UNDERSTANDING GENDER For students in Grade 5 and upwards
Each
gender experiences physical, emotional and mental changes at different
times.
A mature girl sitting next to an immature boy can demonstrate up
to four years difference in maturation.
Girls
may develop suddenly both physically and emotionally and often
communicate more effectively with each other. Boys sometimes do not
catch up to the girls for a couple of years. If they are competitive
they can sometimes become insecure and/or frustrated.
At
times teasing or bitching can occur which can cause confusion and
misunderstanding.
This can create discord, a lack of understanding and
respect.
By creating awareness we find compassion for each other.
This helps the classroom environment to be a supportive .
Understanding Gender is an experiential playshop exploring masculine and feminine stereotypes.
It helps to clarify gender identity; opens up respectful conversations between boys and girls; discusses the effect of teasing girls as they develop and snubbing boys who seem immature… AND importantly addresses issues raised by the class.
Amrita
works with the class as a whole. Males and females have separate
activities and the circle is divided so they become more aware of
themselves within their own gender group.
In
all school programs Amrita works with story, song and age appropriate
processes that impact on the class to develop communication, awareness
and understanding.
Through questions and answers we explore personal issues at a deeper level.
Follow-up can be discussed with Class Teachers. COMMENTS FROM TEACHERS
The
sessions with the Class 8 students showed their keen desire to know
more about each other but they were also nervous about revealing
themselves too much.
A
very exciting day in which kids were able to open up and talk of
themselves and their family relationships. Underneath the excitement
and self consciousness was the sense that they could trust the
situation and that there opinions would be heard and respected.
A
day that has helped our class to move forward socially in a way that
will help them in their adolescent world. An excellent day all round.
Tony Martin, Sophia Mundi Class Teacher Written by Roanna, a student teacher after the workshop at Silkwood Rudolf Steiner School in Australia. To read everything she said go here.
The
message was clear to all; try and understand the other instead of
seeing difference as a reason to continuously disagree. The children
were told that they could change the world, if only in a small way, by
not following in the same footsteps as those before them. They have the
power inside them to make this possible by accepting difference.
What a lesson for life!! Silkwood Steiner School would like to thank Amrita Hobbs for her inspirational session. We will continue to offer the children similar lessons once a fortnight. The first follow up class was already a huge success and has liberated the children into talking about subjects that were formally ‘taboo’ and ‘simply not talked about in school'.
Understanding and accepting difference both within and between the genders is now something freely discussed and appreciated by all.
For further comments about Amrita's work in Rudolf Steiner Schools click here.
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