Gender Bias in the ClassroomEvery day in class, students read textbooks and listen to their teachers. How come boys and girls receive different education? Gender bias and gender roles in the classroom have lasting effects on children. Gender equality has been a topic of discussion in education for many years. It is important to examine gender differences between female and male students. Before any discussion begins, the definitions of sex, gender and gender bias should be clearly defined. Sex is the personal quality determined by biological and genetic characteristics. Gender or gender role is the social and symbolic construct that expresses the meaning that a society associates with biological sex. Gender bias in a school environment is defined as the way boys and girls are treated differently. The way teachers talk to students, the topics students are encouraged to study, and the way textbooks represent gender roles are all linked to gender bias. One of the questions that always comes up in these discussions is when the development of gender roles begins. Everyone agrees that the media, literature and society all have their part in defining these roles. This is easily seen in our society. For example, how do you know what sex a newborn is? Simply by looking at the hat on baby's head: blue for boys and pink for girls. Even the words we use to describe boys and girls exhibit a classification system. Boys are often described as handsome, tough and hardworking. The girls are delighted to see how pretty and so sweet they are. The foundations for the development of a child's perception of gender roles begin at an early age at home. Young children begin to identify gender roles long before they enter the classroom. These factors carry weight in technology for school-age children who can come from several different fields. One of the main ones is the house. Fathers are those who are considered computer literate. Boys often use computers more in class than girls. Part of this may have to do with a teacher using it to get the boy to conform to passivity and silence. These findings have already helped begin to promote gender-neutral ideas, such as using technology from a young age and installing home computers in gender-neutral areas. There is no easy way to eliminate gender bias from our school systems. Children will continue to be exposed to traditional gender roles through media, literature and society. By expanding knowledge about gender bias in the classroom, more future educators and current teachers can begin to open the doors to a different world for boys and girls..