Walk Like a Man

In her article, Discords: Feminist Pedagogy in Music Education, Roberta Lamb states, “There is disbelief in woman as conductor, such that an expectation that I will have to prove myself through performance (walk like a man) is always (already) just beneath the surface of classroom actuality” (1996, p. 128). In this quote, the phrase “walk like a man” really hits me. We have often discussed the idea that a black person who succeeds in our society has to adhere to white culture. Inherently, the black person has to become “white” to be successful. If the black person holds on to their cultural identity, the person will fail. This quote has made me consider this concept in a different light. I am a white woman; however, I was always aware of the privilege that male peers of mine received over me. Because of this privilege, a large majority of my life I tried to become “male”. I began rejecting female things, such as make-up and the color pink. I also refused to show emotion in public. I punished myself when I would cry, because men don’t cry. I essentially wanted to hide the fact that I was a woman because women do not succeed. I believe this ties into Elizabeth Gould’s presentation at the conference about how gay teachers need to teach in drag. Why is it that everyone that is not a heterosexual white male has to change who they are to succeed in society? How can we as teachers stop this phenomena?