Comments on: Structured v. creative learning http://polyscience.org/2005/09/structured-v-creative-learning/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:31:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Lauren D http://polyscience.org/2005/09/structured-v-creative-learning/#comment-194456 Lauren D Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:22:16 +0000 http://polyscience.org/?p=99#comment-194456 My partner (wife) and I are lesbians who have, from the start, chosen to home-school -- mostly because of the quality of local schools, but also because when we first looked around we found that some educators were less than receptive to treating two women as equally "moms". The end result is this, our 7-year-old son has had the two of us as exclusive company for nearly all of his socialization (other than the rather superficial and infrequent engagement with kids at the playground). And, without really intending to, we've consistantly left him on his own to come up with gender ideals. It has been fascinating to see how his gender-identity has shown itself: his interests tending towards more traditional male-interests (he likes military history and watching NBA games, etc.), but shows a quite unusual emotional sensitivity and expressiveness -- typically considered more feminine. We've always tried hard to be supportive of both his interests and his emotional life, however they might develop Of course, like all of us, his personality displays an impenetrable fusion of genetic predispositions and socialization. So there's no way to rule out his simply being biologically disposed towards a certain emotional manner. But I do begin to wonder if we wouldn't find, generally, a far greater variety of masculine-feminine "mixes" in people if they began life, like our son, without such a steady diet of normative gender guidance. I've got no theoretical axe-to-grind, in spite of being a lesbian ;) I just find the way he's turning out to be beautifully quirky, and I start to see the possible virtues of being left alone long enough to develop a self that is unconstrained by the usual social pressures. Sorry to go on here; just thought my experiences seemed relevant. - Lauren My partner (wife) and I are lesbians who have, from the start, chosen to home-school — mostly because of the quality of local schools, but also because when we first looked around we found that some educators were less than receptive to treating two women as equally “moms”.
The end result is this, our 7-year-old son has had the two of us as exclusive company for nearly all of his socialization (other than the rather superficial and infrequent engagement with kids at the playground). And, without really intending to, we’ve consistantly left him on his own to come up with gender ideals.

It has been fascinating to see how his gender-identity has shown itself: his interests tending towards more traditional male-interests (he likes military history and watching NBA games, etc.), but shows a quite unusual emotional sensitivity and expressiveness — typically considered more feminine. We’ve always tried hard to be supportive of both his interests and his emotional life, however they might develop

Of course, like all of us, his personality displays an impenetrable fusion of genetic predispositions and socialization. So there’s no way to rule out his simply being biologically disposed towards a certain emotional manner.
But I do begin to wonder if we wouldn’t find, generally, a far greater variety of masculine-feminine “mixes” in people if they began life, like our son, without such a steady diet of normative gender guidance.

I’ve got no theoretical axe-to-grind, in spite of being a lesbian ;) I just find the way he’s turning out to be beautifully quirky, and I start to see the possible virtues of being left alone long enough to develop a self that is unconstrained by the usual social pressures.

Sorry to go on here; just thought my experiences seemed relevant.

- Lauren

]]> By: Dom Howells http://polyscience.org/2005/09/structured-v-creative-learning/#comment-162 Dom Howells Thu, 08 Sep 2005 19:59:37 +0000 http://polyscience.org/?p=99#comment-162 I am interested in the gender-specificity of the roles children choose in their games. In considering the question of whether they are 'hard-wired' or environmental, consider the human animal in a natural or feral state. Males would naturally gravitate towards hunting and other aggressive, defensive, supportive roles because of their greater strength. Conversely females would bear children, and along with a physically weaker body would tend to fill less of the aforementioned 'male' roles. This much we know already, or intuitively, so why do I say it? Because it is an important example of the effect that taking away one source of influence in attempt to isolate natural behaviour might expose another -- in this example our feral children are free from social influence but are forced into gender-specific roles by necessity. I like your idea of examining the behaviour and gender-identity of children of same-sex couples; however one must be wary of the influence of having progressive homosexual parents and the social influence that would bring. To my mind this might be a much stronger influence on gender identity than conventional parenting as homosexuality is intrinsically a large distortion of normal gender roles. A study involving the children of single parents might be interesting though, although I'm sure that too would have its pitfalls. I am interested in the gender-specificity of the roles children choose in their games. In considering the question of whether they are ‘hard-wired’ or environmental, consider the human animal in a natural or feral state. Males would naturally gravitate towards hunting and other aggressive, defensive, supportive roles because of their greater strength. Conversely females would bear children, and along with a physically weaker body would tend to fill less of the aforementioned ‘male’ roles. This much we know already, or intuitively, so why do I say it? Because it is an important example of the effect that taking away one source of influence in attempt to isolate natural behaviour might expose another — in this example our feral children are free from social influence but are forced into gender-specific roles by necessity. I like your idea of examining the behaviour and gender-identity of children of same-sex couples; however one must be wary of the influence of having progressive homosexual parents and the social influence that would bring. To my mind this might be a much stronger influence on gender identity than conventional parenting as homosexuality is intrinsically a large distortion of normal gender roles. A study involving the children of single parents might be interesting though, although I’m sure that too would have its pitfalls.

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