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The Trouble With Boys (from the Oregonian Blog)
By Tobi Kibel Piatek | November 18, 2008
Amy Wang of The Oregonian staff posted this piece. I think this is a great addition to the conversation on THIS blog about boys and school.
”Recently a new book, “The Trouble With Boys,” by Peg Tyre, caught my eye. With two young sons at home, I had to read it.
Tyre, a journalist who also is a mother of two sons, argues that today’s boys are suffering from the law of unintended consequences — that decades of work to ensure a level playing field for girls have been so successful that boys have been left on the sidelines. Among her observations and conclusions:
• Many preschool programs do not make enough allowances for boys’ greater need to burn off energy, which Tyre argues sets boys up for classification as behavioral problems at a higher rate than girls. Classrooms are not spacious enough for children to move around freely; teachers often expect children to sit quietly for long periods and/or allow them to do only structured crafts and activities; and schedules don’t build in enough outdoor free-play time.
• Many elementary schools have had to sacrifice recess and physical education — a key way for boys to recharge, Tyre says — to fulfill the academic mandates of No Child Left Behind. And men are underrepresented in the teaching ranks, depriving boys of crucial role models.
• By secondary school, many boys are disengaging. One boy interviewed for the book told Tyre that academics and extracurricular activities are viewed as a “girl thing.”
• Girls are applying to college in significantly higher numbers than boys, to the point where Tyre found that some admissions offices have quietly instituted unofficial affirmative action programs for male applicants.
• Overall, Tyre says, boys are far more likely to be labeled with learning disabilities and as disciplinary or behavioral problems and placed in special education classrooms.
Tyre has her critics, who say she’s part of a backlash movement against feminism. She counters that she’s not trying to take anything away from girls’ achievements — rather, she fears boys are being pushed into the second-class citizen status that used to be held by girls.”
What do you think? Post your comments below.
Topics: Uncategorized |
November 18th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Thanks so much for the mention and I hope your readers get a chance to check out my book. Much good stuff in there for parents and for teachers.
Warmly,
Peg Tyre
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 am
I think Pegtyre is right… but not all academic school populated by girls specially in college. However, girls are more serious when it comes in study but mind you, Boys has a big capabilities in most all aspects than Woman.
Like for example:
There are many male scientist than female. In Thinking, Boys over pass Girls.