ABSTRACT There are few big names in education. Many people could probably name John Dewey or Mari... more ABSTRACT There are few big names in education. Many people could probably name John Dewey or Maria Montessori, and they would recognize Anne Sullivan as Helen Keller's teacher. A few more might recognize Jonathan Kozol or Ted Sizer. But even among educators, almost no one knows about Margaret Haley, the founder of the first American teachers' union. Margaret Haley not only understood the grand view of schooling in America, but she tried almost single-handedly to will public education into the forefront of American civic consciousness. Given the enormity of her task–making public schooling the centerpiece of collective community financial and social investment—it is not as surprising that Haley failed as it is that her work remains unknown. Kate Rousmaniere's thorough biography of this social activist, union organizer, public speaker, and, above all, teacher, reads like the Rosetta stone of school reform, highlighting the same issues with which we, as teachers and reformers, continue to struggle. Rousmaniere also shows adeptly how Haley's multiple and conflicting identities served to complicate her work. Author Rousmaniere details the socio-political contexts in which Margaret Haley forged her beliefs. Her research re-creates the conditions of rural midwestern life after the Civil War, which shaped Haley's identity as an Irish-Catholic, working-class woman. She also describes the zeitgeist of late nineteenth-century Chicago, which solidified Haley's identities as teacher and social activist. Haley was unable, however, to see how her Irish-Catholic, working-class identity was also racialized. Her world was essentially a white one, with her exposure to African-Americans only within their roles as former slaves and underpaid laborers. Working-class Irish-Americans, Rousmaniere writes, could only rise from their subordinate status if they found a group that could take its place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. As such, Haley's "emerging political consciousness was racially defined, and she would never learn how to include African Americans into her political theory of economic rights" (13). It is these conflicting identities that formed the basis of the contradictions in Haley's work. Rousmaniere also rightly identifies gender as a primary factor in Haley's identity formation. Although the author can only speculate that it was Haley's older brother's death and her father's business losses that allowed her to escape the prescribed nineteenth-century female roles of mother and wife and instead become a teacher, what is clear is that teaching provided Haley with "unique opportunities: the vibrant and passionate politics of the labor aristocracy, and the ironic advantages presented to educated women by the feminized occupation of teaching" (14). Being a woman may have opened a door, but just as often Haley would find it also prevented her from being taken seriously by politicians whose attention she most needed. Haley would tread the line between acceptable and unacceptable American female norms throughout her life. Her relationship with social reformer Jane Addams highlights this tension, exacerbated by their social class differences: Haley felt as though her working-class upbringing forced her into a position of challenging social norms, while she resented, according to Rousmaniere, Addams's ability to choose her social causes because she was not dependent on earning a living. Rousmaniere states, "Margaret Haley and Jane Addams were raised in strikingly different economic and cultural situations . . . [Addams was] caught in an emotional trauma that she later called 'the family claim'—the tension facing educated middle-class girls who wanted to do something purposeful with their life even as society pushed them back to the family . . . Haley had been pushed out of her family by her father's financial crisis . . ." (140). Addams's stand between cultural rules and desire to act on the world seems reflective of present-day teachers' lives, and her story, more than Haley's, may offer an important clue about why current teachers do not see themselves as activists. The current American teaching force, overwhelmingly white, middle class, and female, may be unwilling or unable to fight the same social structure that also supports them and their lives as "good" mothers. But what Haley came to understand better than almost anyone else, in her time or now, is...
ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between girls' body size and their intellec... more ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between girls' body size and their intellectual abilities as perceived by their classroom teachers. The study aims to show that girls' body size has a negative relationship to teachers' perception of their intellect, even in the earliest grades where puberty has not yet become a factor in children's development. The study will show that the more overweight the girl, the less intellectually capable her teacher rates her. (Contains 28 references and 3 tables.) (GCP)
The authors examined the way that teachers perceive the academic abilities of young boys before t... more The authors examined the way that teachers perceive the academic abilities of young boys before the start of formal schooling. Using a 1998 nationally representative sample of 10,956 boys assessed at the start of kindergarten, the authors showed that teachers perceive young boys who are shorter than"the perceived norm as-less academically capable than are boys of average or above-average height. The findings help expand one's understanding of the way that children, and subsequently adults, use'body image to0view ability i and performance.
The authors examined the way that teachers perceive the academic abilities of young boys before t... more The authors examined the way that teachers perceive the academic abilities of young boys before the start of formal schooling. Using a 1998 nationally representative sample of 10,956 boys assessed at the start of kindergarten, the authors showed that teachers perceive young boys who are shorter than the perceived norm as less academically capable than are boys of average or
Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the “underlife” of the classroom. We obser... more Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the “underlife” of the classroom. We observed six 11 and 12 grade history and government classrooms, twice a week, for a semester in order to explore whether and how teachers express their personal opinions, permit students to express their opinions, discuss political participation, and exhibit political cynicism. We found that teachers
Despite the social equity work that still needs to be done in schools and society, many researche... more Despite the social equity work that still needs to be done in schools and society, many researchers, politicians, and social commentators claim that gender equity work in schools has been accomplished. These people assume that actions in school lead to gender equity outside it. But, there may be two problems with this assumption: 1) achieving equity in academic work may
ABSTRACT Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the “underlife” of the classroom.... more ABSTRACT Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the “underlife” of the classroom. We observed six 11 and 12 grade history and government classrooms, twice a week, for a semester in order to explore whether and how teachers express their personal opinions, permit students to express their opinions, discuss political participation, and exhibit political cynicism. We found that teachers often expressed their opinions, except for their vote for president. Student opinions, however, were frequently suppressed in formal classroom interaction. Discussion of participation was limited, with teachers oblivious to unconventional activity. Frustration, cynicism, and even name-calling were frequently observed in both teachers' and students' political rhetoric. Our observations raise the question of whether increased civics teaching—without major changes in the kind of teaching employed—will inspire greater interest, involvement, and trust in rising generations or whether it will contribute to the very cynicism and indifference it is intended to overcome.
... with prominent social commentators suggesting that the gender disparities in schools, if ther... more ... with prominent social commentators suggesting that the gender disparities in schools, if thereever were any ... View all references) suggests, are entangled within them: success in grammar, math and science, for ... [Web of Science ®], [CSA] View all references; Walkerdine, 199035. ...
ABSTRACT There are few big names in education. Many people could probably name John Dewey or Mari... more ABSTRACT There are few big names in education. Many people could probably name John Dewey or Maria Montessori, and they would recognize Anne Sullivan as Helen Keller's teacher. A few more might recognize Jonathan Kozol or Ted Sizer. But even among educators, almost no one knows about Margaret Haley, the founder of the first American teachers' union. Margaret Haley not only understood the grand view of schooling in America, but she tried almost single-handedly to will public education into the forefront of American civic consciousness. Given the enormity of her task–making public schooling the centerpiece of collective community financial and social investment—it is not as surprising that Haley failed as it is that her work remains unknown. Kate Rousmaniere's thorough biography of this social activist, union organizer, public speaker, and, above all, teacher, reads like the Rosetta stone of school reform, highlighting the same issues with which we, as teachers and reformers, continue to struggle. Rousmaniere also shows adeptly how Haley's multiple and conflicting identities served to complicate her work. Author Rousmaniere details the socio-political contexts in which Margaret Haley forged her beliefs. Her research re-creates the conditions of rural midwestern life after the Civil War, which shaped Haley's identity as an Irish-Catholic, working-class woman. She also describes the zeitgeist of late nineteenth-century Chicago, which solidified Haley's identities as teacher and social activist. Haley was unable, however, to see how her Irish-Catholic, working-class identity was also racialized. Her world was essentially a white one, with her exposure to African-Americans only within their roles as former slaves and underpaid laborers. Working-class Irish-Americans, Rousmaniere writes, could only rise from their subordinate status if they found a group that could take its place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. As such, Haley's "emerging political consciousness was racially defined, and she would never learn how to include African Americans into her political theory of economic rights" (13). It is these conflicting identities that formed the basis of the contradictions in Haley's work. Rousmaniere also rightly identifies gender as a primary factor in Haley's identity formation. Although the author can only speculate that it was Haley's older brother's death and her father's business losses that allowed her to escape the prescribed nineteenth-century female roles of mother and wife and instead become a teacher, what is clear is that teaching provided Haley with "unique opportunities: the vibrant and passionate politics of the labor aristocracy, and the ironic advantages presented to educated women by the feminized occupation of teaching" (14). Being a woman may have opened a door, but just as often Haley would find it also prevented her from being taken seriously by politicians whose attention she most needed. Haley would tread the line between acceptable and unacceptable American female norms throughout her life. Her relationship with social reformer Jane Addams highlights this tension, exacerbated by their social class differences: Haley felt as though her working-class upbringing forced her into a position of challenging social norms, while she resented, according to Rousmaniere, Addams's ability to choose her social causes because she was not dependent on earning a living. Rousmaniere states, "Margaret Haley and Jane Addams were raised in strikingly different economic and cultural situations . . . [Addams was] caught in an emotional trauma that she later called 'the family claim'—the tension facing educated middle-class girls who wanted to do something purposeful with their life even as society pushed them back to the family . . . Haley had been pushed out of her family by her father's financial crisis . . ." (140). Addams's stand between cultural rules and desire to act on the world seems reflective of present-day teachers' lives, and her story, more than Haley's, may offer an important clue about why current teachers do not see themselves as activists. The current American teaching force, overwhelmingly white, middle class, and female, may be unwilling or unable to fight the same social structure that also supports them and their lives as "good" mothers. But what Haley came to understand better than almost anyone else, in her time or now, is...
ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between girls' body size and their intellec... more ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between girls' body size and their intellectual abilities as perceived by their classroom teachers. The study aims to show that girls' body size has a negative relationship to teachers' perception of their intellect, even in the earliest grades where puberty has not yet become a factor in children's development. The study will show that the more overweight the girl, the less intellectually capable her teacher rates her. (Contains 28 references and 3 tables.) (GCP)
The authors examined the way that teachers perceive the academic abilities of young boys before t... more The authors examined the way that teachers perceive the academic abilities of young boys before the start of formal schooling. Using a 1998 nationally representative sample of 10,956 boys assessed at the start of kindergarten, the authors showed that teachers perceive young boys who are shorter than"the perceived norm as-less academically capable than are boys of average or above-average height. The findings help expand one's understanding of the way that children, and subsequently adults, use'body image to0view ability i and performance.
The authors examined the way that teachers perceive the academic abilities of young boys before t... more The authors examined the way that teachers perceive the academic abilities of young boys before the start of formal schooling. Using a 1998 nationally representative sample of 10,956 boys assessed at the start of kindergarten, the authors showed that teachers perceive young boys who are shorter than the perceived norm as less academically capable than are boys of average or
Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the “underlife” of the classroom. We obser... more Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the “underlife” of the classroom. We observed six 11 and 12 grade history and government classrooms, twice a week, for a semester in order to explore whether and how teachers express their personal opinions, permit students to express their opinions, discuss political participation, and exhibit political cynicism. We found that teachers
Despite the social equity work that still needs to be done in schools and society, many researche... more Despite the social equity work that still needs to be done in schools and society, many researchers, politicians, and social commentators claim that gender equity work in schools has been accomplished. These people assume that actions in school lead to gender equity outside it. But, there may be two problems with this assumption: 1) achieving equity in academic work may
ABSTRACT Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the “underlife” of the classroom.... more ABSTRACT Reliance on quantitative work has led to understudy of the “underlife” of the classroom. We observed six 11 and 12 grade history and government classrooms, twice a week, for a semester in order to explore whether and how teachers express their personal opinions, permit students to express their opinions, discuss political participation, and exhibit political cynicism. We found that teachers often expressed their opinions, except for their vote for president. Student opinions, however, were frequently suppressed in formal classroom interaction. Discussion of participation was limited, with teachers oblivious to unconventional activity. Frustration, cynicism, and even name-calling were frequently observed in both teachers' and students' political rhetoric. Our observations raise the question of whether increased civics teaching—without major changes in the kind of teaching employed—will inspire greater interest, involvement, and trust in rising generations or whether it will contribute to the very cynicism and indifference it is intended to overcome.
... with prominent social commentators suggesting that the gender disparities in schools, if ther... more ... with prominent social commentators suggesting that the gender disparities in schools, if thereever were any ... View all references) suggests, are entangled within them: success in grammar, math and science, for ... [Web of Science ®], [CSA] View all references; Walkerdine, 199035. ...
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