Re: Anecdote
Mary Ann Duffy (maryduff@enoreo.on.ca)
Thu, 09 Apr 1998 08:55:31 -0700
The anecdote about basketball from Linda was VERY telling. What do I
see in it?
1) a sad comment on the approval of the male educator telling the story
for the boys' choosing of "best players"
2) a sad comment on his disapproval of the girls' choosing of "their
friends."
3)validation of much of the findings of Gilligan, Belenky, et.al who say
that girls value the connection/relationship more than
competition/winning at some stages of their development and that they
need to be supported in these choices.
4) need to understand just why we MUST have understanding of WHY we are
conducting sports activities. A "noontime" basketball game is, I would
think, for fun, for exercise, for improving skills and confidence, in
that order. Choosing your "friends" supports those goals. It gives
kids who ordinarily lack skill and confidence a chance to play in a less
competitive environment. ALWAYS choosing the "best players" in a
competitive spirit, unfortunately, supports the predominantly male
agenda in school sports. When coaches/parents involved in sports
understand at a deep level what they supposedly are teaching kids, i.e.
skills for a lifetime of healthy activity rather than killer instincts
for competitive athletic scholarships and the glory of the team, then we
will have JOY in the telling of that anecdote, rather than
disappointment.
Mary Ann Duffy in Toronto who didn't discover healthy exercise until
LONG after her embarassed, clutzy, last-chosen days in
school/university! gym classes.
P. S. Thanks to Linda for all her excellent information to this list.
maryduff@enoreo.on.ca