"Gender Gap in Math?" Topic

A new study released this week found that the gender gap in math skills has disappeared—but only when just the right amount of competition has been added to the equation….

link

Makes sense, but I also think that cultural attitudes are important. My wife's a teacher, and every evening I have to listen to her war stories…last night she had a good story to tell…

She was just getting into her flow with involving her class in mental maths, and noticed that one of her charges, a very 'girly' girl, wasn't joining in or paying attention, and asked why?

'My daddy says I'm too pretty to do maths'

Well my wife totally lost it at this point and subjected the girl to a tirade about this was just not good enough and you can be pretty AND smart, there are plenty of girls who excel at maths etc,etc.

To her horror she discovered the Head was standing at the door listening. Now back in the UK she would have been looking at serious disciplinary procedures for raising her voice at a child…

Here in Aus, the head's response was: 'I wish we could have recorded that!'

My sister busted that stereotype! She tutored both her daughters in math.

Two sisters cum laude, co-valedictorians Mesa College, double major Math/Comp Sci in 1988.

One is project manager for a aerospace contractor. The other is working the flower counter at a supermarket – she might have had the IQ and ability but not the desire.

Now I have an 11 year old niece who hates math. Her 6 year old brother was watching me play Shogun 2 on the computer and adding up unit strengths and telling me how many men were in the armies. Her 8 year old sister does reasonably well with math as well.

Amusingly the 11 year old was reading at 4.

P.S. All home schooled by the way.

Now back in the UK she would have been looking at serious disciplinary procedures for raising her voice at a child…

??????
Shouting when necessary is SOP in my wife's school in the UK.

I know one teacher, specifically, who's built like a brick house and scares the crap out of the kids when he starts shouting. Needless to say he doesn't have too many disciplinary problems.

My wife is a teacher in Britain. She has to yell at kids on a regular basis…

My son's Criminal Justice teacher is a former narc detective and prison guard. She's barely 5' tall, but she starts off the year by telling her students, "If I ever tell you to go out in the hall, you'd better listen, because it means I'm mad, and if I'm mad, I just may go ex-cop and lay my hands on you."

She has no discipline problems whatsoever.