“Who Cares”
After reading “Who Cares” it is clear to see that Kate is pushing the societal norms surrounding gender by dressing and acting genuine to her feelings. However, a way that Kate may be reinforcing gender stereotypes is her lack of willingness to have difficult conversations with her students. The tone of this case study seems to be one of avoidance. Kate chooses to be vague in her responses to students’ questions surrounding her personal life. This is concerning because “educators determine what is passed on to students as legitimate knowledge and culture, thereby reproducing existing culture and beliefs” (UCLA). In a society where gender norms and stereotypes can be prominent, it is important for us as educators to combat the prejudice found in our western culture by having thoughtful conversations. Furthermore, despite the case study claiming Kate was building positive relationships with her students, her lack of trust to express herself completely is evident. Something that comes to mind upon reading this case study is how Kate’s avoidance of talking about herself and her own gender norms would have stalled the conversations for some of the men in her classroom who may be concerned for themselves since they were pursuing care-giver jobs which conflicted with male stereotypical jobs. This ties into the concept of how “…it is naive to see the classroom as a separate space from the rest of society where inequality does not affect learning” (UCLA). Overall, I believe Kate’s avoidance and silence would have reinforced gender stereotypes.
An experience of mine that comes to mind upon reflecting on the concepts applied to Kate’s circumstances, I too have faced stereotypical judgements for circumstances out of my control. As a youth raised in the foster care system, there were preconceived ideas about the type of student/person I would be. I remember having a conversation with an adult in my life who claimed it would be best if I did not let people know I was in foster care. This stands out because it ties into being avoidant of something out of fear of judgement from others. How I tie this into this case study, is I should have been encouraged to have courageous conversations to help build closer relationships which in turn would have created a safer space for me to learn. Furthermore, it would have encouraged others to reconsider their previous ways of knowing about a youth in the foster system. All in all, avoidance and silence contribute to stereotypes.
