Assignment #1-Group B, Reflection #1: A Student's Perspective on Teachers

Having been a girl all my life, I clearly saw the differences and similarities between boys and girls while growing up. I noticed the obvious things, such as appearance, dress, style, like and dislikes. I never really gave much thought to how these differences appear in a classroom and how a teacher may respond to them. In order to get a student’s perspective of gender differences in the classroom I interviewed a female 5th grader from Lincoln Elementary School, my alma mater. The student I interviewed has the same teacher that I had in 5th grade, so I was very interested in what her perspective was on gender differences. In addition I wanted to see how my former teacher, the students current teacher, responds to gender differences.


The first question I asked the female student was, “What are some of the differences you see between boys and girls?” I thought that the female student would have to stop and think about this question but she was very quick in her response. She talked about how she felt that the boys tended to be “louder and goofier” and like sports and other “boy stuff”. She discussed how girls were “better listeners but liked to sing more” and how girls were “much better at doing homework on time”. Having been in school I do remember these stereotypes that this girl discussed. She did not give me many details about the stereotypes; however, she touched on the major ones that I remembered from my own education. In essence, boys were louder and rowdy while girls did better at time management and discipline in getting the homework completed.


I then asked the female student whether or not the teacher treated boys and girls differently. She said no, but she then told a story in which she turned in a paper and the teacher told her that she had “boy” writing and that girls were supposed to have “pretty writing”. Other than this, the female student did not say that the teacher treated boys and girls differently in anyway. I feel that it is important to treat all students the equitably. I felt that this comment was rather rude and stuck out to the student because it made her fell different and as if she was doing something wrong. Gender differences are very apparent in a classroom; however, I do not believe that a teacher should draw attention to the differences or treat their students differently.

Assignment #1-Group A, Reflection #1: A Parent’s Perspective on Their Child’s Education

Having always been a student, I am able to reflect on my own personal experiences and beliefs about the public education I received from kindergarten through twelfth grade. However, my view is limited to the student’s perspective. Yet as a student I realize that the student is not the only one who is impacted by the schooling they are receiving or have received. In order to explore a different perspective of the education system I chose to interview a parent whose child is currently attending Lincoln Elementary School, my alma mater. I was curious whether or not the parent’s had considered private school before enrolling their child in their nearby school. I was also interested in their perspective of their child’s experience in the public school system. I wondered for instance how gender, race and social class affected their student’s experience and if so in what way.


Lincoln Elementary School is located in La Crescenta, California and is in a middle to upper class neighborhood. I chose to interview the mother of a fifth grade student whose child had attended the school since Kindergarten. I first questioned the mother if she and her husband had considered putting their child in private school before choosing Lincoln. She said that when she and her husband were looking for a home they purposefully looked in locations where they knew that their child would have access to a meaningful and prestigious public education. Lincoln Elementary School is part of Glendale Unified School District, which is well known for its distinguished schools. This was interesting to me because my parent’s had considered putting me in private school before they decided that I would receive just as good of an education if not better in the public school system. While many argue the benefits of private schooling, I agree with the parent I interviewed that an excellent education can be obtained in the public school.


After learning more about the mother’s view on public education, I was curious to find out about her perspective on her child’s education regarding the teacher and the administration as well as their social life within the public education. Regarding the teacher and the school administration the parent was very positive. She felt that the teacher was very hands on and created great communication between the students, parents, and herself. She also shared that the teacher went out of her way to provide needed help to specific students who needed it and yet still managed those who were advanced. According to the mother, her student felt very comfortable in the classroom and had a great like and respect for the teacher. She went on to inform me that while she was not very active in the PTA, she felt that the administration was very successful in addressing parent concerns and spreading the information and changes to all parents regardless of their involvement. While her student had not been in any significant trouble that had caused personal interactions with the principle, she shared that he was very visible and active on campus and related well to the students. Having matriculated through Lincoln, I knew the teacher that the student currently had and I too loved her class. In fact it was one of my favorite classes at my time at Lincoln. The mother knowing that her student was about to enter adolescence said that when discussing friends and social life their student did not open up as much as they once had. However, the parent had picked up on the fact that the girls were becoming more catty and while boys and girls did not necessarily go out of their way to play with one another, there was a mutual interest in the opposite sex among the boys and the girls. While she was not sure of all that went on she believed that her student was happy and had a core group of friends that she had been with since the primary grades. I thought this was interesting because fifth grade was difficult for me and friendships. Due to a school boundary change two of my closest friends changed school and I felt very out of place in my group of friends. On a broader level however, I do remember the cattiness of the girls as well as the sudden “liking” and wanting to have a boyfriend or girlfriend even though that was simply a title.


Talking to the mother of a student who is going through what I once experienced was very interesting to me. I felt that I gained insight into how my own mother viewed my education and my personal life. I know that while every child faces ups and downs, their parents play a very key roll in their student’s education. Until now I have never really given much thought to the other side, in other words, how a parent views their child’s education and I felt it was beneficial for me to see the other point of view.