III: Reflections

This week was particularly interesting to me because I chose to do my research paper on the feminization of teaching. As I mentioned in my reading analysis, I was excited to delve into these readings and into this topic, especially being a woman who is interested in pursuing teaching as a career. I found it very interested to see the regional differences of how women moved into the teaching industry. I think that a big reason I want to become a teacher is because I am very nurturing by nature and have a huge heart for children. If we take gender stereotypes into account, this could be as a result of being a girl and being more “naturally inclined” to go into a career that is in a sense, an extension of the “private sphere” where women were expected to remain in the 19th and 20th centuries. For me, teaching always felt like a natural career choice for me. It is interesting to see a glimpse of the working conditions that women had at this time period. It speaks to the reality that schools continue to be underfunded today, which is interesting considering that in order to bring up successful adults who can work in a variety of careers, adequate resources and funding to support schooling is essential.