Monthly Archives: September 2015

How did your gender affect you as a child?

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Gender affects everyone as a child in a way; you are born into a society which has certain preconceptions about the way you should behave. As a child developing in primary school, I recognised that some of the female teachers seemed to favour the pupils of the same sex. One incident stays with me that was an example of this, in my primary six class, we would have to organise our folders for the year in a tray. Each pupil had a tray and you had to get out of your seat to access this tray but the catch here was the moment the teacher said to get back in your seats and settle down, you were to do so as fast as possible. Now, I was still trying to get my stuff back into the folder in my tray when I heard my name shouted across the room and I was ranted at for being the last out my seat. There were three other girls still out their seat in the same position as me but what I now think the teacher meant was that I was the last male. In hindsight, this incident was not a major injustice but it just goes to show how there are some gender inequalities and this can even come across as early as primary school. It also illuminates the fact that even professional classroom practitioners can demonstrate their biased nature.

Why teaching?

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I always assumed that the role of a teacher was solely that of an educator; an authoritative figure that is supposed to help prepare you for your tests or exams. However, upon reflection I realised that a teacher plays a much deeper role in a child’s development than I felt they did as I progressed through my academic life. In my first two years of primary school, I misbehaved constantly and caused trouble for myself and others around the school. In the second year, I had an incompetent teacher and I now believe this contributed to my early development in a negative way. In fact, I do not think that either of my teachers in the first two years knew how to deal with me or control my behaviour in a way that meant I was not a distraction in class. It was not until my third year that I had a teacher that was truly able to understand the way I learned and was able to manage my behaviour without being too stringent with disciplinary measures. The fact I felt understood and that this teacher was different from every other teacher I had before brought the best out in me as a young child and set me on a better path than I had been heading in the previous years.

As a child in her class, the thought never crossed my mind that I would one day want to become a primary teacher but in hindsight I see this as a major reason for my wanting to pursue a career as an educator. My third year teacher is also the type of classroom practitioner that I want to be, a professional that is able to influence a child’s development in a positive way without having to resort to traditional, lazy disciplinary actions and make an impact enough to set a child on the right path for life and give them the start in life that every child should be entitled to. Therefore, the possibility of me being able to eventually make as much of an impact is what led me to teaching.