I am admittedly at a loss as to how to deal with this. Sure, we could just switch the station, or I could ignore her, but I'm worried. She recently told her older brother that she didn't like watching "boy shows." Is she already thinking of math as a discipline for boys? How do I combat that message?
As you can imagine, I believe in science accessibility for all. But maybe I haven't been as vocal about math. My husband is more gifted in math than I am -- Itinerant Cryptographer is internationally known for his abilities. Have I simply shoved all of the math parenting duties over to him without realizing it? Have I (unintentionally) projected the message that math is for boys?
My little girl loves to dance, so I pointed out to her that dance steps involve counting and rhythm. But I'd love to hear your ideas. If your daughter thinks of math as a "boy" subject, how have you addressed that stereotype? How do you engage your daughter in math?
1 comment:
Thanks, CricketB. I guess what baffles me is that she does have "mighty math powers." She seems to like math when it's not pointed out to her that she's doing it. It's the label that seems to be upsetting her, and, in turn, upsetting me. And frankly, she likes the show, too. Just not when they tell her she's got math powers. I guess I will try to keep my mouth shut the next time that she argues with the TV and try to foster a love of math in other ways. But I think I also need to watch the number of times that I say, Oh, Dad is the mathematician of the house - even if it's true.
Post a Comment