Books for boys discussion

The Center for Education Policy notes that smaller number of males are graduating colleges and universities compared to women. Many teachers and administrators suggest that this is directly related to the idea that public schools fail to connect with boys when it comes to introducing reading/writing skills.

What are your thoughts?

With absolutely no statistics to back me up, I suspect that's true. I suspect public schools more and more are failing to connect with most students of any gender/race/etc when it comes to introducing reading/writing skills.

Public education has become so politicized, it's become risky to introduce students to difficult topics - and difficult topics engage their brains. When their brains are engaged, they learn and want to keep learning. But . . . can't have it that way. Not without signing parental permissions slips in triplicate and taking out lawsuit insurance. Not to mention the deliberate attempt, at least here in America, to dummy education down to mind-numbing insignificance. (For evidence of that, I point to the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary. Bye-bye, brains.)

And, in my personal opinion, boys seem so often drugged instead of allowed to be boys, anymore. Let them go outside and run their lungs out for 45 minutes, then give them lunch and a nap; now let's do some educating. Nope. Stuff 'em into a classroom at 8 a.m., send them to the nurse at 11 a.m. for their meds, let them out for 16 minutes after cramming their lunches down their throats, then back inside until 3 p.m. This is cruel and unusual punishment. All kids need lots and lots of exercise and play, and boys in particular seem to need very active exercise and play. To deny it them, and then expect them to just naturally be fascinated by and grateful for everything we plunk in front of them is horrible. Connect their reading and writing to what they like to do, and you'll see them reading and writing like nobody's business. Until then . . . they're going to fall farther behind, not just of women, but of society as a whole.

Full disclosure: I taught public h.s. English for ten years.

Thanks for your post, Kate! I also taught in public schools for a little while, but left before they could crush my soul. I totally agree that a lot of US public schools, as you say, don't let boys be boys. How do we expect boys to sit still in rows for 7+ hours a day? And how normal rambunctious behavior is suddenly being decried as "toxic" just drives me nuts.

Anyway, I started reading your book, and as a dog lover I'm enjoying it so far!

Glad you're enjoying the book, and oh, I share your nutsiness!