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Science Books and Gender
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From: Jeanatkins_at_aol.com <Jeanatkins>
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 10:31:00 EDT
Of course science and gender has been in the news a lot recently, and women still represent small percentages in fields such as chemistry and engineering, so I think Maia raised a good question about whether girls and boys approach science books differently. Most of us have had a great teacher get us interested in something we'd never thought much about before. That personal, physical mentor maybe got us to look at stars, the various tiny parts of flowers, or the inside of a car in a new way. I never sought out, okay, I avoided, most science courses, but I've learned a few things from hanging out with people who carry binoculars, spades, or tool boxes.
When my daughter started seventh grade science, her teacher asked everyone to draw a picture of someone who might be a scientist. These kids were pretty well educated, but most drew men with wild Einstein-style hair wearing lab coats with pocket protectors. Rather than, for instance, Rachel Carson or Marie Curie or Eileen Collins, who, when it was tough to find a job as a math teacher, trained as a pilot and now should be aboard the Discovery this week on her third mission as commander, carrying, as she always does, mementos from women pilots who helped pave her way. Although we might not find the great teacher in every classroom, people we read about become our teachers, too. I love biographies of scientists as a way to get children, maybe especially girls, to think about new possiblities for themselves. We can get a sense of the whole lives of women in science, and see the fun and passion they usually have.
Thanks for all the interesting ideas in this discussion!
Jeannine Atkins
www.JeannineAtkins.com
Wings and Rockets: The Story of Women in Air and Space (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
How High Can We Climb? The Story of Women Explorers (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Aug.2005)
Received on Tue 12 Jul 2005 09:31:00 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 10:31:00 EDT
Of course science and gender has been in the news a lot recently, and women still represent small percentages in fields such as chemistry and engineering, so I think Maia raised a good question about whether girls and boys approach science books differently. Most of us have had a great teacher get us interested in something we'd never thought much about before. That personal, physical mentor maybe got us to look at stars, the various tiny parts of flowers, or the inside of a car in a new way. I never sought out, okay, I avoided, most science courses, but I've learned a few things from hanging out with people who carry binoculars, spades, or tool boxes.
When my daughter started seventh grade science, her teacher asked everyone to draw a picture of someone who might be a scientist. These kids were pretty well educated, but most drew men with wild Einstein-style hair wearing lab coats with pocket protectors. Rather than, for instance, Rachel Carson or Marie Curie or Eileen Collins, who, when it was tough to find a job as a math teacher, trained as a pilot and now should be aboard the Discovery this week on her third mission as commander, carrying, as she always does, mementos from women pilots who helped pave her way. Although we might not find the great teacher in every classroom, people we read about become our teachers, too. I love biographies of scientists as a way to get children, maybe especially girls, to think about new possiblities for themselves. We can get a sense of the whole lives of women in science, and see the fun and passion they usually have.
Thanks for all the interesting ideas in this discussion!
Jeannine Atkins
www.JeannineAtkins.com
Wings and Rockets: The Story of Women in Air and Space (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
How High Can We Climb? The Story of Women Explorers (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Aug.2005)
Received on Tue 12 Jul 2005 09:31:00 AM CDT
