This past Tuesday night, we had a lively discussion in the graduate class I am teaching about gender issues in the curriculum. Our reading assignment had centered around girls and the bias against females, especially in the "hidden curriculum". The next morning I picked up the Charlotte Observer and on the editorial page was a column about the effects of underachieving boys! We really did not address that last night but it is a very big concern and ties in well to all that we have been talking about in reforming curriculum and making teaching and learning more relevant and engaging for everyone. Boys are more likely than girls to have poor grades, be learning disabled, be held back a grade, be suspended or expelled, have a negative attitude toward school and ultimately dropout at higher numbers. We also know that over the past few years, that women outnumber men 4 to 3 in college. The current generation is the first in which women are more educated than their male counterparts. This leads to a myriad of other problems that affect our economy and society as a whole. Again, what are we doing with curriculum and instruction to ensure that EVERYONE gets a rigorous, relevant engaging education enabling them to excel and be successful in life?
This is so true. I have 1 girl and 2 boys. I find it much more difficult for the guys. My 9th grade son has always struggled in school. He is smart, but the traditional way of doing things has not always been the "best fit" for him. Honestly, if it were not for the athletic programs, I would really struggle to keep him motivated. I do feel that the changes we have talked about can only make learning more enticing for ALL types of students: AIG,EC and those like Brad...somewhere in the Middle. Maybe by the time their children are in the system, progress will have been made. In fact, the youth of today may be the very ones who make it happen! :)
ReplyDeleteOne of the big problems too is our fascination with 'equality'. In other countries boys start school at age 6, and girls at age 5, which puts boys more on par with girls. In still others the children start K when they can do certain gross body skills, and circulate in K until the teacher decides they are ready for 1st grade. Since 1st grade classes start every few months or so the children are not at all aware of where they are in the educational process, and parents do not go through the 'end-of-the-school-year-omg-my-child-will-be-scorned-for-life-if-he/she-does-not-move-to-1st-grade-on-time!' syndrome. Since our boys are already behind after K, we need a fairly dramatic change to the entire system.
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