Reflection Of Queen Bees And Wannabes By Rosalind Wiseman

I went back and forth between the different courses offered by the Teachers Learning Center before choosing Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. I am very happy with my decision as I found the book both interesting and applicable to the subject matter I cover as a Health Education Teacher. Wiseman covered concepts pertaining to Mental and Emotion Health, Communication/ Conflict Management, Family Life and Human Sexuality, and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs; all of which are part of the Maryland State Health Education Curriculum. Wiseman created chapters chock full of information and advice that I was able to implement and discuss with students, staff members, and parents. I was able to utilize different quotes and chapters from …show more content…
We are all guilty of conforming to what we believe is expected of us at some point or another. Whether we behaved in a way to please a friend, love interest, family member, a teacher, or a coach, the list is endless. However, research shows that holding individuals accountable according to gender identity has a propensity to limit the ways in which a person feels they are able to express themselves both physically and intellectually. This concept alone has changed the way I approach teaching and my overall interaction with others. Wiseman introduced me to what she calls the Bill of Rights, a guideline for treating yourself and others with dignity in any and all situations. This idea challenges the Act Like a Woman/ Man Box and teaches kids how to behave in a way that is respectful to all parties involved, regardless of gender …show more content…
When teaching problem solving, I never tell the girls to do one thing and the boys another, so why was I not seeing the results I wanted when I would hear of their conflicts outside the classroom? I started having them first discuss all the possible ways one (boys and girls) could deal with a conflict and how others would view them (family, peers, teachers, etc.) depending on the way approached the problem. We watched and listened to different TV, movie, and music clips and students recorded how they felt about the different people in the excerpt and the outcome of strategy. We read different fairytales and dissected the different gender roles and which characteristics were appreciated. After students were able to analyze themselves what strategies worked the best and why they were able to reflect on their own personal approaches to conflict. After the discussions, debates, and rationales it was interesting to see them decide on their own that a direct approach was best. Many times students even agreed that they should only include an outside party for advice, not to vent, before going to the individual in which they have a problem directly. After the initial research process we would then go over the necessary steps to solve a conflict