I recently watched a documentary on Oprah's Network called MissRepresentation, which examines the way women are represented (or misrepresented) in our society and how it hinders them from succeeding. MissRepresentation was originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and aims to change the way women are portrayed in the media. This documentary really opened my eyes to how our country's girls are negatively influenced by the media everyday. Young American children and teens are exposed to hours and hours of media messages everyday, and I think we as teachers need to take a role in combatting it's negative messages.
Most parents and teachers tell their children they can do whatever they set their minds to and that nothing is impossible, but what is the media telling those same children? I think that the media is telling out children a whole different story... one in which women are only valued for their looks and not for their accomplishments. I don't think women can make much more progress in equality if we don't combat the media directly. We've talked about the importance of teaching students about media literacy and I think it is something crucial that needs to have a strong presence in the modern classroom. Take a few minutes to watch this extended trailer from the documentary, please note that some of the images, language and content might be offensive to some, but in reality it's all stuff that America's children and teenagers are exposed to on a daily basis. If you want to get more information on missrepresentation visit their website here. They also have their own grade-level appropriate curriculum available for purchase if you are really moved by their message!
I think we play an important role in combating these gender stereotypes. As teachers, I feel we have a responsibility to explicitly teach our students about the existence of these stereotypes and their prevalence in the media. There is a WONDERFUL book titled "School Girls", by Peggy Orenstein, that addresses these gender stereotypes and how adolescent girls are dealing with the effects. The book is a compilation of interviews with girls in schools from all over the country, and was an eyeopener for me. At the end of the book she gives specific real life examples of educators teaching about these issues in classrooms with their students. I highly recommend this book, as it is a great resource to assist in teaching about this issue.
ReplyDeleteI have that book but haven't had time to read it yet. It's going on my "To Read over Break" list. I know you have a long list too :) I'm looking forward to reading it so I can better understand how to teach both boys and girls effectively.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great example of how and why I think it is our responsibility to teach young people so much more than just a scripted curriculum of math, reading, writing, science and social studies. They need to be learning about life and all of its complexities: media, injustice, stereotypes and citizenship included. They need not only a solid foundation in academics, but the skills they need in order to successfully navigate life in our current world. I've also read Schoolgirls and agree that it is a great place to start.
ReplyDeleteAnother book for my winter break list! I'm glad it's a good place to start because I feel like that's where I am - just at the beginning place of understanding the how. I understand the why, but so what do we do with this information, I do not know.
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