Boys Will Be Boys…Or Will They? is Linda Schrock Taylor's column from five years ago. She starts with:
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Boys most definitely should be allowed to be boys…and they could grow up more mentally and emotionally healthy…if government schools would stop trying to force boys – whether by the use of drugs, or the use of punishments – to act like girls. To better understand the destructive treatment of boys in today's society, I highly recommend The War Against Boys by Christina Hoff Sommers. Our culture is greatly harming our boys and creating problems that will germinate and grow to proportions unseen since Jack and the Beanstalk.
Jack. Remember him? Sent on an important errand to sell the family cow….which he did do…but for a handful of beans. Boys are sometimes like that, but fewer and fewer teachers appreciate boy-like behaviors, thoughts, perceptions and ways of approaching the world. What a shame, for boys are such fun. Boys are so refreshing. Boys, when allowed to be boys, are so unlike girls, and that is right and as it should be. Boys tend to be more loyal – less into tattling; more transparent – less into emotional game playing; more outspoken – less into pouting; more honest – less into manipulating.
One is never sure what a boy will pull out of a pocket, and I have been surprised, shocked or repulsed on many occasions. The latest pocket treasures are pretty safe, being these 'hacky-sacks' that the boys use to develop physical dexterity and eye/hand coordination. Those who believe that the boys are purposefully trying to antagonize teachers have it all wrong. Look beyond the fact that the boys are blocking the halls as they kick those little bags of sand (?), endangering any nearby glass – doors, trophy cases, eyewear – and realize that boys need to be physically and mentally active.
When the culture was healthier and more trusting of individuals, the boys carried their jackknives to school and tossed them in games such as "Mumbly-Peg"; dug circles in the sand for a game of marbles; carried shotguns to school and stored them in their lockers, eagerly anticipating an after school hunting expedition.
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She goes on to explain how public schools have become hostile to boys.
Yet another reason to homeschool.
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2 comments:
Yep. I sent my poor son to daycare. Some teachers were okay with him, but most of them had no idea what to do with boys in general.
My son is 6 and has so much energy. We just go outside and ride our bikes, or just run in the park chasing each other. He is very smart and questions everything. I think if he were in public school they would try and tell me he was ADHD when all it is really is that he is a boy and needs to play A LOT.
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