I read Christina Vogt's post with great interest but it was the last
sentence that really got to me. I, too, "constantly point out the
disparities that arise whenever I can -- nothing gets by me as I believe
that only by consistently addressing the problem at all level whether it be
personal, cultural or institutional can these issues be solved."
I am a high school counselor and the President of the South Colonie
Teachers
Association. There is a lot of denial going on out there. If you were to
talk to the men in my school district, they would say that there are no
gender equity issues in our schools. 'The girls don't take a lot of
computer classes because they just don't like them.' 'We have just as many
female athletes as males athletes.' and so on and so on.
Consequently, I am constantly on the defensive and the offensive. In a
meeting this past spring, I was relating to a group of largely men, that a
student told me the Physical Education classes are not allowed to use the
Football field or the Baseball field. One of the principals responded with
great conviction, "Oh, I can tell you why. That's because they would tear
up the infield."
I pressed on "So, they don't tear up the infield of the girls' Softball
field?"
At that, he changed his tact. "Well, the Board of Education would be upset
if they saw the gym classes using those fields."
Again, I pressed "Why, is it that the boys' fields are considered sacred
and
the girls' fields are not?"
At that point the superintendent interceded and said that I did, indeed
have
a point. Those moments are few and far between, however. More often,
discrimination is subtle. The girls don't take computer classes because
they walk into a room of all males who make them feel unwelcome. There are
just as many female athletes as male because they decided to call
cheerleading a sport.
So, hang in there Christina and all the rest of you. We still have a lot of
work to do.
Terry MMcGroggan
<terrymmc@hotmail.com>
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