Saturday, February 27, 2010
Occupational Crowding
When women are pushed into occupations like nursing, their wages fall because the supply increases. This short video is intended for my presentation to Business and Professional Women on April 14, 2010.
Do you think women are treated differently in school than men. I've noticed that when teachers praise girls for work, the comment on how neat the work is or how organized it is. When men are praised, the teacher often comments about the quality of the work. This simple treatment that teachers unknowingly do, can result in occupational crowding especially in office jobs.
Being neat and organized are productive characteristics of high producing workers. I think teachers should never include neatness as a standard of excellence. What do you think?
I hope this blog will be an iPod app in the next two weeks. Wish me luck.
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As far back as I can remember, neatness has always been an issue for others with me. It therefore was an issue for me, until I realized it was a product of my extreme intelligence! (ha ha! okay, maybe not!) Teachers were on me about my handwriting and messy desk, and I remember scathing comments relating messiness to lack of domestic skill, something I thought even then was completely inappropriate. Now, I realize it is just how I operate, and this lack of "neatness" has actually benefited me in some cases. I have messy handwriting because I write like I think, so I have to be fast. This led me to use computers more, so I know how to use them well. I am also able to decipher any student's handwriting, no matter how awful it is. I realized there are many strategies for organizing, and I do well with piles and routines. I can help disorganized students develop their own systems, because I've been there. And finally, not concentrating on neatness and organization helps my creativity and allows me more time to do other things. So, no, I don't count neatness, I'm more about procedure and routines. I have found in my classroom it is the males that tend to be messy, and that the females are distracted and constrained with the worry of being neat. I tell my students to focus on content in their work, and not let neatness get in the way.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I think highly productive teachers always focus on content and developing skills.
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