Welcoming in the math field

 

In my career as a math student from secondary to post-secondary, my math teachers have always been men. I have never really thought much about this as the majority of my teachers as a whole have been women. I just assumed that this was matter of coincidence. It was not until this class that I have reflected on this and it does seem women are underrepresented in the field of math. All of the “great minds” of the past were always men due to the structure of society in the past and it seems at least to some degree this has changed today. Just having a look at our math classes in the Bed program, there seems to be a relatively even distribution of men and women. I see that while the math field may not seem to be especially welcoming to women (and I would argue to most people in general), there has at least been some positive change in this regard. Math seems (to me at least) a more challenging and academic field that still carries the stigma of being old fashioned, traditional and more strictly academic than most fields and is rather unwelcoming as a whole. This might or might not be correct but that is how a lot a people seem to feel when I tell them I have a degree in math.

I find that in order to build a classroom and society that is welcoming for all, it is important to value respect and understanding above all. In order to be inclusive to all in our classrooms we have to at least be aware of different ethnicity, socioeconomic backgrounds, identification of gender etc. in our classrooms and in society as a whole. We need to be understanding and be respectful to all in order for individuals to feel welcomed and included. We need to aware of the language we use, the materials we teach and out interactions and do our best to be inclusive and build relationships with our colleagues and students. This allows for everyone to feel safe and valued in the learning environment. When people feel safe, they are free to explore and learn to the best of their ability.