Learning Log 9/10

I found this class to be very intriguing. I didn't think I had a gender bias but after we discussed the issue in class and I read the chapter I found that there are many things that play a part in gender bias. The power point with the pictures of the different children really opened my eyes to a whole new world of individual bias. As humans we are quick to judge. When we looked at the different photos I immediately found a relation to that child and because of that I judged them. On several it was because of their skin color or their dress but on a few I just related it to someone I knew with the same name. My personal opinion is that judging is not bad. We cannot control the first reactions that are minds take when meeting someone for the first time, but we can control how we act on those instincts. As a teacher I need to remember to be more open minded and hold back on those first impressions.
The group that presented this week was very prepared. I enjoyed the lesson that they put together and it also helped me make a few realizations. They purposely choose people that went against their typical gender roles and had careers in a setting outside the normal. I think this would be important to teach our students because they need to understand that they can do anything they want and it does not make a difference if they are male or female or of a different race. We also need to teach our students to embrace their differences and make them their own. We discussed this in one of my groups and it is important that our students understand that it is not bad to be different.
As far as using this in my classroom I am slightly confused with how to do so. I remember in my intro to Education class we discussed the importance of not singling someone out for being different. Some students would rather blend in rather than be praised for being unique. Yet on the other hand I think it is important to celebrate our differences. In my own classroom I think I would like to present a lesson simliar to the group presentation we had in class. Students could then share their dreams and thoughts about what they would like to do in the future. Also in our Social Studies class this week we each brought something from our past that would help the rest of the class learn about our lives and even our ancestors. I think this would be a great time for the students to introduce their differences and learn more about one another.