Girls in the Classroom

“That’s a man’s question, a girl wouldn’t understand,” Camilla’s* teacher told her when she raised her hand to answer a question about World War II machinery. Instead, the teacher called on a boy whose hand was not raised and who did not know the answer, because, in the teacher’s words, “it’s like heavy metal, it’s like a guy thing.” Eventually, the teacher allowed Camilla to answer the question, which she did correctly. Camilla related the teacher’s response, saying, “he goes ‘Oh, that’s new. You’re a heavy metal girl,’ and I was like ‘I just read the chapter.’” Camilla felt that the teacher was reinforcing, perpetuating, and drawing from harmful stereotypes in creating expectations for what types of questions girls can answer.

Mount Greylock is frequently exalted as an exceptionally progressive school: a place in which girls feel empowered and boys are respectful. Over the past few months, the Echo wanted to discover whether this description matches the experiences of the girls at Mount Greylock, so, in this series of features, the Echo is delving into the female experience at Mount Greylock. Part one is a look at whether, when, and how girls feel their classroom life deviates from that of their male peers. Subsequent pieces will examine similar trends in athletics, in the hallways, and online.

In addition to conducting interviews, the Echo surveyed girls at Mount Greylock to reach as many voices as possible. The surveys were anonymous and asked whether respondents feel like they have been treated differently in the classroom as a result of stereotypes about their gender. Space was given to elaborate if desired. Of the seventy responses, thirty-eight checked yes and thirty-two checked no, warranting a closer look at the classroom culture.

The girls who were interviewed and who responded to the survey tended to agree that the bulk of the discrepancies between female and male academic experiences stem from the patterns of teachers’ tendencies, both subconscious and intentional.

Several girls spoke of feeling that their academic voices are less coveted than their male peers: junior Nicole Overbaugh explained that she believes teachers “have a tendency to answer more questions from and focus more on [boys] than they do the females.”

Senior Rachel Bisson shared this sentiment, but said that not all boys receive disproportionate attention. Instead, in her eyes, “there is a group of boys that has been favored…especially in STEM classes.” In speaking of this group, Bisson elaborated that “they’re certainly called on more in class; I think their opinion is valued more by a lot of our teachers, especially in discussion-based classes.” Further, she felt like teachers were more willing to extend deadlines for them, while she “missed class to have heart surgery last year and was expected to come back essay-in-hand.”

In addition, respondents divulged that they found teachers more likely to bond with boys than girls. One wrote that, in the classroom, “it’s easier to be funny… and easier to be heard and understood if you’re a guy.” Feeling this way is more than a mere annoyance to students; it can affect their academic confidence and sense of self-worth. One survey respondent confided that one of her previous teachers “always tried to bond with football boys in the classroom. As an underclassman girl already intimidated by math, adding in this layer added to my feelings that the math classroom is not a place I belong.”

Girls interviewed also spoke on teachers exacerbating the difference between girls and boys physically, which they felt contributed to an atmosphere of sexism in the classroom. One survey respondent wrote, “teachers have asked boys to lift heavy boxes because they are seen as ‘stronger,’” while another elaborated, saying “teachers ask boys to do physical tasks – putting up chairs/getting books.” While boys are, scientifically speaking, generally stronger than girls, many respondents felt that they were just as capable of doing those tasks around the classroom. Teachers bringing stereotypical household norms into the classroom made them feel less important.

Camilla also told of a specific incident that occurred after a lockdown drill. She described the teacher taking the boys to the window and teaching them how to break the windows “because that’s a guy thing.” Camilla said, “‘shouldn’t we all be learning how to break the window? Because I don’t really think that has a gender.’” Many of those interviewed felt that, by assigning boys with physical tasks, teachers were extending stereotypes about genders and locking people into those norms. These students believe on how the classroom should be a safe space where stereotypes do not belong.

Many of the girls interviewed spoke to sexism coming from their male counterparts in the classroom as opposed to their teachers. Senior Clare Sheedy said, “I think I’ve experienced [sexism] more with the male students in the classroom than with teachers.” Another student echoed this sentiment on the survey, saying that sexism in the classroom atmosphere comes “More so [from] male students than teachers.”