General admission bias in favor of male applicants

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys.

How exactly is that happening? I'm not seeing it. Schools are bending over backwards to make learning and especially reading hateful to boys.

How is reading hateful to boys? Didn't they used to teach boys to read but not girls? Aren't most classical authors men? There is no reason boys can't read at the same level as girls. You have to be able to sit and concentrate in order to read. Boys need to learn how to do that.

Literally half the books my sophomore in HS was assigned were about rape.

DP: what are some of the titles? So far, my son seems to only be assigned classics. Same books I read with a few contemporary authors that are now under the umbrella of great books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys.

How exactly is that happening? I'm not seeing it. Schools are bending over backwards to make learning and especially reading hateful to boys.

How is reading hateful to boys? Didn't they used to teach boys to read but not girls? Aren't most classical authors men? There is no reason boys can't read at the same level as girls. You have to be able to sit and concentrate in order to read. Boys need to learn how to do that.

You obviously don't have a son. If you did, you would know there are books that boys actively like to read - they will do so voluntarily - and books that boys actively hate to read. Women English teachers (a redundant formulation, I know) are seemingly only capable of assigning the latter as class reading. I suspect it's because they are only assigning books they like without any thought for what boys like. Last year DS said his teacher told the class they could choose from among five books to write a report on - she said "you will really like these books!" - and every single one of them was a book designed to appeal only to girls. Talk about completely oblivious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys. The bar has gotten lower and lower, but I guess it’s not low enough.

My dad who was educated by nuns, likes to say he's glad he had daughters because boys need to be beaten into submission. Perhaps the removal of corporal punishment is the liberalism PP is bemoaning? None of this is my experience, I have a son and daughter who've both made it to college. DD has graduated with honors, and it's too soon to know if DS will match that, but he is plenty studious. If he's had a beef with some of the classroom management along the way, that's for him to sort. Actually, both had some of the same teachers, and mostly agreed in their gripes. This included male teachers with weird foibles, too.

I'm a man, and when I was a boy I was frequently beaten by teachers and by my parents. I completely disagree that boys need to be beaten. I have never needed to hit my sons. However, it ought to be obvious that boys need a different teaching style than girls, and you motivate boys differently from girls. I guess it's not obvious, though, at least to women, because women teachers invariably use the same teaching style on boys as they use on girls. This doesn't work but women teachers don't care, or just think the problem is the boys and not their teaching.

Teachers don’t have time or resources to differentiate their teaching style for every type of learner. (Because it goes way past girls vs. boys.) If whatever’s happening isn’t working for your boy, you can seek out single-sex education or homeschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys.

How exactly is that happening? I'm not seeing it. Schools are bending over backwards to make learning and especially reading hateful to boys.

How is reading hateful to boys? Didn't they used to teach boys to read but not girls? Aren't most classical authors men? There is no reason boys can't read at the same level as girls. You have to be able to sit and concentrate in order to read. Boys need to learn how to do that.

You obviously don't have a son. If you did, you would know there are books that boys actively like to read - they will do so voluntarily - and books that boys actively hate to read. Women English teachers (a redundant formulation, I know) are seemingly only capable of assigning the latter as class reading. I suspect it's because they are only assigning books they like without any thought for what boys like. Last year DS said his teacher told the class they could choose from among five books to write a report on - she said "you will really like these books!" - and every single one of them was a book designed to appeal only to girls. Talk about completely oblivious.

DP. Give us titles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys. The bar has gotten lower and lower, but I guess it’s not low enough.

My dad who was educated by nuns, likes to say he's glad he had daughters because boys need to be beaten into submission. Perhaps the removal of corporal punishment is the liberalism PP is bemoaning? None of this is my experience, I have a son and daughter who've both made it to college. DD has graduated with honors, and it's too soon to know if DS will match that, but he is plenty studious. If he's had a beef with some of the classroom management along the way, that's for him to sort. Actually, both had some of the same teachers, and mostly agreed in their gripes. This included male teachers with weird foibles, too.

I'm a man, and when I was a boy I was frequently beaten by teachers and by my parents. I completely disagree that boys need to be beaten. I have never needed to hit my sons. However, it ought to be obvious that boys need a different teaching style than girls, and you motivate boys differently from girls. I guess it's not obvious, though, at least to women, because women teachers invariably use the same teaching style on boys as they use on girls. This doesn't work but women teachers don't care, or just think the problem is the boys and not their teaching.

Teachers don’t have time or resources to differentiate their teaching style for every type of learner. (Because it goes way past girls vs. boys.) If whatever’s happening isn’t working for your boy, you can seek out single-sex education or homeschool.

The problem is that the overall teaching is not designed to work well for most boys. While some people can switch their kids to private school or home school, that is not an option for most people. it is bad for all of us if boys in public school are not learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys. The bar has gotten lower and lower, but I guess it’s not low enough.

My dad who was educated by nuns, likes to say he's glad he had daughters because boys need to be beaten into submission. Perhaps the removal of corporal punishment is the liberalism PP is bemoaning? None of this is my experience, I have a son and daughter who've both made it to college. DD has graduated with honors, and it's too soon to know if DS will match that, but he is plenty studious. If he's had a beef with some of the classroom management along the way, that's for him to sort. Actually, both had some of the same teachers, and mostly agreed in their gripes. This included male teachers with weird foibles, too.

I'm a man, and when I was a boy I was frequently beaten by teachers and by my parents. I completely disagree that boys need to be beaten. I have never needed to hit my sons. However, it ought to be obvious that boys need a different teaching style than girls, and you motivate boys differently from girls. I guess it's not obvious, though, at least to women, because women teachers invariably use the same teaching style on boys as they use on girls. This doesn't work but women teachers don't care, or just think the problem is the boys and not their teaching.

Teachers don’t have time or resources to differentiate their teaching style for every type of learner. (Because it goes way past girls vs. boys.) If whatever’s happening isn’t working for your boy, you can seek out single-sex education or homeschool.

Lol. Same person who would recommend “culturally relevant teaching” that caters to people of color and affirms diverse gender identities. But when it comes to assigning books half the class might be interested in, there’s not enough time or money. So try home schooling. We see right through you people. Why? Because we are smarter than you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys.

How exactly is that happening? I'm not seeing it. Schools are bending over backwards to make learning and especially reading hateful to boys.

How is reading hateful to boys? Didn't they used to teach boys to read but not girls? Aren't most classical authors men? There is no reason boys can't read at the same level as girls. You have to be able to sit and concentrate in order to read. Boys need to learn how to do that.

You obviously don't have a son. If you did, you would know there are books that boys actively like to read - they will do so voluntarily - and books that boys actively hate to read. Women English teachers (a redundant formulation, I know) are seemingly only capable of assigning the latter as class reading. I suspect it's because they are only assigning books they like without any thought for what boys like. Last year DS said his teacher told the class they could choose from among five books to write a report on - she said "you will really like these books!" - and every single one of them was a book designed to appeal only to girls. Talk about completely oblivious.

PP. I don't have a son your age. From my experiences 20 years ago it was the complete opposite. All of the books were about nature, seafaring, war and other masculine stuff. Most assigned reading bored me to tears but I still had good grades. It was great to read anything a bit modern like 1984, which was still male oriented but at least had psychological themes. I can hardly remember a time that we read anything that would tend to appeal to girls other than some scenes Romeo & Juliet. And it was for precisely the reason you stated: boys will only voluntarily read boy stuff but girls will tolerate boy stuff, so we, girls, had to read stuff like Call of the Wild. However, we survived and did our assignments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys. The bar has gotten lower and lower, but I guess it’s not low enough.

My dad who was educated by nuns, likes to say he's glad he had daughters because boys need to be beaten into submission. Perhaps the removal of corporal punishment is the liberalism PP is bemoaning? None of this is my experience, I have a son and daughter who've both made it to college. DD has graduated with honors, and it's too soon to know if DS will match that, but he is plenty studious. If he's had a beef with some of the classroom management along the way, that's for him to sort. Actually, both had some of the same teachers, and mostly agreed in their gripes. This included male teachers with weird foibles, too.

I'm a man, and when I was a boy I was frequently beaten by teachers and by my parents. I completely disagree that boys need to be beaten. I have never needed to hit my sons. However, it ought to be obvious that boys need a different teaching style than girls, and you motivate boys differently from girls. I guess it's not obvious, though, at least to women, because women teachers invariably use the same teaching style on boys as they use on girls. This doesn't work but women teachers don't care, or just think the problem is the boys and not their teaching.

Teachers don’t have time or resources to differentiate their teaching style for every type of learner. (Because it goes way past girls vs. boys.) If whatever’s happening isn’t working for your boy, you can seek out single-sex education or homeschool.

The problem is that the overall teaching is not designed to work well for most boys. While some people can switch their kids to private school or home school, that is not an option for most people. it is bad for all of us if boys in public school are not learning.

Poor boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys. The bar has gotten lower and lower, but I guess it’s not low enough.

My dad who was educated by nuns, likes to say he's glad he had daughters because boys need to be beaten into submission. Perhaps the removal of corporal punishment is the liberalism PP is bemoaning? None of this is my experience, I have a son and daughter who've both made it to college. DD has graduated with honors, and it's too soon to know if DS will match that, but he is plenty studious. If he's had a beef with some of the classroom management along the way, that's for him to sort. Actually, both had some of the same teachers, and mostly agreed in their gripes. This included male teachers with weird foibles, too.

I'm a man, and when I was a boy I was frequently beaten by teachers and by my parents. I completely disagree that boys need to be beaten. I have never needed to hit my sons. However, it ought to be obvious that boys need a different teaching style than girls, and you motivate boys differently from girls. I guess it's not obvious, though, at least to women, because women teachers invariably use the same teaching style on boys as they use on girls. This doesn't work but women teachers don't care, or just think the problem is the boys and not their teaching.

Teachers don’t have time or resources to differentiate their teaching style for every type of learner. (Because it goes way past girls vs. boys.) If whatever’s happening isn’t working for your boy, you can seek out single-sex education or homeschool.

Lol. Same person who would recommend “culturally relevant teaching” that caters to people of color and affirms diverse gender identities. But when it comes to assigning books half the class might be interested in, there’s not enough time or money. So try home schooling. We see right through you people. Why? Because we are smarter than you.

Again, what are these titles that boys are dying to read, but for some reason not allowed to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys. The bar has gotten lower and lower, but I guess it’s not low enough.

My dad who was educated by nuns, likes to say he's glad he had daughters because boys need to be beaten into submission. Perhaps the removal of corporal punishment is the liberalism PP is bemoaning? None of this is my experience, I have a son and daughter who've both made it to college. DD has graduated with honors, and it's too soon to know if DS will match that, but he is plenty studious. If he's had a beef with some of the classroom management along the way, that's for him to sort. Actually, both had some of the same teachers, and mostly agreed in their gripes. This included male teachers with weird foibles, too.

I'm a man, and when I was a boy I was frequently beaten by teachers and by my parents. I completely disagree that boys need to be beaten. I have never needed to hit my sons. However, it ought to be obvious that boys need a different teaching style than girls, and you motivate boys differently from girls. I guess it's not obvious, though, at least to women, because women teachers invariably use the same teaching style on boys as they use on girls. This doesn't work but women teachers don't care, or just think the problem is the boys and not their teaching.

Teachers don’t have time or resources to differentiate their teaching style for every type of learner. (Because it goes way past girls vs. boys.) If whatever’s happening isn’t working for your boy, you can seek out single-sex education or homeschool.

The problem is that the overall teaching is not designed to work well for most boys. While some people can switch their kids to private school or home school, that is not an option for most people. it is bad for all of us if boys in public school are not learning.

Poor boys.

Exactly. You hate boys. Like many of their teachers, to some degree or another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys. The bar has gotten lower and lower, but I guess it’s not low enough.

My dad who was educated by nuns, likes to say he's glad he had daughters because boys need to be beaten into submission. Perhaps the removal of corporal punishment is the liberalism PP is bemoaning? None of this is my experience, I have a son and daughter who've both made it to college. DD has graduated with honors, and it's too soon to know if DS will match that, but he is plenty studious. If he's had a beef with some of the classroom management along the way, that's for him to sort. Actually, both had some of the same teachers, and mostly agreed in their gripes. This included male teachers with weird foibles, too.

I'm a man, and when I was a boy I was frequently beaten by teachers and by my parents. I completely disagree that boys need to be beaten. I have never needed to hit my sons. However, it ought to be obvious that boys need a different teaching style than girls, and you motivate boys differently from girls. I guess it's not obvious, though, at least to women, because women teachers invariably use the same teaching style on boys as they use on girls. This doesn't work but women teachers don't care, or just think the problem is the boys and not their teaching.

Teachers don’t have time or resources to differentiate their teaching style for every type of learner. (Because it goes way past girls vs. boys.) If whatever’s happening isn’t working for your boy, you can seek out single-sex education or homeschool.

The problem is that the overall teaching is not designed to work well for most boys. While some people can switch their kids to private school or home school, that is not an option for most people. it is bad for all of us if boys in public school are not learning.

Poor boys.

Exactly. You hate boys. Like many of their teachers, to some degree or another.

I love boys. I have one of my own and he’s killing it in school. Sorry yours is having problems.

[Anonymous]

My DS who likes playing sports and video games somehow still manages to get straight As in multiple AP classes. He will read some nonfiction every now and then (something like Moneyball), but definitely not a reader.

Maybe it’s just the expectation we have set that he will do well in school…he still manages to knock out his assignments and do well even if he doesn’t seem to have a ton of interest in most subjects.

I gather this whole thread about boys having issues is not a DCUM problem…but it is puzzling nationwide.

I guess he might be able to punch above his weight for college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is though that high school and middle school favors girls because they go through puberty earlier and that leads to changes in the brain that are advantageous for doing well in school. Boys do catch up eventually, but the current system does make them look like weaker college applicants (esp now that it is so competitive to get into top colleges).

I’m not disagreeing, but when I was in high school boys were just as competitive academically as the girls. There was not this gender imbalance in the classroom. Boys today are particularly disengaged from academics - so I do believe something additional is going on. Chalking it up to simple brain maturity means you’re leaving other explanations on the table.

As school in general has become more drill and kill with lots of worksheets and less fun and creative work and more teaching to the test, it favors girls and boys disengage. As my 7th grade son said in reference to a friend of his who is very smart but constantly forgets to bring the correct materials to class or finish his homework "there are lots of smart boys, but the smart girls are better at school." Their school doesn't allow kids to carry their backpacks around and they only have a couple times a day to go to their lockers, so even that requires a level of organization I didn't have to have in middle school.

My experience has been completely different— teaching methods used to be more “kill & drill” when we were young. Most schools have moved toward project-based assignments, collaboration, and application of knowledge instead of memorization/drills. Teachers are also more accommodating now! Many allow kids to talk quietly, listen to music on headphones, and have a higher tolerance for noise & movement.

So, again, something else is going on. I’m not sure why boys are faltering, but I think it can be fixed.

+1 Schools are bending over backwards to accommodate boys.

How exactly is that happening? I'm not seeing it. Schools are bending over backwards to make learning and especially reading hateful to boys.

How is reading hateful to boys? Didn't they used to teach boys to read but not girls? Aren't most classical authors men? There is no reason boys can't read at the same level as girls. You have to be able to sit and concentrate in order to read. Boys need to learn how to do that.

You obviously don't have a son. If you did, you would know there are books that boys actively like to read - they will do so voluntarily - and books that boys actively hate to read. Women English teachers (a redundant formulation, I know) are seemingly only capable of assigning the latter as class reading. I suspect it's because they are only assigning books they like without any thought for what boys like. Last year DS said his teacher told the class they could choose from among five books to write a report on - she said "you will really like these books!" - and every single one of them was a book designed to appeal only to girls. Talk about completely oblivious.

This is a weak argument. My DD is often assigned books she doesn’t like. Many with boy characters, actually. She will read them and do the assignments related to them, and move on with her life. She picks different books when she reads at home.

[Anonymous]

The Great Gatsy, Passing, Maus, Hamlet, Giovanni's Room, Frankenstein,
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Going After Cacciato, Persepolis.

This is my son's book HS list for the year. Seems kinda gender neutral to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go out and earn the big bucks, ladies!!

You got watch you wanted. Breadwinner time.

As long as you sterilize the breast pump stuff and register the 4 year old for a series of engaging yet nurturing camps during the summer you have a deal!

Easy peezy!

Half the sh@t women stress about isn’t even necessary. It’s keeping up and competing with other mothers.