Responses to Concerns of Female Graduate Student Teachers, Dr. Kathleen A. Cameron
Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Pittsburg State University
Question: “How do I get the students to take me seriously given the combination of age, being a woman, and the fact that they will know I am a graduate student?”
Reply:
I’m so glad you asked this question! I taught as a graduate student in a doctoral program for about 8 years. I had these same concerns. First, let me address the easy question: the fact that you are a graduate student is in your favor. Students relate better to someone who is closer to being a “peer” than a faculty, so I never found this to be a liability. From the first day of class, be forthright about this and they’ll love you for it.
As for age, I was a non-traditional student when I entered college, but I didn’t feel like it was ever an issue for me or for my students. Age doesn’t matter if you can speak their language and understand their locus of power.
The most significant question relates to being a woman in academe. In my experience, this was an issue to some degree as a graduate student teacher, but not so noticeable that I had concerns about it. There were adolescent comments from time to time from a few male students, and the other grad students would joke about how my “attractiveness” distracted the male students in the class. Of course, these were disturbing, but not overwhelming and certainly not defining for me. By and large, you’ll find that students respect you as a grad student teacher.
That said, the fact that you’re a woman will become increasingly more threatening to colleagues and administrators alike when you enter academe as a professor. Also, students tend to make initial assumptions that you “don’t know what you’re talking about.” Get used to dealing with it and keep dealing with it. Even though there are more female professors in academe than there used to be, it’s still a male-dominate profession. Even as I write this, I am preparing a grievance against unfair treatment by a male department chair and a male colleague. The brighter you shine, the more you will encounter attempts to take away your power. Keep shining.
Question: “I have had trouble with my students thinking I am automatically biased about the material because I’m a woman. What is the best way to handle that?”
Reply:
If there were one question that we (women in academe) have asked ourselves and our colleagues more than any other, this is it. We deal with this problem every semester in every class. In particular, the courses I teach deal with justice issues, so teaching about discrimination, feminism, and social justice is vulnerable to student perceptions and assumptions from the start (particularly on a small, rural campus).
When I was a grad student teacher, I wasn’t concerned about minimizing my feminism in the classroom, but the longer I teach (over fifteen years now), I notice I am becoming more aware of student resistance and less tolerant of it.
In my experience, it is most effective to address this issue directly with students in the classroom. I begin with examining assumptions about feminism, for instance, so students have the opportunity to openly discuss their perceptions of feminists. When I present information, I try to do so in such a way that they know I am presenting research or studies on a given topic.
Of course, all of our attempts to deal with student resistance are not always successful. To that end, I am constantly reading about ways to improve my relationship with students and my pedagogy. I am currently reading an excellent book that addresses the way in which students cling to their old habits of thinking even when the evidence in front of them contradicts their assumptions. I highly recommend it — “What The Best College Teachers Do” by Ken Bain, Harvard University Press, 2004.
Student resistance is a problem for female professors, to be certain. It is easier for some students to “shoot the messenger” than confront new ideas, and feminist pedagogies are still not popular in this patriarchy we live in.
Question: “How do you turn a class back around that has started to “go bad”?
Reply:
I am all too familiar with these kinds of classes! Some days you’ll be right on and your lectures and/or discussions will be great. Other times, you’ll be “off” from the start. There are many ways that a class can “go bad”, so without more specific information, it’s difficult to address your concerns. However, if we’re talking about one of those “off” days, I have learned to handle those by being candid with the students. This is the best strategy of all. Students appreciate humility, candor, and trust. Every now and then, when I get a sense that the class is just not going anywhere, I stop and ask students what they think is going on. A dialogue works wonders. Remember, too, that some lectures are going to be dull and some are going to be your best work. Not a big deal.
Question: “What if I don’t like teaching?”
Reply:
Teaching is my calling, and I knew that the first day of the first class I ever taught in grad school. You’ll know from the beginning if that’s your gig.
Question: “How do I balance all of my responsibilities with my family and being a student and soon being a teacher too? Also, how will I feel like a teacher if I still have to be a student?”
Reply:
When I was a graduate student teaching, I was also a single mom with two young sons living on a shoestring and trying to do well in my classes. It’s an overwhelming time for you and, in hindsight, I don’t know how I did it. There have been so many days when I have wished for the chance to do it all over again so that I could devote more time, energy, and attention to my sons. It is a difficult balancing act, but it can be done if you make your family the first priority, being a student the second, and teaching third.
In response to the second part of your question, you don’t need to feel like a teacher. you just need to be one. It will all fall into place, as everything does in time, so worry less and move forward. The universe is on your side.