Reply to 60% of girls say they want college, only 46% of boys

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thinking back to my generation, recess was incredibly important for boys in elementary and middle school. It was all sports and games. That was key not only as an outlet for all the physical energy boys have, but it also helped socialize boys. It was kind of a tribal thing. You learned how to get along and that there were tribal consequences for going too far or for being mean. You developed friendships and you were also a part of something. In my day, there was a 15 minute recess in the morning, an hour during lunch when you could out and play, and another 15 minute recess in the afternoon. I think that's pretty important for boys.

Later, in high school, I recall that the school accommodated different interests and academic levels. My school had a pretty popular auto mechanics class. And there was also Shop, which was mostly boys using tools and building things. Boys started to be tracked. There were the AP boys and the auto mechanic boys. There was space for everyone.

All that seems to be gone now. No Child Left Behind was pretty disastrous for a lot of boys. That got rid of recess and things like Shop. And it's only gotten worse in subsequent years. It's all testing all the time. Boring. Then throw in screens and social media, which is both isolating and treacherous for teenagers. All parents, but particularly the parents of boys, have to work hard to counter the effects of factory-like schools and social media. It's hard.

But I think that's why you see a lot of differentiation in how boys are doing between UMC and lower class households. UMC families have more resources and education to ensure their kid doesn't got lost in the system. And too many lower class boys are left to sink or swim in factory schools that don't accommodate a boys need to run around, to be part of teams, and to build things with their hands. And then the influence of phones and social media are, of course, toxic to teen boys, not least because it inhibits a boys willingness to take risks in their day to day interactions with people. So they withdraw. It's all very sad. We have lost our way with how we educate boys.  [/quote]
Very insightful post. Thanks.[/quote]

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