Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

When working with children, there is always the assumption that whatever we are experiencing outside of work, we need to leave it at the door, but sometimes, it is hard to leave the things you are going through and experiencing outside of the work environment. I have been experiencing some sexism while looking for another job. It is very hard to be taken seriously in the workforce by men, and it shouldn’t be, but sadly, it is. Women have to work much harder to prove themselves to male counterparts. I recently went to a job interview and I felt like I did extremely well. I had a guy interview me, and it was a simple interview. He asked me ten questions that were about my work experiences, so not hard, right? Well, as I was interviewing, I answered his questions in detail as he asked, and also explained how education is an extractable skills set that can be used in many professions. The interview ended well, and I felt confident I would be getting a call back. The following afternoon, I received a call stating that I was a very strong candidate, and had a very substantial background, but my answers to the questions being asked went off in unrelated tangents and were repetitive. Unfortunately, I did not get the position. I felt immediate frustration, and did not understand why someone whom I had interviewed with for 20 minutes would say I went off in a ‘tangent’. It made me sound like what men think of with women in the work place or the stereotype as being talkative and talking about things that have no relevancy. The feedback was offending, but also let me know that is what most men think of women who can be verbose or explain things thoroughly. I am at an interview, so I am not going to go off in a tangent as put by the hiring manager. It was just another form of sexism that is unfair, but it opens your eyes to sexism and you try to stay positive and move forward. 

This experience could affect the way I interact with children and families by making my outlook dim or make me feel like the male parents have the same mentality as the ones I may have encountered in my job search. I may also try to extend my personal feelings to the boys I teach to try to make them understand how to be fair and equitable to all, regardless of gender. These personal experiences could also make me have unconscious behaviors that may rub off and affect the individuals around me in negative ways. In the article Individual and Situational Factors Related to Young Women’s Likelihood of Confronting Sexism in Their Everyday Lives, “Sexism can take various forms and can be enacted by different perpetrators in a variety of settings. Moreover, sexist discrimination can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and depression and decreased achievement in a variety of domains (Ayers, Friedman, & Leaper, 2009, p. 449). I could be expressing stress, anxiety, and depression, which in turn, could be felt by the children and parents, which is not a good thing. It is important for me to always stay positive and try to find the learning moment within every situation I come across; even though it was negative. My children and families feed off of my energy as a teacher, and the last thing I want is to display stress or negativity towards them, but rather, enlighten and try to incorporate positive teaching moments from what I learned within my curriculum.

Reference:

Ayres, M., Friedman, C., & Leaper, C. (2009). Individual and Situational Factors Related to Young Women’s Likelihood of Confronting Sexism in Their Everyday Lives. Sex Roles, 61(7/8), 449-460. doi:10.1007/s11199-009-9635-3