Boys Don't Try? Rethinking Masculinity in Schools

by Matt Pinkett, Mark Roberts

There is a significant problem in our too many boys are struggling. The list of things to concern teachers is long. Disappointing academic results, a lack of interest in studying, higher exclusion rates, increasing mental health issues, sexist attitudes, an inability to express emotions... Traditional ideas about masculinity are having a negative impact, not only on males, but females too. In this ground-breaking book, Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts argue that schools must rethink their efforts to get boys back on track. Boys Don't Try? examines the research around key topics such as anxiety and achievement, behaviour and bullying, schoolwork and self-esteem. It encourages the reader to reflect on how they define masculinity and consider what we want for boys in our schools. Offering practical quick wins, as well as long-term strategies to help boys become happier and achieve greater academic success, the offers ways to avoid problematic behaviour by boys and tips to help teachers address poor behaviour when it happens; highlights key areas of pastoral care that need to be recognised by schools; exposes how popular approaches to "engaging" boys are actually misguided and damaging; details how issues like disadvantage, relationships, violence, peer pressure, and pornography affect boys' perceptions of masculinity and how teachers can challenge these. With an easy-to-navigate three-part structure for each chapter, setting out the stories, key research, and practical solutions, this is essential reading for all classroom teachers and school leaders who are keen to ensure male students enjoy the same success as girls.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Gender, Sociology, School, Feminism

204 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2019

Reviews

[Brandy Cross · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are things I loved about this and things that I really think could have used some work.

E.g., I really love how the authors take time to work through and admit their own problematic views and that they are learning like everyone else. This is wonderful, I admire it and the courage to even include it rather than an anecdote from someone else.

On the other hand, I find items such as assuming the fact that toxic masculinity is about "men" rather than "a socialized item of culture" to be silly. I do, completely understand the reasoning in dumping the word and moving on to something else. It's become an incendiary, and so many people are unable to conceptually split up concepts such as "one form of masculinity" and "all men". Toxic masculinity, as a term, drops in usefulness because people are very likely to react by lashing out or immediately checking out of the conversation (just like with "check your privilege, mansplaining, etc.) and stop listening , which is really detrimental in the case that you actually really want men to listen . So I support that, I just don't think the reasoning listed has any logic to it at all because most people should be able to conceptually sit down and separate the concept of "being a male" and "toxic masculinity".

That aside, this is overall a very decent book. The focus is very narrow, some of the points are incredibly only intended for a single audience, but overall it's very good. Pinkett makes strong points relating to how and why teaching supports unhealthy emotional attitudes and behavior in our boys, which goes on to strangle our men emotionally. Changing this in the home, the classroom, and in life would be a wonderful thing.

* 3 stars for international application, 4 for UK

[Sam Sawazki]

DNF - It wasn’t bad, but there wasn’t much in it that was new to me and no practical way for me to fix things as a female teacher. The thing that stuck with me most is the authors argument on what should be taught. Saying that ignoring student preference for cultural capital is all well and good but places cultural capital in a complete vacuum divorced from the systems that “worthy” media is decided in. The book was also too rooted in the British system so a lot of their discussion didn’t apply. Overall I just wasn’t getting enough out of it to continue, but I continue to believe that the issues of male achievement need to be addressed.

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Els autors parteixen de la idea que els nois tenen més problemes a les aules i menys èxit acadèmic que les noies en general i ens hem de preguntar per què i com solucionar-ho. Identifiquen correctament l'arrel patriarcal, fortament misògina i homòfoba, de "la conducta antiescolar" en comptes de caure en el victimisme i en idees d'ultradreta, no com cert pseudoautor que es dedica a queixar-se que la culpa és dels sistemes educatius actuals perquè "només afavoreixen les noies".

(((M'han resultat bastant més interessants els capítols escrits per Roberts, sobretot en el sentit que dóna consells bastant més útils sobre aquesta habilitat inconcreta i mistificada que aquí anomenem gestió d'aula, i es basa tant en les seves exp com a professor com en les seves experiències com a antic estudiant passota.)))

Segons es veu, cal prestar atenció a la barreja insidiosa entre 1) baixa autoestima/autoconcepte de molts nois pel que fa a l'entorn acadèmic, el que pot portar a 2) actitud defensiva (i autodestructiva) de protecció de l'autoconcepte: prefereixen no intentar-ho de veritat i provar de millorar, ja que "si no ho he intentat, en realitat no he fracassat!". Però a més 3) se senten influits per la peer pressure d'altres nois, de forma que poden evitar destacar acadèmicament, mostrar interès en les matèries, fer els deures a casa, etc. per no perdre popularitat o ser acusats de empollón. Tot això porta a molts nois a amagar-se darrere d'una façana de desinterès, fins i tot de gamberrisme, per tal de no perdre el respecte dels seus companys nois.

(Fins a quin punt això passa? Els autors aporten estadístiques de UK, USA i P. Baixos. És possible que nosaltres estiguem millor???)

Com que els autors són de Regne Unit, resulta curiós que proposin solucions o en refutin d'altres que moltes vegades no tenen res a veure amb el que se m'ha ensenyat a mi al màster del professorat o el que recomanen en general els pedagogs aquí a Catalunya (pregunta: fins a quin punt la pedagogia diu unes coses o altres segons indret geogràfic???).

També perquè allà tenen la mala sort de tenir 1) Moltes escoles que segreguen per sexe -solen ser privades/elitistes- i 2) Una pràctica comuna de segregar classes per nivells -aquí ja àmpliament contestada i en retirada des de fa anys-, de forma que l'alumnat tendeix a sentir-se fatal i molt desmotivat si no està en un bon grup-classe (es veu que a UK fins i tot et poden baixar de grup perquè no tens conducta exemplar encara que siguis brillant acadèmicament). Els autors es caguen en totes dues coses.

Es desaconsellen també certs apropaments sexistes que poden reforçar la conducta masculina antiescolar, a més de "segregar per sexe és millor per als nois" com ara la idea que "els nois són competitius", una bestiesa que jo no havia sentit en ma vida per sort i que la desmunten magníficament, explicant que instaurar la competitivitat a classe és nociu per a tothom. També la idea peregrina que cal adaptar-se als temes suposadament d'interès dels nois, com acabar fent classe de llengua en què es llegeixin diaris sobre partits de futbol, sobre rap, violència, bandes, videojocs i temes bèl·lics, excloent poemes d'amor i així.

És especialment interessant quan desaconsella fer cas a la famosa Piràmide de Dale (en el llibre l'anomenen piràmide de l'aprenentatge) -segons la qual només es recordaria el 10% del que es llegeix, el 20% del que s'escolta, el 30% del que es veu, etc.- i identificant-ho com a neuromite. Una recerca ràpida permet entendre per què aquesta xorrada que ens van inculcar al màster no ha estat mai contrastada.

També es desaconsella fer servir la coavaluació, o com l'anomenen ells "demanar a l'alumnat que puntuin els exàmens dels seus companys" (curiós com ni tan sols fem servir el mateix lèxic pedagògic).

Identifica també com a mites:

"Cal implantar VAK: visual-auditiu-kinèsic, segons el qual tots tenim un estil d'aprenentatge preferit segons el sentit visual, auditiu o tàctil (una altra pseudoteoria ja desmuntada fa temps i crec que sense traducció a Catalunya)"
"Els nois/l'alumnat aprèn millor quan les classes inclouen activitats manuals". (El que ells anomenen estil d'apr. kinèsic)
"A molts els costa estar asseguts i quiets perquè el seu procés d'aprenentatge requereix moviment." i " cal passejar-se per l'aula"
"Dissecionar calamars a classe de biologia + usar la tinta per a dibuixar coses + cuinar els calamars: ciència, art i cuina en una sola lliçó." (em recorda a cert exemple del que aquí anomenaríem "Situacions d'Aprenentatge basada en situacions reals: en aquell cas es proposava estudiar les gavines i si poden ser domesticades, ja que en aquell insti les gavines envaeixen el pati per menjar-se les restes dels entrepans).

I en canvi, alguns consells concrets extremament útils:

-Implicar a famílies amb recompenses immediates: trucar amb bones notícies preferentment, millora relació amb famílies i de fet millora realment el comportament dels nanos. Encara que també se'ls pot anar dient quan les coses no van tan bé, òbviament. Es posen menys a la defensiva, estaran més disposats a col·laborar, molt sovint estan farts de rebre només males notícies.
-No felicitar ni renyar en públic, tenint en compte la peer pressure anteriorment mencionada per a no destacar acadèmicament. Felicitar en privat i/o trucar a casa família amb les bones notícies (retroalimenta el que s'ha dit abans).
-Cridar no serveix per a res (i t'ho explica), en canvi dir "jo no t'estic cridant, per què em crides tu a mi?".
-No identificar de seguida nois com a "pallassos de la classe" quan no ho faries mai amb noies. En general no assenyalar. Dir "els del fons, que m'escoltin" en comptes de dir nom, encara que només estiguis parlant d'una persona.
-No tolerar que s'escaquegin/no treballin a classe.
-Expectatives altes en general.
-Fer servir humor va bé, ha d'estar relacionat amb els continguts de l'aula però. No fer servir mai sarcasme. No fer servir mai bromes pesades. No riure dels alumnes ni dels altres prof.
L'èxit escolar genera més motivació, més que "la motivació és el que porta a l'èxit".
-I moltes altres coses més!

No em voldria deixar de mencionar que el llibre parla de moltes altres coses, relacionades amb patriarcat i masculinitat en educació: assetjament, salut mental, suïcidi, autolesions (certa conducta antiescolar i les baralles/cops de puny a la paret també poden ser formes d'autolesió!), impacte de la pornografia, impacte de cultura misògina i homòfoba i cultura de la violació, impacte de racisme en educació, impacte de classe social. L'efecte Pigmalió i l'efecte Golem (nom de l'efecte contrari). Estudis sobre el fet que en realitat molts professors d'entrada no tenen gaires expectatives ni bona opinió dels nois i això provoca profecies autocomplides. Bastants consells per a profs, per a avaluadors de profs i per a escoles/equips directius.

[mollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️’s* (Outstanding). Pinkett and Roberts present a thoughtful and thoroughly researched project which encourages us to reflect on how we should be defining masculinity as well as considering what we want for boys in our classrooms. An essential read for any trainee teachers or NQT’s.

[Ciudad Amores, Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante. El enfoque desde la escuela inglesa hace que, en muchos aspectos, nos parezca que aquí las cosas van mejor... Pero nuestro sistema educativo también tiene un montón de flaquezas que afectan al bienestar emocional y académico de los chicos, y el machismo nos envuelve sin darnos cuenta...

El libro propone tips concretos para detectar y corregir las actitudes machistas que adopta la propia comunidad educativa,. La reflexión autocrítica se hace evidente.

[Jael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been, and will be, useful in so many ways. As a student teacher, this book introduced me to the many areas of education in which non-tender masculinity manifests itself while backing claims up with actual research and strategies for making a difference. While the focus was mainly on boys, I believe many suggestions can be applied to your class as a whole.

Since Boys Don't Try? does a good job of making you think, I will definitely go back to this book in the future to make sure I keep on reflecting on my own role in a school surrounding the issue of non-tender masculinity.

[Will Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very relevant and practical look into the reality of being male in an English comprehensive with realistic ideas and observations of how to understand boys in the classroom. Felt like someone had perfectly typed up my experience of being at school and the result of this in your/our adult lives. Was especially interested in how current male attitudes are shaped at school and through male peer interactions. Really loved how the author even investigated his own masculinity and how hard this has been to shift from what you are taught/ experience.

[Johan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why is this book so highly rated? Dont get it. Its so focused on describing the problem (macho attitudes, a lack of study focus, porn, racism etc) but says so little about solutions. General statements as create tender masculinity within the school is not enough.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read on this topic for teachers. Good companion to Cordelia Fine's 'Delusions of Gender'. Takes the statistical realities of areas where boys struggle in school compared to girls but then flips the usual answers on their head. Debunks many things that are supposedly 'male learning styles' and shows how they are often damaging and diminishing for boys. Argues for rigour for boys in schools and high standards. Argues that boys are being damaged by masculine stereotypes and suggests 'tender masculinity' as a way forward. Highly recommended for teachers.

[Anneka Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really helpful. And I say that both as a parent and as a teacher. I think that this is essential reading in these days of social-media misogynist manipulators and pornography more available and prevalent than ever. Some parts of this book I actually found quite emotional to read, due to the terrible pressures on boys and girls to behave according to stereotype (some of it as bad as it ever was) but also due to the brave and brilliant things school leaders, parents and teachers are doing to try and counteract all of the nonsense.

[Marc Armengol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lectura interessant per analitzar la conducta dels estudiants homes a les aules. Els autors descriuen patrons que han observat i estudiat. Alhora aporten estratègies per intervenir als espais educatius.
Hi ha punts que no he compartit amb els autors, de la mateixa manera hi ha capítols que no he llegit perquè se'm feia repetitius.

[Guido · Rating 2 out of 5]

...and a half

[Liberty Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

just trying to get in their heads

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely an insightful read and especially at first, I was reading and reading almost without pause - although for the first time in a while I have many sticky labels sticking out of it and highlighting within - and now I have finished I’ll try my hardest to put into practice, at least in my classrooms, as much as I can, especially to do with the ‘can do’ and the language we use in education with our next generations. Recommended to all teachers.

[Vivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I read from the men/boys perspective of gender studied and I am very glad it exists and think it's a great start for further research. One thing I learned is how boys getting into fights and not taking interest in learning can be a method of self-harm. It really convinced me that both women and men need to assess their own gender influence.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every teacher working in schools today should read this. Insightful and practical, with an accessible mixture of theory, research and the authors’ own experiences in schools, the chapters address (and often challenge) societal expectations around masculinity and how boys and girls are often indirectly victimised because of them. There are also helpful links made back to previous chapters which paints a stark and profound picture of how these issues weave together and rarely stand in isolation. Perhaps most importantly, it offers practical guidance on how to enact change in your school, from a single interaction with a student to whole-school initiatives. I’m ineffably happy this book has been published, long overdue but entirely worth the wait.

[Richard Spear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Lots of practical things to apply as a teacher including:

1) Engaging boys in learning does not require making everything hobby related, competitive or related to the mythical VAK learning styles. But do follow Rosenshine’s principles of learning: begin each lesson with a review of prior learning, provide models (with scaffolding), guide practice, check for understanding, high success rate (80%).

2) sometimes private praise may be a better motivator for some students due to the cultural baggage of being ‘truly male’ . Eg. Work avoidance.

3) tackling myths about masculinity in terms of success in stereotypical subjects.

4) Genuinely having high expectations for both boys and girls in terms of academic success.

5) the sex of the teacher does not make a difference to the progress of boys, the qualities and expectations of the teacher does.

[Clare Pirie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d recommend this book to anyone with an interest in education or improving outcomes for children and young people.
I’ve shared my reflections here: https://claretalksteaching.school.blo...

[Lord Rochester · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this text and had looked forward to reading it, but unfortunately it was not what I had hoped it would be. In fact, it was very much the opposite of what I had hoped it would be.

Like many writers working in education and writing on it, the author(s) wrote a blog, did a bit of professional reading, and now bring light to fellow teachers who dwell in darkness. But I am left with the same question with this text as I have been with others like it: who is it for?

The nature of boys as outlined in the book - the problem - is rather oddly defined and I cannot imagine who the audience for its conclusions and suggestions therefore are. At the end, SLTs and NQTs are mentioned as a potential audience: but it would have to be a member of a SLT who had never worked with boys before, was lacking in basic understanding of national policies, and would then surely be woefully incompetent and over-promoted. The NQTs could only be people who have never encountered boys before or who lack basic common sense around male learners: perhaps a female NQT who had been brought up in austere, female-only private education and suddenly found herself dunked in a state school in a poverty-stricken area. In other words, any teacher with any life experience will find much of the content and suggestions in this book obvious and instinctive.

I am definitely not the audience for this book. This is because my life story is virtually identical to that of the author(s) themselves, my job-history is identical, my subject is the same, but my experience is longer. It was therefore quite difficult to listen to the sage advice of these two when it was presented in such a patronizing style, littered with strawman situations and anecdotes presented as every-man experiences (full disclosure, I listened to the Audiobook and Rupert Holliday-Evans' adenoidal voice exacerbated the often sneering tone, particularly in the earlier chapters). As other reviewers have said, I had hoped for practical strategies for engaging boys that respected boys, but this is not what this book is. It is essentially a text firmly rooted in the identity politics of the 2010s - a Gillette advert telling teachers to 'do better.' The opening attempts to deflect from this by rejecting 'toxic masculinity' as a term and replacing it with the euphemism 'non-tender masculinity.' But that is really just semantics: it is impossible for me as a teacher of boys, who cares about boys' attainment, to read this book and not be left with the distinct impression that the authors take as a given that boys are fundamentally created in a state of error which teachers have a social-responsibility to rectify. I suspect the authors won't realise that that is how the book now sounds: I suspect they were carried on a wave at the time of writing.

As a result of the above, the piece doesn't really give any breathtaking advice that would make the text worth the price. Things like 'not shouting', 'not using sarcasm', 'challenging sexism when it happens' and so on were hardly illuminating (again, who on earth needs to be told that?). Holding up as proof examples of isolated, foolish teachers saying incomprehensibly stupid things (in some cases all the way back to the 1980s and 1990s) which I have never encountered colleagues doing in equally tough schools over a longer period than the authors doesn't demonstrate convincing need. There were also too many cherry-picked testimonies and some really silly anecdotes which similarly failed to convince: I have to say that the one which will stay with me forever now is the teeth-grindingly myopic one about one of the authors feeling disenfranchised by studying Hines' 'A Kestrel for a Knave' rather than 'King Lear' when he was fifteen...

I am still looking for that book which chimes with my own experience of teaching boys and helps me find new ways to guide them, celebrate them, work with their maleness as a positive, rather than fixate on channeling them away from some presumed innate or socially-constructed wrongness. On that road, I don't need bloggers to talk me through their subjective epiphanies or their hot take on gender studies.

In fairness, I will end by saying it was not utterly without merit as - as always with these books - the studies referenced sometimes sounded interesting: for example, the section which defined some boys' violence as a form of self-harm was a different way to articulate that issue and helped me frame something I had always understood in terms other colleagues might find helpful. Hence the two-stars. But, that said, as with so many books of this sort, I often wonder if I would have been better just looking at the list of source papers in the bibliography and cutting out the blogging-middlemen.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Key takeaways:

There is no evidence whatsoever for a 'gendered' approach to teaching. Girls and boys do not need to be educated separately on in differential ways. The best way to teach boys is the best way to teach all pupils- with high expectations, consistency and positivity.

Humour is key to getting to pupils on side. I would liked more here than 'be funny', particularly as we are also warned not to use 'laddish' 'banter' to appeal to boys as this ultimately reifies toxic masculinity.

Teaching is an inherently middle class profession in which the values of the middle classes are imposed upon the progeny of the working class- often with underlying hostility and a great deal of presumption about their lives and their parents.

Do not use 'competition' to get boys on side- it only reinforces this as a 'masculine' quality and ultimately undermines learning.

Setting is unhelpful and should be ditched- this final suggestion, alongside the rejection of extension tasks, has much broader horizons than the premise of the book. Given that the book debunks the idea of tailoring lessons specifically to boys in the first few pages, it is not surprising that it ends up being more about sound educational practice in general.

Ultimately I found it a little lightweight and unfocussed but with some useful suggestions and interesting observations sprinkled throughout.

[Ken Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim when there was an audible sale, because I fancied the title.

I didn't expect to find myself taking notes throughout. I learned of some fascinating concepts, such as the golem / Pygmalion effect. While I have always been an advocate for gender equality through activism focusing on each gender, I didn't know some of the statistics surround male suicide. I also didn't realize there was a swath of research being conducted on disruptive "laddish" behavior which my own years in school were hampered by.

Lastly, I didn't expect to be touched on a personal level, when Pinkett said (paraphrased): "Men will teach their boys that it's okay to cry, then never cry themselves". I never internalized that concept myself, and it, ironically, brought tears to my eyes. While I haven't been afraid of crying for some years, the concept of advocating for expressing emotions vs actually allowing oneself to experience them was eye-opening.

Thank you, Matt Pinkett, I'm glad you weren't satisfied with just inspiring students, but had to spread your wise words to readers globally.

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iegādājoties šo Audible, nepamanīju, ka tā ir domāta skolotājiem 🤷‍♀️ un skaidrs, ka vairāk attiecas uz britu skolām un to mācību modeli. Taču, neskatoties uz to, man šķiet, ka arī Latvijas skolu skolotājiem un direktoriem būtu nepieciešams šo izlasīt. Godīgi sakot, es nezinu, vai Latvijas skolās ar puišu uzvedību ir tik traki kā britu skolās 😳 es ceru, ka ne. Tomēr jau skolas (un arī bērnudārza) vecumā būtu nepieciešams cīnīties ar stereotipiem, lai neiebrauktu lielākās auzās jau pieaugušā vecumā.

Lai gan grāmatā aprakstītie ieteikumi ir skolām - par to, kā veiksmīgāk iesaistīt puišus mācību procesā, ko darīt ar “bara” uzvedību, tiek arī runāts par garīgo veselību un seksuālo orientāciju un dzimuma lomu, arī skolas vecuma (un jaunākiem) puišu (un arī meiteņu 🤷‍♀️) vecākiem ir vērtīgas lietas, ko pārrunāt mājās pie vakariņu galda.

[K-dizzle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does a good job of incorporating research to argue the case for encouraging tender masculinity in schools. The focus of the chapters covers various facets of masculinity and how its influence changes how boys 'act' in and out of the classroom. The solutions offered are accessible to teachers in various stages of their careers and will hopefully encourage the spread of tender masculinity in classrooms around the country. My criticism would be the validity of some of the 'anecdotal evidence' that, while making for an excellent reading, shouldn't objectively inform conclusions. Especially in education, where research already has to contend with the challenge of not being 'scientific enough'.

[Alžběta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a teacher, but my son will be starting school soon and I wanted to educate myself about what kind of challenges he might face once he starts. "Boys Don't Try?" is an excellent resource for both teachers and parents and the authors, Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts, powerfully illustrate how harmful sexism and stereotyping are for both girls and boys.
I couldn't help but wonder, however, how much we as a society expect, even demand, from our teachers without providing them with sufficient financial appreciation and social status for the critical and incredibly challenging work they do. I will do my utmost to support our teachers and school, but a seismic shift is needed in how our society views and treats teachers if we want them to be able to do their job well.

[Allan Claydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic resource for approaching education for all students, fact and data driven answers to how we can bridge the gap in attainment as well as dispelling myths surrounding engaging and supporting male pupils.

It is mildly repetitive at times and for someone who has studied some of these topics more widely you may find some information as a given however the purpose of this is to be a complete entry into this field and in that way it is an excellent resource and one I think every teacher at any stage should read

Considering it is very academic in tone and is research based I was pleasantly surprised by how digestible and readable it is, though potentially as it is written by trained English teachers that should be a given!

[Daniel Durantes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores libros sobre educación que he leído en los últimos años. Los autores, profesores, aportan sus propias experiencias y las de terceros, junto con estudios e investigaciones, para poner sobre la mesa un tema muy conocido pero sobre el que no se aborda de forma certera en los centros escolares: la masculinidad no tierna (lo que conocemos como masculinidad tóxica) y cómo esta dificulta la convivencia y el rendimiento escolar en los chicos (y también en las chicas). Una lectura muy interesante y con recomendaciones, orientaciones y consejos para la práctica diaria de docentes y para la dirección de centros, así que no puedo más que recomendarla a todos los compis docentes y también a todos los padres (con P).

[Jennifer Goddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW – Boys Don’t Try
Jennifer Goddard

Pinkett, M. & Roberts M. (2019). Boys Don’t Try: Rethinking masculinity in schools. Routledge, Oxon.
This thought-provoking book about boys and their gender differences was written from the shop floor by Matt Pinkett, a Head of English in Surrey, and Mark Roberts, an Assistant Principal at a mixed comprehensive school, ages 11 – 18 (our years 7 to 13) in Devon. Both men are active practitioners in schools and have a history of studying and publishing on behaviour and gender.
In our school this has also been a topic of interest and research, with disturbing results showing significantly higher stress levels for girls over boys. Unpacking those differences is a current preoccupation of mine and one I have investigated and taken in a paper to a forum on Educational Issues, in Oxford, U.K, in 2019.
Pinkett and Roberts challenge the common practice of teaching to what we imagine to be boys’ interests. This involves trying to be topical, current, provocative, populist and superficial. Nothing too deep. They suggest challenging boys to rise to more academic interests rather than teaching down to a lesser standard.
Along with a call to higher expectations they name and expose crude and sexist behaviour towards girls and female staff in comprehensive schools. They note deteriorating behaviour that pushes ideas of decency to the edge and must render school a fearsome sparring ground for female teachers and students alike. These affronts to women are often dismissed as jokes. Women are expected to “handle” the assaults and insults, often with little or no support from senior staff.
Unconscious bias has a way of showing itself, in what we laugh at and tolerate, or in casual remarks that betray negative assumptions or pander to stereotypes. The end result is that girls are disadvantaged, but also, that good boys lose out, missing opportunities to be excited by learning and challenged to rise to better behaviour towards women. This book is a call to challenge these deteriorating standards and to aim for greater equality between male and female in our schools, and higher expectations for both learning and behaviour.

Postscript: Recipe for success with boys in the classroom. Page 137.
1. Teach the pupil not the gender
2. High challenge (with support)
3. Warm but demanding
4. Clear routines
5. Orderly environment

[Heidi Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a re-read but honestly this book is fantastic. Since reading it I have changed a lot about my teaching practice including the choice of text. If you are wondering what to do about how aspects of contemporary models of masculinity affect boys (and girls) in school this is the book for you. Structured with an exploration of an issue followed with tips for how those in leadership and classroom teachers can respond, this is a well researched and supported book and one I keep coming back to.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work in an all boys comprehensive and its unbelievable how many biases you can take into the classroom regarding "boy behaviour" and was a welcome reflection into my own practice.

A decent and solution focused read generally. Some chapters weren't relevant to me or (in my opinion) problems that can't even begin to be addressed by education (and nor should they be) , but we're OK in providing context.

Some bits are rambling and the message gets lost, but a book that makes you think and reflect is a good a book as any.

[Jessica Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I considered myself a fairly enlightened teacher before I read this. What I found, to my surprise, were insights I had yet to consider. Pitfalls I still fell into. ‘Minor’ mistakes I made which could have major consequences.

I’m so glad I read this book. It’s allowed me to reconsider some of my teaching practices. Easy to read and utterly informative, it leaves you with brimming with ideas to create a classroom in which tender masculinity is the norm.