Summary and Response of "When Bright Girls Decide that Math is a Waste of TIme"

In this article Susan Jacoby talks about why girls tend to dislike math and science even though they make good grades. Jacoby says that girls put up a mental block about math and science by saying it’s a masculine subject. Therefore, girls often tend to not want to participate in math and science for fear of being too smart and, as a consequence, having guys lose interest in them. It has also been proven that guys will excel and make better grades than girls in math by the time they hit twelfth grade. The other topic Jacoby discusses is: girls who stop taking math and science classes sabotage their careers and professions. This is why many girls seek professions in fine arts, social sciences, and education. Not taking the two courses also limits the understanding of how the physical world works. The main message Jacoby makes is that girls shouldn’t divide math, science, and English into masculine and feminine stereotypes and that they should take the courses even it they don’t want to.
In my experience math and science have never been a girl’s favorite subject; they certainly aren’t mine. But I have come to notice that some girls like a particular type of science, such as anatomy. The whole masculine and feminine categorization of math, science, and English is just another way to get out of something, in this case taking the subject. Girls who think that upper level math and science make them look to smart and unpopular with the boys are unaware; being smart can actually make a person more popular because everyone will want to study with them and they will also be the ones called on to answer questions. Consequently, more people will notice them and want to be as smart as them. For a girl being smart isn’t a bad thing; just like a boy being smart isn’t a bad thing. I agree, with Jacoby, that girls shouldn’t stop taking math and science and that their parents should encourage them, to take the courses, as well. By taking math and science we are able to advance further in the world.