Chapter 3: Classroom Behavior

     In this chapter, some students mention that teachers should react differently to a girl who is putting her head down on the desk than a boy who is doing the same action.

     The students mention that if a girl is putting her head down on the desk, it is probably due to "girl stuff" and that "girls go through a lot in a month." While this is most likely a reference to the hormones that go along with menstruation which could be the reason a girl is acting distressed, I found these statements to be slightly offensive. They imply that teachers should treat girls better than boys and act as if their emotions are more valid and that the only reason a boy would put his head down is because he "gets bored by everything." While the students suggest that girls are more emotional, I don't believe this to be true. I think that, in general, boys are taught to suppress their feelings more and simply assuming that a boy would not be emotional about something only serves to continue this harmful social convention.