Practicing What We Teach:
Feminist Strategies for Teaching about Sexism
by Martha Copp and Sherryl Kleinman
What we do in the classroom is our politics. No matter
what we may say about Third World this or feminist that, our actions and
our interactions with our students week in week out prove what we are
for and what we are against in the long run. There is no substitute for
practice. (Tompkins 660)
For decades, feminist teachers have been working in a chilly political climate.
Rightwing critics claim that women's studies programs suffer from "insularity
and narrowness, ideological bias, and a tendency toward misinformation"
(Vickers 9; see also Hoff Sommers; Patai and Koertge). In the mainstream
media, feminism is both vilified and trivialized. It's no wonder that many
students doubt that sexism exists. Some believe that the problem isn't sexism,
but feministsÑespecially feminist teachers—who make a big deal out
of what "little" gender inequality there is.
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