Glamorous equals Reckless and Dumb

My twenty-six year old son sent me this article from the National Review partly because he knows I am involved in single-gender education and partly because our family watched the television show The Wonder Years regularly when it was on the air. In the article, Danica McKellar implies that our young females are still combating the urge to dumb themselves down for the sake of being attractive. It is this implication that I want to address, as well as get your opinions and feedback.

In the four years I have taught single-gender mathematics classes, the female classes have all said they benefited from being in a math class without their male peers. My all-female classes have said over and over again that they are more comfortable asking questions, they feel support from their female companions, and they like the relationship we develop. Some female students have said they earned the highest grade in math when they were in a single-gender class. Now I wonder if the experience of being in a single-gender math class, for only one year, can change the way female students view themselves. I think it can. And, I think it is the best way to help female students overcome the stereotype of glamorous equals reckless and dumb.

Because I also teach co-ed classes, I have tried to figure out how to develop this same reaction in a mixed-gender class. It takes constant prodding and praise to teach female students that it is OK to be smart. It takes continuous effort to battle the cultural belief that being nerdy is unattractive.

So what do you think about the article? What have you discovered about students’ view of intelligence?