacher told him he was good at English and could be a writer. He planned to do computing, then law at uni, but eventually didn't go. 3 years later after doing an 'A' level in English he went to uni to study English. He is now in his final year and has very much enjoyed the experience.
Unfortunately that same teacher could decide others didn't have much of a future. Perhaps she had enough experience to know, but perhaps potential is just less obvious in some children and needs to be drawn out more.
I don't think all teachers are skilled in this and they certainly don't have the extra time needed, but the main problem could be that the system wants pegs to go in round holes and doesn't care what 'shape' individual children are.