'No Boys Allowed' day teaches girls about science, math

[holidazedV2]

Quote:

SEATTLE, Wash. -- Classrooms at Seattle University had a new rule on Saturday: No Boys Allowed.

That's because it's the annual Expanding Your Horizons program, bringing together 500 middle school girls from Washington State to learn about science, math and engineering.

The girls rotated through workshops focusing on veterinary medicine, infectious diseases and robotics, to name a few.

"We're not trying to exclude boys," said Jen Sorensen, the program's organizer and chemistry professor at Seattle University. "We're trying to provide an opportunity for girls who might not even realize these career opportunities are available to them."

Students as recently as last week suggest middle school girls may not have as much self-confidence in their scientific and mathematical abilities as boys, according to an article published in The Guardian newspaper.

"I think there's no boys so it can teach girls no matter what gender you are, you can still be what you want to be," said Josie, a 6th grader. "You can be smart."

"I'm glad to have a day without boys," said an 8th grader.

"We've got an opportunity for girls to get hands on, girls to work with each other," said Sorensen, who says the program has been exposing girls to science and math topics for 15 years.

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2015/03/14/girls-learn-science-and-math/24776455/

[Tsuki_Kirkland]

It’s an interesting idea , not sure if people will go for it / they’ll be able to repeat it without cries of discrimination despite their intents.

It’s nice they’re giving girls a chance to see all the career opportunities they have available , girls should know they can be anything they want and aren’t limited to specific roles.

[SleepyBojazzles]

Ooo i'm all for this. biggrin I'm glad they're doing this at a good time in their life, where steryotypes are really enforced.
I do kind of wish they would do similar with boys; but with fashion design, veterinarians, beauticians, etc.

[Nemone]

Bzzztt

Ooo i'm all for this. biggrin I'm glad they're doing this at a good time in their life, where steryotypes are really enforced.
I do kind of wish they would do similar with boys; but with fashion design, veterinarians, beauticians, etc.

That's an interesting idea. I kind of like that. I think these days women may be at a disadvantage when it comes to certain careers but it's not like they can't do it if they want to. Guys, however, I feel that there is the stigma of being "girly" still attached to many careers and that's a very large barrier. If there is a "No Boys Day" they should also have the opposite, a "No Girls Day".

I actually have some children's books in the house somewhere that are from when my hubby's mom was a kid. They are like super duper stereotyped. One is about a little girl that wants to be a nurse and another is about a little boy that wants to be a doctor I think. I haven't looked at them in a while and I never read them to the kids, lol. But they are just dripping with that 60s mentality.

[SleepyBojazzles]

Nemone

Bzzztt

Ooo i'm all for this. biggrin I'm glad they're doing this at a good time in their life, where steryotypes are really enforced.
I do kind of wish they would do similar with boys; but with fashion design, veterinarians, beauticians, etc.

That's an interesting idea. I kind of like that. I think these days women may be at a disadvantage when it comes to certain careers but it's not like they can't do it if they want to. Guys, however, I feel that there is the stigma of being "girly" still attached to many careers and that's a very large barrier. If there is a "No Boys Day" they should also have the opposite, a "No Girls Day".

I actually have some children's books in the house somewhere that are from when my hubby's mom was a kid. They are like super duper stereotyped. One is about a little girl that wants to be a nurse and another is about a little boy that wants to be a doctor I think. I haven't looked at them in a while and I never read them to the kids, lol. But they are just dripping with that 60s mentality.

Well a lot of the time little boys get "find the dinosaur in the rock" or chemestry sets when they're younger and girls get my little pony crap. I dont think it's so much so that they can't do well in those areas, it's that they're discouraged and not shown those things from a younger age. Little boys are ridiculed for playing with dolls or trying dresses.
Sadly that mentality still flows around today. I'm in high school and I overheard someone saying that it would be "gay" or some s**t to be a nurse. neutral

[winter ice queen]

i think this is a good opertunity for girls to learn this equeal rights

[Nemone]

Bzzztt

Nemone

Bzzztt

Ooo i'm all for this. biggrin I'm glad they're doing this at a good time in their life, where steryotypes are really enforced.
I do kind of wish they would do similar with boys; but with fashion design, veterinarians, beauticians, etc.

That's an interesting idea. I kind of like that. I think these days women may be at a disadvantage when it comes to certain careers but it's not like they can't do it if they want to. Guys, however, I feel that there is the stigma of being "girly" still attached to many careers and that's a very large barrier. If there is a "No Boys Day" they should also have the opposite, a "No Girls Day".

I actually have some children's books in the house somewhere that are from when my hubby's mom was a kid. They are like super duper stereotyped. One is about a little girl that wants to be a nurse and another is about a little boy that wants to be a doctor I think. I haven't looked at them in a while and I never read them to the kids, lol. But they are just dripping with that 60s mentality.

Well a lot of the time little boys get "find the dinosaur in the rock" or chemestry sets when they're younger and girls get my little pony crap. I dont think it's so much so that they can't do well in those areas, it's that they're discouraged and not shown those things from a younger age. Little boys are ridiculed for playing with dolls or trying dresses.
Sadly that mentality still flows around today. I'm in high school and I overheard someone saying that it would be "gay" or some s**t to be a nurse. neutral

Yeah it really is like that. I'm just glad my daughter never got into Barbie. She likes toy animals like Littlest Pet Shops instead which I guess is still girly but it's not too bad. But she also wants to be an environmental scientist and she really thinks robotics and stuff are cool too. I think she's definitely not biased against the sciences.

Also it's funny that people make fun of male nurses. There are actually quite a few male nurses out there now. It's a job that takes a lot of strength and stamina because you're often moving bodies around and you work long hours on your feet. So you'd think they'd be going on about how guys are better at it than women. I guess maybe it's because nurses are also supposed to be caring and kind and people tend to assume women are more nurturing and kind and all that even though it's not necessarily true. Honestly I can't see where people are getting the image that it's girly except through misconceptions and stereotypes of what nurses should be like. I bet they wouldn't think it's girly if they actually did it.

[Blood Valkyrie]

Why aren't boys allowed? How about just focus on teaching EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF THEIR SEX AND OR GENDER?

And if you make a class where no boys are allowed, you ARE excluding boys. Sexist as ********.

[ChocolateXCheese]

Blood Valkyrie

Why aren't boys allowed? How about just focus on teaching EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF THEIR SEX AND OR GENDER?

And if you make a class where no boys are allowed, you ARE excluding boys. Sexist as ********]

You're missing the point.

[Blood Valkyrie]

ChocolateXCheese

Blood Valkyrie

Why aren't boys allowed? How about just focus on teaching EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF THEIR SEX AND OR GENDER?

And if you make a class where no boys are allowed, you ARE excluding boys. Sexist as ********]

You're missing the point.

Apparently so.

My logic is this:

Girls and boys both need to be educated.
Educate them both.
If any girl has a problem with being around boys they need to grow a pair of metaphorical balls. Boys are everywhere. You cannot avoid them without becoming a hermit.
Same for the boys. Don't like being around girls? Grow metaphorical balls. Life doesn't cater to you.

Are you concerned that learning about a certain subject is taboo because of your gender and or sex? Grow metaphorical balls. Your gender, and your sex, do not make you any less capable of learning anything.

Any parents got a problem with their children interacting with the opposite sex in a normal academic environment? Grow metaphorical balls.

Keep in mind. I do not literally mean that people need testicles. I mean people need to stop being immature and stop being afraid of their sex and or gender. Stop being afraid of other people's sex and or gender too.

[fairy-phoenix]

Bzzztt

Nemone

Bzzztt

Ooo i'm all for this. biggrin I'm glad they're doing this at a good time in their life, where steryotypes are really enforced.
I do kind of wish they would do similar with boys; but with fashion design, veterinarians, beauticians, etc.

That's an interesting idea. I kind of like that. I think these days women may be at a disadvantage when it comes to certain careers but it's not like they can't do it if they want to. Guys, however, I feel that there is the stigma of being "girly" still attached to many careers and that's a very large barrier. If there is a "No Boys Day" they should also have the opposite, a "No Girls Day".

I actually have some children's books in the house somewhere that are from when my hubby's mom was a kid. They are like super duper stereotyped. One is about a little girl that wants to be a nurse and another is about a little boy that wants to be a doctor I think. I haven't looked at them in a while and I never read them to the kids, lol. But they are just dripping with that 60s mentality.

Well a lot of the time little boys get "find the dinosaur in the rock" or chemestry sets when they're younger and girls get my little pony crap. I dont think it's so much so that they can't do well in those areas, it's that they're discouraged and not shown those things from a younger age. Little boys are ridiculed for playing with dolls or trying dresses.
Sadly that mentality still flows around today. I'm in high school and I overheard someone saying that it would be "gay" or some s**t to be a nurse. neutral

That's ridiculous on the latter, I still distinctly remember being taken to the hospital one time when I was a kid, and the nurse that examined me was a male.

[Shark Bacon]

I actually do like the idea, but only of they did the same thing with boys- take them to workshops on nursing, veterinarians, etc.

Broaden EVERYONE'S career ideas, not just little girls.

(What are they doing with the boys that day, anyway...? )

[ChocolateXCheese]

Blood Valkyrie

ChocolateXCheese

Blood Valkyrie

Why aren't boys allowed? How about just focus on teaching EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF THEIR SEX AND OR GENDER?

And if you make a class where no boys are allowed, you ARE excluding boys. Sexist as ********]

You're missing the point.

Apparently so.

My logic is this:

Girls and boys both need to be educated.
Educate them both.
If any girl has a problem with being around boys they need to grow a pair of metaphorical balls. Boys are everywhere. You cannot avoid them without becoming a hermit.
Same for the boys. Don't like being around girls? Grow metaphorical balls. Life doesn't cater to you.

Are you concerned that learning about a certain subject is taboo because of your gender and or sex? Grow metaphorical balls. Your gender, and your sex, do not make you any less capable of learning anything.

Any parents got a problem with their children interacting with the opposite sex in a normal academic environment? Grow metaphorical balls.

Keep in mind. I do not literally mean that people need testicles. I mean people need to stop being immature and stop being afraid of their sex and or gender. Stop being afraid of other people's sex and or gender too.

Still missing the point.

If a little girl has been told "you are not smart enough to do these things because you are not a boy" since she was born, it's not easy to just shake that off. Your advice is solid for an adult who is told this, when they're 100% capable of unique thought and no longer absorb everything they hear. But when it is hammered into your head from conception, you need a little help yanking that nail out. This isn't a detriment to boys' education. They're encouraged to do anything they want, as long as it isn't explicitly feminine (which is why the suggestion someone had about giving them a day to explore more "feminine" career options was such a good idea). Meanwhile, girls are much more limited in their options in society's expectations. They're not supposed to be smart, not supposed to be in a position of power, need to embrace their "nurturing instincts", and are supposed to be the epitome of beauty and grace, without crossing the fine line into promiscuity.

You're right, people need to stop being afraid of their own sex and gender, and others' sex and genders. This is helping girls embrace their gender without limiting themselves to the gender roles set for them.

[Fullmetal Joestar]

Great idea!

[Blood Valkyrie]

ChocolateXCheese

Blood Valkyrie

ChocolateXCheese

Blood Valkyrie

Why aren't boys allowed? How about just focus on teaching EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF THEIR SEX AND OR GENDER?

And if you make a class where no boys are allowed, you ARE excluding boys. Sexist as ********]

You're missing the point.

Apparently so.

My logic is this:

Girls and boys both need to be educated.
Educate them both.
If any girl has a problem with being around boys they need to grow a pair of metaphorical balls. Boys are everywhere. You cannot avoid them without becoming a hermit.
Same for the boys. Don't like being around girls? Grow metaphorical balls. Life doesn't cater to you.

Are you concerned that learning about a certain subject is taboo because of your gender and or sex? Grow metaphorical balls. Your gender, and your sex, do not make you any less capable of learning anything.

Any parents got a problem with their children interacting with the opposite sex in a normal academic environment? Grow metaphorical balls.

Keep in mind. I do not literally mean that people need testicles. I mean people need to stop being immature and stop being afraid of their sex and or gender. Stop being afraid of other people's sex and or gender too.

Still missing the point.

If a little girl has been told "you are not smart enough to do these things because you are not a boy" since she was born, it's not easy to just shake that off. Your advice is solid for an adult who is told this, when they're 100% capable of unique thought and no longer absorb everything they hear. But when it is hammered into your head from conception, you need a little help yanking that nail out. This isn't a detriment to boys' education. They're encouraged to do anything they want, as long as it isn't explicitly feminine (which is why the suggestion someone had about giving them a day to explore more "feminine" career options was such a good idea). Meanwhile, girls are much more limited in their options in society's expectations. They're not supposed to be smart, not supposed to be in a position of power, need to embrace their "nurturing instincts", and are supposed to be the epitome of beauty and grace, without crossing the fine line into promiscuity.

You're right, people need to stop being afraid of their own sex and gender, and others' sex and genders. This is helping girls embrace their gender without limiting themselves to the gender roles set for them.

it's also teaching them that it is perfectly okay to exclude people based on gender alone.it's also teaching them that apparently something is wrong with being around boys when learning things. It's also teach them how to be little social justice warriors.