Guiding Question

How does gender affect one's educational experiences and self-concept?

Prior to our International Field Experience, IFE, each of the TGC Fellows identified a guiding question. I've always believed education is the key to changing one's future. By providing any learner with a positive "future story" that goes beyond the potential traditional options students are aware of, we can help them achieve their hopes and dreams for the future.

Having worked with students in grades kindergarten through eighth, and noticing the steep decline in the interest of STEM and computer science field in girls, starting around grades four and five, I wondered about the role of gender equity in education. I had read that India was the most dangerous county in the world for women. The combination of experiences in teaching, being the mother to a son and a daughter, and thinking about my personal experiences as a female, I decided on the guiding question, "How does gender affect one's educational experiences and self-concept?"

While in India, we had the opportunity to visit elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and an education facility for children who are incarcerated. For many years, I have believed that education is the key to improving a child's outlook on life. Regardless of what a child has been through, if we provide them with a different window to view life, we can help them see a potentially different path for the rest of their life. Education holds a certain power that can't be found elsewhere. While I still think education is an avenue to do just that, I am now more acutely aware of the roles families, societies, and religions play in shaping learners.

I had come to this conclusion after visiting schools in Delhi, Nilambur, and Wandoor. The state of Kerala in India has this wonderful religious harmony that I had not experienced before. Families who identify as Muslim, Hindu and Christian get along so beautifully there. Families who celebrate specific religious traditions invite friends of other religions to join them. They honored and respected each other. The students in the schools reflected the same accepting characteristics.

When all of the TGC Fellows reconvened in Delhi after our community placements, we had the chance to attend a debriefing session with TEA and ILEP Fellows. These are sister programs to TGC, where Indian teachers had completed a placement in the United States. During this session, we had the chance to receive feedback on our guiding questions from the TEA and ILEP Fellows and the TGC Fellows. One of our in-country hosts, Mamta, clarified my thoughts on my guiding question. She wrote, "Your family and social perspective shapes it." I found great truth in this statement. In the U.S. and in India, your family's belief about education and the emphasis society place on it are powerful. They help to powerfully shape what you will come to believe about the importance of education. Often, if parents have had a negative experience in school, they intentionally or unintentionally convey that message to their children. If society places an importance on getting a good education, chances are your community will back the education system. If the role of teachers is questioned, students may be less likely to value the education system. In India, the role of the teacher is very important. Teachers are seen as gurus and are as equally as important as mother, father, and God. In the United States, the role of teachers varies by community.

Other alumni of the TEA and ILEP programs pointed out the role of diluting gender bias by getting rid of defective perspectives, the probability of an all-girls school providing a different experience, the role of making sure textbooks are not promoting unconscious bias, and being aware of the domestication girls go through in schools. There was consensus among the fellows that teachers, schools, and families play a pivotal role in making a difference in gender equity in education.

My current understanding of my guiding question is that the way gender affects one's educational experiences and self-concept is based on one's family background, religious affiliation, and local, regional, and national social norms. As educators, we need to be cognizant of the many perspectives that are at play in the geographic bubble and social environment in which a child attends school. Our role is to recognize local traditions, religious beliefs, family values, and societal norms. We can honor these while enabling students to become global citizens who investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate effectively, and take action.