#manterrupter

Over the past few weeks, I like many others, have been transfixed by the US Presidential debates. The dominance of Trump in the conversation is thought-provoking. Trump continually interrupted Clinton through the debates, taking 15% more time on centre stage and getting the final word in each night.

Studies show that men can tend to dominate the conversation in the workplace too. This silencing of women is now even written into our common language, with words such as manterrupting: the unnecessary interruption of a woman by a man.

Our ethos at Putney High School is to ensure that our pupils have a voice in the classroom so they are ready to be heard in the boardroom. As one Year 12 student here at Putney High School said: “You may be the best engineer in the room but if you aren’t able to communicate those ideas, they are worthless.” Here are five ways we ensure our pupils’ voices are heard:

Our students should be heard, not just seen We encourage girls to be vocal from the early years by being open to their comments and complaints! We value their input by actively listening and responding to them. All girls from Reception upwards are encouraged to take a vocal part in school life with initiatives such holding TED talks, contributing to the school council and exchanging ideas in mini-PIE sessions.

Bring on the debate An ability to develop arguments quickly and then present those arguments convincingly to one’s peers is an essential skill. At Putney High, debating is a widely employed teaching technique for developing confidence, a capacity for independent critical judgement, an awareness of current affairs, and the maturity to appreciate that a single issue can be viewed from a range of equally valid standpoints.

Don’t limit the talk We take intellectual agility beyond the classroom, both inside and outside of school. We don’t just pay lip service to suggestions, we action them if it’s feasible. Students have an active role in the day to day life of the school, influencing decisions on school meals, homework and their surroundings through the School Council and many other forums. They have informed the design of the Performing Arts Centre and initiated our very own Reading Week. 

Laugh off the nerves There are lots of ways in which we build confidence and encourage girls to think on their feet, sometimes even using improvised comedy. This allows them to take risks in a safe and supported environment, helping develop creativity and resilience. Peter Maskell, our Debating & Public Speaking Coordinator, said: “Girls are brilliant at pre-prepared speeches but can find it difficult to think on their feet so I use ‘Just a minute’ style games to help students speak off the cuff.”

Encourage constructive criticism It’s important to build a safe space in which girls are encouraged to feedback and nurture their mistakes in a supportive environment. At Putney High we use technology such as iPads to film and allow students to watch themselves in action and critique their own performance.

So whatever the result in America, it has highlighted the relevance and importance to us of why we are so passionate about the education of women in its widest context.

So today in class we were discussing the Hillary vs Turmp debate 

I said one of Trump’s biggest mistakes was constantly interrupting her and the moderator. Here he is, a cis white hetero man speaking loudly over a woman and a black man. 

“That’s Tumblr culture!” a brony yelled from the back of the class as I spoke. A huge smile on his face with this seemingly winning statement despite 80% of the room not understanding the reference.

I kept trying to calmly explain it is not. It is a racial and cultural and sexist issue. It is a thing men constantly do, interrupting women. 

And LISTEN LISTEN just as I’m saying this 

HE   I N T E R R U P T S   M E   

he legit interrupts a woman in order to say “women interrupt too!”

“Said the man while he interrupted me,” I deadpanned. 

There was this sudden silence across the classroom. I couldn’t believe this. The Brony smiled, blind to his own undoing. The teacher looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.