Blog Post#1 The Fight for A Pencil!

            An event I witnessed in my workplace, that seems to remind me of the article, In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan , made me think critically of my own actions. As I read the article I couldn’t stop thinking about an event that occurred last week while twenty-one second grade students were under my care, during afterschool hours. We were quietly getting homework done until I hear one of the boys scream, “This is my pencil!” and then followed by a cry. As I looked over, Emerald had already snatched the pencil from Mya who was calmly doing her homework. Besides already snatching the pencil away and screaming at her, Emerald still kept on yelling and claiming on reason why that was his pencil and not hers. Mya was just in tears with his accusation, and it took about three minutes for me to get him outside the classroom. While he was walking outside he kept talking out loud and to the class making a clear statement by saying, “This is my pencil and that’s why you’re crying because you’re a girl and only girls cry like a baby!” Mya was crying hysterical at this point as I pushed Emerald outside to speak with both of them separately. As I spoke to them individually, Emerald was still speaking in his defense and claiming how it was his pencil, and how he didn’t care if we went to my supervisor because he can prove that it was his and not Mya’s. On the other hand, when I spoke to Mya she was more concerned about getting in trouble while still crying about Emerald’s approach towards her. She wanted to talk to Emerald without the screaming and just be friends again. She was even willing to get a new pencil for him in order for them to be friends again. At the end of it all, neither got the pencil or a visit to my supervisor, but instead I supplied them with my own supplies of pencils.

            While reading In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan it made me reflect on this event as a first-hand experience with my students. The article stated “how females reflect upon the world of relationship and psychological truths and need for a response.(10)" While males are more understanding of the logic of justification.(11)" Both male and females have “different modes of understanding as well as thinking about conflict and choice.(11) This is clearly shown upon both students’ actions where the male wanted to be understood through his yelling and felt he had a way to justify his actions. Meanwhile, the female still wanted to continue being his friend and establish a relationship, while telling the truth and a response from the male. Both had a complete different perspective, as well as approach to the situation in our classroom.      

            I personally feel that I have approached the situation as an authority point of view, rather than their personal views. Reading this article made me understand what Emerald and Mya were really thinking and trying to approach from the situation. At that point, when the event had occurred I simply thought Emerald as rude and Mya as vulnerable for disrupting my quiet homework time over a pencil. Yet, as I read the article it made me understand why they each took certain actions, and why I didn’t just have two kids yelling and screaming at each other. For that reason I’m still unsure if there’s even another way to approach another one of these encounters? Or if there’s even a possible change for these certain actions coming at such a young age.