Record: 1
Title:Using Biography to Counsel Gifted Young Women.
Authors:Hebert, Thomas P.
Long, Linda A.
Speirs Neumeister, Kristie L.
Source:Journal of Secondary Gifted Education; Winter2001, Vol. 12 Issue
2, p62, 18p, 1 chart
Document Type:Article
Subject Terms:BIOGRAPHY
COUNSELING
GIFTED teenagers
TEENAGE girls
Abstract:Gifted young women face a variety of important socialand emotional issues throughout adolescence and passage into adulthood.This article presents a number of issues through four themes: genderrole expectations, relationship-oriented problems, achievement and
underachievement concerns, and the need for resilience in women's lives.The authors propose guided reading of biographies as a counselingstrategy through which middle and high school educators may assistgifted females in gaining helpful insights to deal with the problems
they face. The article also provides available biographies of giftedfemales, as well as various ways secondary teachers and counselors mightuse such an approach to counsel gifted young women. [ABSTRACT FROM
AUTHOR]
Full Text Word Count:11544
ISSN:1077-4610
Accession Number:4097315
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Using Biography to Counsel Gifted Young Women.</A>
Database: Professional Development Collection
USING BIOGRAPHY TO COUNSEL GIFTED YOUNG WOMEN
... thinking that I had been given a second chance in life, I threw
myself into books. I read books about troubled women, Helen Keller and
Anne Frank. I read about Eleanor Roosevelt.
What a difference it makes in your world to go into some other life.
It's what I love most. I'm reading always to leave myself, always to
leave myself behind. That's what reading is. You get to leave.
--Oprah Winfrey, qtd. in Johnson, 1997, pp. 53, 60
Students' Stories
Bethany
"I can't believe you're really going to follow through on this one. You
must be out of your mind! How many girls in our senior class are
seriously going to enjoy AP physics?" It was only the second day of fall
semester, and already Bethany found herself needing patience with
Jennifer. Bethany listened to her best friend carry on as they dug
through their lockers in search of their textbooks for sixth period
class. While Jennifer was pleased to be taking psychology, Bethany
looked forward to a year of studying physics with Mrs. Harris, the
science teacher with the most rigorous standards and the highest
expectations for young women at CarverHigh School. Jennifer carried on,
"I just don't get it. Why waste your time? The guys in that class will
have just stepped off the bus from GeekCity! You won't find any cute
guys there."
Bethany smiled sheepishly, knowing that her best friend meant well.
Jennifer's view of the world was quite different from hers, but she was
still her best friend and had been since third grade. Growing up in the
same neighborhood, Bethany transformed from neighborhood tomboy to the
leading long-distance runner on the Carver High women's track team,
while Jennifer had put aside her ballet slippers to become president of
the pep club and captain of the cheerleading squad.
As they walked away from their lockers, Jennifer reminded Beth to meet
her after class. Beth did enjoy accompanying Jennifer on their mall
excursions. As she walked down the corridor to AP physics, she
remembered the appointment she'd arranged to see her guidance counselor
at 3:00. She had been excited to hear from her counselor that several
engineering programs were offering scholarships to young women with her
range of SAT scores, and she wanted to find more information about these
programs. She realized her career plans were important, and she knew
that she should see her counselor, but she was torn. Jennifer's comments
about the guys in physics class were in the back of Beth's mind as she
thought about their planned trip to the mall. She thought about how much
fun the facial makeover at the cosmetics counter of her favorite
department store would be. If she wanted to get a date, she would need
to change her image. She sighed to herself as she thought about how she
would feel sitting home alone on a Saturday night; yet, she had worked
so hard to achieve her high SAT scores, and the scholarships her
counselor had described sounded wonderful. Should she worry about
shopping, facial makeovers, and dating or her life after graduation and
her dreams of becoming a successful engineer? She sighed again and
wondered why her life had to be so complex.
Sasha
Sasha was happy to be home from school. As she crashed on the sofa in
the family room and reached for the television remote control, she was
relieved to finally have a reprieve from her school assignments and
extracurricular activities. It had been a difficult day. Her calculus
exam had been a real killer, and she had had an argument with her best
friends over their weekend plans for homecoming. As she flipped through
channels on television, she could hear her mother dashing around the
kitchen.
Sasha, don't forget to put the casserole in the oven at five o'clock.
Leave it in for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I want to be sure supper is
ready when your father gets home. I'm going to take your brother to his
Cub Scout meeting now, and then I'm off to show the Berringer estate to
a family that's just moved here from England! I shouldn't be too late
since I've got that PTO meeting this evening.
Sasha sighed as she listened to her mother. "Century 21 Sales Queen of
the year," she thought to herself and then felt guilty. After all, she
was proud of her mother, the top real estate salesperson in the entire
metropolitan area, the PTO fundraising chairwoman, and the President of
the African American Professional Women's Association in her community.
Her mother had worked hard to achieve all this, and Sasha enjoyed seeing
her mother thriving in her profession.
Yet, as her mother kissed her on the cheek and dashed out of the house,
Sasha felt sad. She wanted to tell her mother about the calculus exam
and the horrendous argument she'd had with Cassandra and Krystal, but
she found herself alone and lonely. So often lately, she yearned for the
unavailable quality time with her mother. As she continued to search for
a better sitcom on TV, she wondered about her future. Would she Want
what her mother had worked so hard to achieve? Would her potential
career as a veterinarian take her away from her children? How would she
know what was right for her? Career? Family? It all seemed overwhelming
that afternoon, so she stretched out on the sofa and soaked in the
mindless babble on the television. At that moment, it certainly seemed
like an appropriate escape from her biology and calculus homework. She'd
worry about her future later.
Celia
Celia dashed out of her 11th-grade U.S. History class and headed
straight for the women's rest room. She could feel the tears coming, and
she needed privacy. Mr. Carroll had returned her research paper on
Gloria Steinman's feminist movement leadership. Celia had taken one look
at the B+ on her paper and felt sick. Celia knew that her parents held
high expectations for her and would be disappointed. This was the first
time in her life she had earned less than an A. She felt horrible.
Celia was the oldest daughter in a family of three girls. Her younger
sisters worshipped her for everything she accomplished. They often
remarked that everything Celia touched turned to gold. After all, Celia
was a straight-A student, performed perfect routines in gymnastics for
the high school's championship team, and her incredible performances as
first violinist in the school orchestra had earned her a chair in the
all-state orchestra. What Celia had not told her family was that Susan
Schweninger's grade point average was higher than hers. Her guidance
counselor had innocently informed Celia that she was ranked second in
her class. With that news, she set new expectations for herself. As she
leaned against the wall of the women's room, she wondered how much this
B+ research paper would affect her grade point average and chances of
becoming class valedictorian.
She wiped her tears and decided to head for the cafeteria. As she left
the restroom, she bumped into Mrs. Reeves in the hallway. She thought to
herself, "I hope my eyes aren't red and puffy right now." Her English
teacher seemed pleased to have spotted her. "Celia, I'm really glad I
found you. Your mother called me asking about the applications for this
year's creative writing competition sponsored by the university. She'd
like you to pick up the forms. Please stop by my room after classes
today. I'll have them ready for you." Forcing a smile, Celia agreed to
see her teacher at the end of the day. Inwardly, she wondered how she
would find the time and strength to take on one more project.
Annette
Madame Laliberte invited Annette to her classroom during lunch. The
dedicated French teacher was excited to share a brochure about an
innovative foreign exchange program with Annette, her finest student in
French III class. She had compared notes with other members of the
foreign language department at BrookwoodHigh School and discovered that
Annette was as fluent in Spanish as she was in French. Madame Laliberte
thought such a talented young linguist should be encouraged to pursue
the exchange program and study with other gifted students from all over
the country. Studying French literature in Paris for one month and
living with a French family would be a wonderful experience for an
American teenager.
As she shared a colorful brochure and program description material with
Annette, she noticed a look of wonderment in her student's eyes and felt
pleased with herself for bringing this opportunity to Annette's
attention.
Oh, Annette, just think how exciting this would be! And you'd be living
with a real Parisian family. Why, you might even have younger French
siblings after such an experience. Wouldn't that be fun? Annette, I do
hope you'll give this program serious consideration. You have such
passion for languages. This program could change your life!
Annette smiled politely, thanked Madame Laliberte, and left quietly. She
promised her teacher she would share this information with her parents
and be in touch with her again soon. As she walked along the corridor of
her high school, she looked up at the ceiling, sighed heavily, and
thought to herself, "That poor woman doesn't have a clue."
She thought about her teacher's comments. "This program could change
your life." She thought to herself, "If only she knew what my life was
like. French siblings! Why would I want any more brothers and sisters?
I'm already a full-time babysitter."
Madame Laliberte knew how to spot talent in her students, but what she
didn't know was how difficult Annette's life beyond Brookwood High
School was every day. Her prize student lived with her recently divorced
mother in a crowded apartment with an older sister and four younger
brothers. Her sister had recently delivered a baby out of wedlock and
was depending on her mother for financial support. Annette's mother was
pursuing a constant battle with her ex-husband to provide child support.
She was unemployed, and the financial stress was wreaking havoc in the
family. Annette was worried about her mother as she seemed headed for
another one of her deep depressions.
Annette went to her locker and found her poetry notebook for English
class. She was pleased her teacher, Mr. Burke, had enjoyed her most
recent contributions to the school's literary anthology, but she knew he
would never realize the cathartic effect his poetry assignments provided
her this semester. She smiled to herself and thought, "What these
teachers don't know about me won't hurt them."
Related Literature
The four scenarios described above highlight a number of important
issues that may impact the emotional health and development of talent in
gifted females. Bethany's experiences with gender role expectations,
Sasha's struggle to appreciate her mother's need to juggle career and
family, Celia's pressure to achieve, and Annette's resilience as she
faced the adversity in her life represent four critical concerns for
gifted young women. These critical issues are addressed in the
literature on gifted females and are summarized below.
Gender Role Expectations
As early as the preschool and kindergarten years, females begin to
internalize learned sex roles (Reis, 1999). Behavior conforming to these
sex roles is reinforced by parents and teachers who consistently reward
girls for exhibiting traditional female behavior (Mann, 1994; Sadker &
Sadker, 1994). Later on, many young women in middle school learn to fear
success and avoid involvement in math and science courses following
years of societal stereotyping and sex-role socialization (Callahan &
Reis, 1996). Stereotyping delivers powerful messages to intelligent
young females about their roles in life, their own importance, and their
worth as women (Reis & Callahan, 1989). Reis asserted that even when a
gifted young woman is encouraged to study in a field of her choice, the
message she receives as an adult is that her success is measured as a
wife and mother, not as a professional. Acceptance of sex-role
stereotypes regarding their ability may cause gifted young women to
lower their expectations for academic and career achievement.
The literature provides evidence that sex-role stereotyping is
reinforced in school environments and that teachers may contribute to
sex-role stereotyping of gifted females (Sadker & Sadker, 1994). A
national report by the American Association of University Women (1992)
included the following statement: "Whether one looks at achievement
scores, curriculum design, or teacher student interaction, it is clear
that sex and gender make a difference in the nation's public schools.
The educational system is not meeting girls' needs" (p. 31).
Studies indicated that masculine characteristics and males are more
highly valued than female characteristics and females in classrooms
during elementary, secondary, and college years (Callahan & Reis, 1996).
Callahan and Reis indicated that educators gave lower ratings to girls
who were analytic and unconventional in their approaches to problem
solving, whereas males exhibiting the same behavior were praised.
Research indicates that gifted females receive mixed messages about
their roles in society that serve as gender-related barriers to
achievement and self-actualization. Hollinger (1991) reported that, in
the midst of establishing their gender identity, gifted females discover
that societal stereotypes of what it means to be feminine conflict with
expectations of gifted students to achieve great things and occupational
stereotypes deemed as "masculine." On one hand, society expects them to
maintain the traditional feminine role of being less aggressive and
assertive than males (Bakken, Hershey, & Miller, 1990; Sadker & Sadker,
1994). On the other hand, gifted girls face societal expectations that,
as women, they will use their intelligence to achieve professional
success while also maintaining a positive home and family life. Many
gifted females become confused about what is expected from professional
roles for gifted individuals and stereotypic feminine roles (Reis,
1999).
Literature also suggests that, although gender-role expectations and
perceptions of female achievement vary from culture to culture, sexism
is a barrier that all groups of gifted women face (Kitano, 1995). Diaz
(1998) found that gifted Puerto Rican females often struggled with
traditional patriarchal-headed families that reinforced traditional
sex-roles. Ford (1995) noted that gifted African American young women
faced social barriers and racial discrimination that negatively impacted
their self-efficacy. Kitano (1995) noted that Asian young women also
faced conflicts with parents and traditional family values and were
often expected to subordinate their goals to those of their male