Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
who “tries ten times harder than anyone else. He just doesn't get it all the time.” He ex-
plained, “When he gets picked on it's just like, ohhh, like you can tell it just nails him.
They say, 'Thanks for like, helping our curve, I'm so glad you're in our class.'” Dave
(SR) reported that the teacher is not passive in this competition, “The teacher's on the
boardtoo.She'sontheboardalot.”Steve(SR)added,“Buthers'aren'thurtful,theyare
just funny. But ours are, the kids are hurtful like, they are specific to a certain person,
stuff like that. And she's just like ohhhhh.” Mary (FR) interviewed their teacher, “She
said there is a lot of vicious teasing that boys recognize and she used the term the
soft
underbellies of the boys
and they go for them.” The student researchers did not believe
their description of this classroom experience was uncommon. John (SR) said he could
“name six or seven teachers [whose classes are similar to this].”
Facultyresearchersreflectedontheirclassroomexperiencesandin-classbanter.They
described it as “quick” or “sarcastic” responses toward the students as a way to discip-
line the class and earn respect. Greg (FR) suggested that, “When we say 'quick' we are
not just saying in terms of time but it has to be a comment that stops the kid. Stops the
kiddead.Itputshiminhisplace;itshowsyourauthorityoverthatsituation.”Mary(FR)
explained this kind of “verbal sparring is currency around here.” She believed that “one
of the ways you are well regarded by students [is] if they see you are able to be verbally
really quick and verbally not necessary mean but clever.” Sara (FR) agreed and sugges-
ted, “When I first came here that was something I felt like I had to learn how to do. To
literarily get control of my classroom I had to be quick because the people who aren't
are the ones who get run over by the kids.” Jill (FR) added, “Sometimes I have to turn
that off on a weekend with my husband. Like this morning I said something quick back
tohimandhesaidyou'renotinschool.I'mlikeohmygodwhydidI[dothat]?Sarcasm
is actually currency around here.”
The student researchers suggested that these types of bullying were so prevalent that
theyalwaysneededtobeonguard.Steve(SR)feltlike,“Itcouldbeanything…nomat-
ter who you are, you are always vulnerable because it could be anyone who takes a shot
at you … from any side pretty much.” Although at first glance it seemed to student re-
searchers that boys could be picked on indiscriminately for any way they differed from
thenorm.However,theseactionswereoftennotarbitrary.Whenwelookedattheverbal
content of the bullying closer, we found it also served to discipline masculine boundar-
ies(aswellasotherhegemonic boundariessuchasrace/ethnicity,socioeconomic status,
religion, and sexual orientation (see Stoudt et al. 2010).
The Rockport community often held unspoken and spoken expectations about gender
and what it means to be a male. It became clear throughout my discussion with the stu-
dent researchers that masculine expectations were present in their lives. For example,
andasmightbepredicted,theyexplainedthatemotionallyexpressivesignsofweakness
