tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293780396032891284.post3778938819374734069..comments2024-03-21T03:09:03.203-07:00Comments on Teacher's Notes: I am a feminist. I am a teacher. I am Mrs C Spalding.Mrs C Spaldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502078924264017983noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293780396032891284.post-39162362499171071962015-10-05T09:50:23.140-07:002015-10-05T09:50:23.140-07:00Enjoyed reading this, Caroline.
The #WomenEd co...Enjoyed reading this, Caroline. <br /><br />The #WomenEd conference was fascinating, and while I accept it's only part of the picture and very much the continuation of a conversation which has already been going on for at least a couple of hundred years, it was hugely energising and diverse. There was recognition of the danger of ironically reinforcing stereotypes while trying to raise awareness and discuss them (do see this post from Summer Turner if you haven't already: https://ragazzainglese.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/when-are-they-going-to-find-me-out/) and lively debate about that. There was a recognition that we DO need to look at the behaviour and attitudes of women, but that that isn't the full story. There was acceptance that we need men and women to support aspiring and serving women leaders if we're to make the most of the potential of both genders - and there was discussion about other types of discrimination and wasted talent.<br /><br />Actually wish you'd been there - and it would have been so good to meet you! Am sure we will meet at another event.<br /><br />Thanks again for the post. Jill Berryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07968197362738941523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293780396032891284.post-44242208336251257932015-10-04T05:49:32.981-07:002015-10-04T05:49:32.981-07:00Agreed I think the focus of the fantastic WomenEd ...Agreed I think the focus of the fantastic WomenEd movement is female leadership, but I don't necessarily agree that this can be neatly separated from wider gender debates or that the lack of female leadership can be solely addressed by looking at the behaviour and attitudes of women alone.<br /><br />I also agree that supporting women 'feel comfortable in their own skin' is important - I regularly use Twitter myself for this kind of emotional/social support - but, in my opinion, a number of the discussions around WomenEd actually served to reinforce stereotypes rather than usefully tackle any barriers to leadership, some of which I refer to in the blog.<br />Mrs C Spaldinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04502078924264017983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293780396032891284.post-58624040195198324962015-10-04T04:11:36.778-07:002015-10-04T04:11:36.778-07:00I think there are two issues here and that it help...I think there are two issues here and that it helps to tease them out from each other. There is the need for women to feel comfortable in their own skin (and not all do) and to share ideas/thoughts/feelings with other women so as to help them break through the stereotypes for themselves and help them into more senior positions. Then there is the wider need to make schools as a whole much more equal places where everyone achieves as much as they can and no one is deterred from doing anything because of unconscious bias and stereotypes. This includes boys underachieving and girls not choosing physics and maths.<br /><br />My reading of the womened unconference (which I followed via twitter) was that it was about developing women leaders. And I think this is a good thing - it is clearly fulfilling a need. But it is not going to solve all the inequalities in schools, for that we will need something else - and yes we do need to have the discussion about how that might be done. Having spent many years involved with women in science organisations I've found that it really helps for an organisation to have a very clear idea of what it is for and what it can (and cannot) do. WomenEd seems to be organised by a group of very committed and very busy women. They have chosen a particular issue to pursue and need to be encouraged to make progress with it. But I would suggest that they won't have the capacity to also take on other gender issues and that there is a real need to consider how all the other gender issues in schools need to be addressed. And they shouldn't be addressed just by women.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15069870723368862434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2293780396032891284.post-38206782516820867852015-10-02T11:28:17.722-07:002015-10-02T11:28:17.722-07:00Thank you for this - really agree with so much of ...Thank you for this - really agree with so much of this. Especially about freedom to not have to fit into neat little stereotypes!! It's so restricting!! Good for you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13595701873735439790noreply@blogger.com