Boys flunk life 101

[sugarimp]

By Steve Israel, Times Herald-Record

The most profound open secret in our nation, one that will soon rip apart the fabric of our society, is this: Boys are in trouble. They are falling far behind girls in elementary school, in college, in life.An 11th-grade boy now reads and writes at the level of an eighth-grade girl. Just three decades ago,

Comments

[nemesisbecoming]

*insert Fight Club monologue here*

;P

[ladyofannwn]

: D i was thinking the same thing.

[crazypumpkin]

As a teacher and a woman, this really strikes a bad chord with me.
Its based too much on sterotype.
Teachers now a days are taught to adapt their teaching to the needs of their kids, boy/girl, high/low energy, visual/verbal/tacile learners, whatever combination the kids may be. Being a recently trained teacher, I know this.
To me, as a society, we've always assumed "boys can" and that we needed to encourage girls. But boys no longer get the message that they can succeed, but we still encourage girls. We need to be encouraging everyone, regardless of gender.

[lamaupin]

Amen.

[gaelfarce]

That's true..we are taught to do that but look at the programs and emphasis at the institutional level. There is a bias and it's now swung towards women and girls.

[pajama_party01]

Exactly, of course we don't want any group of students to be falling behind but that headline just seems to be screaming "DUDE, boys are smarter anymore, we're all going to DIIIIEEEE!!!"

[sekhmetsat]

as a parent of two boys, i can tell you first-hand that teachers (especially first-year female ones) DESPISE boys. my oldest is quiet and bookish, has no problems(other than organization)... my youngest, well, he was a wiggleworm, liked to lay down, not sit during storytime, and had a vivid imagination, which i encouraged. i had to stop because he incorporated the folktale monsters into stories and artwork at school, causing the zero-tolerance policy to fall down on us. btw, the youngest is also in the top of the class academically. being a boy today SUCKS. oh, and to read my son's things that were deemed too violent:
http://sekhmetsat.livejournal.com/207992.html

[sbarret]

Not at all. Nor is it a cry for attention. Isn't it Hansel and Gretel where the kids are tossed in an oven to be baked by a witch? Little Red Riding hood is threatened to be eaten by the wolf who ate her grandmother?

Looks to me like normal kid writing for someone between 7-10 yrs old.

[stateofwonder]

Until there are more women CEOs, doctors, lawyers, engineers, professors and politicians than men, I'm not going to worry about it.

[sugarimp]

I know. The article is a bit too sensationalist for my liking.

[pschogrl613]

They've been saying all this stuff for years.

[middle_savagery]

Exactly.

[melsmarsh]

The inferior performance of boys is so common, girls in elementary schools have a saying to describe it: "Girls rule, boys drool."

Um... they were saying this back when my mom was in school.

[idealforcolors]

yeah, it has nothing to do with academic performance whatsoever!

[fakefrancais]

boys go to jupiter to get more stupider

[lamaupin]

...girls go to college to get more knowledge!

Cootie shot anyone?