School is a place where young people come to learn, not only about academic subjects but also about social structures and cultures other than their own. Within New Zealand schools a vast array of people from different ethnicities, social backgrounds and personal identities interact and are encouraged to collaborate and explore each other’s values and ways of living (Rhamie et al, 2012). The adolescent years are very influential in each learner forming their own identity and exploring social acceptance. One critical part of this developing identity is gender association and sexual orientation (Pearson, 2017).

Throughout history, several roles, both within the home and in industry, have been labelled as male or female, resulting in a distorted perception of a differences in the abilities of males and females. Teachers, as influencers of young people, should be conscious of their own perceptions of gender and sexual identity and endeavour to avoid making assumptions of gender roles or defaulting to heteronormativity. It is important for the teacher to be aware of, and in control of their own hidden curriculum in order to avoid imposing their opinions of gender and sexuality onto the students (Epstein & Sears, 1999).

The inequality between sexes was investigated during a social experiment conducted by Real Families (2018). The study worked with a class of primary school students to investigate some of the reasons why the equality gap between males and females is still so prevalent in our society, even in people as young as 7 years old. It was found that whilst most parents and teachers felt that both male and female students had equal opportunities and believed that they treated both genders with equality, there were some obvious differences. An example of these differences included the type of toys provided to children of different genders. Boys were provided with toys that encouraged them to work on their motor skills and exercised their spatial awareness, whereas girls were provided with toys that encouraged them to be nurturing and creative. While this difference may seem harmless and insignificant to a parent or teacher, the study found that as a result of this, trends show that girls were less able to solve physical puzzles while boys were less able to verbalise their emotions and show empathy.

The inequality in encouraging different sexes to practise different skills is predicted to have a significant impact on the child late in life. For example, those whose motor and problem solving skills have been well rehearsed will be more likely to succeed at jobs such as engineering, awarding that child a greater advantage over a child who was not encouraged to practise these same skills. Furthermore, the study stated that there is no difference in brain structure between boys and girls, showing that trends which favour one sex over the other was due to environmental stimulation and not due to genetic advantage of one sex over the other (Real Families, 2018).

This study highlighted the importance of gender equality in the classroom and made me think deeper about the seemingly insignificant differences in the treatment of boys and girls. Equality between sexes at school age is critical as the skills learnt in the classroom prepare the student for their future and it is up to the teacher to ensure that we prepare both boys and girls for equal success.

References

Epstein, D. & Sears, J. T. (1999) A Dangerous Knowing. Sexuality, pedagogy and popular culture. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.nz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3d_TAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=gender+and+sexuality+education&ots=56axUIhJlp&sig=AMygRCIwgz9IcL4BIk-2emQcV00#v=onepage&q=gender%20and%20sexuality%20education&f=false

Pearson, J. (2017). High School Context, Heterosexual Script, and Young Women`s Sexual Development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 47, 1469-1485. http://doi.org/1

Real Families. (2018). A Gender Neutral Education. No More Boys & Girls. Can Our Kids Go Gender Free? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4lgKnmWSk

Rhamie, J., Bhopal, K., Bhatti, G. (2012). Stick to your own kind: Pupils Experiences of Identity and Diversity in Secondary School. British Journal of Educational Studies. 60(2), 171-191.

In my previous blogs I have spoken extensively on the inequalities of students from low and high socio-economic statuses. In my blog “Equality doesn’t always mean equal” I stated that those from low socio-economic areas tend to have many more challenges to overcome than those from wealthy families.

One of these challenges’ manifests at lunchtime. In a 3New story by Tristram Clayton (2012), the lunches of two classes of junior students at two different schools were compared. The first school was a decile 10, suggesting that majority of students were from high socio-economic families. All students in the class had some form of lunch, most of those lunches were healthy, nutritious and contained fruit. The same experiment was conducted in a classroom at a decile 1 school, where majority of the students are from low socio-economic families. In sobering contrast to the decile 10 school, only 14 of the 27 students in the class had lunch. Majority of those lunches were greatly lacking in nutrition and contained sugary foods such as biscuits and not one of the lunches from this school contained any fruit.

Watch the news article here: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2017/05/lunchbox-differences-in-decile-1-and-decile-10-schools.html

During university, I majored in chemistry and genetics, one fact learnt in a biochemistry class has always stuck with me: The brain cannot store fuel! The body and brain are fuelled mainly by glucose. Glucose in the food we eat is then converted to energy during cellular respiration. The brain consumes on average around 120g of glucose per day (approx. 60% of the glucose intake based on an intake of 1760kJ). As the brain cannot store glucose, it requires a constant supply. The brain receives glucose from the bodies store via a glucose transporter. In order to provide optimal conditions for the brain, the body must consume enough nutrients to support its function (Berg, Tymoczko & Stryer. 2002).

Let’s neglect for a moment the phycological effects of being hungry. A child who receives inadequate nutrition during the day is essentially trying to learn on a starving brain! The levels of glucose in the brain directly affects the production of neurochemicals that assist with the creation of long-term memory and attention span. Therefore, a hungry child, or one receiving inadequate nutrition, is at a great biological disadvantage for academic success. A starving brain is also less effective at producing chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine and epinephrine. The long-term effects of depletion in these chemicals may lead to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Now, looking at the phycological effects of being hungry, we have all experienced the sensation of hunger to some degree. Many of us will be aware that the feeling of hunger can have a great effect on a person’s ability to regulate their emotions. The loss of temper or irritability caused by an empty stomach is so universal that it was even given its own name, “hangry!” The ability to control ones mood, despite the feeling of hunger, requires an emotional maturity that is out of reach to most adults, so it goes without saying that a hungry child may experience the type of emotional turmoil that may result in what the child’s teacher will call a behavioural or social issue.

To learn more about how food effects your brain, check out this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQY8a-ng6g

References

Berg JM, Tymoczko JL, Stryer L. Biochemistry. 5th edition. New York: W H Freeman; 2002. Section 30.2, Each Organ Has a Unique Metabolic Profile. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/

Clayton, T. (2012). Lunchbox differences in decile and and decile 10 schools. NewsHub. Retrieved from https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2017/05/lunchbox-differences-in-decile-1-and-decile-10-schools.html

Nacamulli, M. (2016). How the food you eat effects your brain. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQY8a-ng6g