But what I find even more troubling is the misunderstanding of boys in general in society today. Boys are viewed as aggresive and violent, while girls are deemed to be more sensitive, caring, and intelligent, which brings me to my next point. The sad fact is, boys are, in my own words, really sucking in school these days. Some say they have evidence to the contrary. To quote way more than neccessary from the book:"According to one well-regarded study conducted by educational researchers at the University of Chicago, boys outnumbered girls by about 3 to 1 in the top 10% of math and science performers. In the top 1 pecent, boys outnumbered girls by 7 to 1. In some science and vocational aptitude tests, no girls scored in the top 3 percent. These few boys are the academic superstars, and our focus on them has, I believe, skewed our perception of how boys are doing in general.
According to the same University of Chicago study, there is a new gender gap with a predominant number of boys falling to the bottom of the heap. The study, which combined the results of six major surveys of educational achievement spanning thirty years and involving thousands of children showed that especially in relation to reading and writing skills-those most basic to functioning in our society-boys are in deep trouble. For reading comprehension, perceptual speed, or word association memory, boys outnumbered girls at the bottom of the scales by a margin of 2 to 1, and many fewer boys than girls scored in the top 10 percent of the groups.
Not to mention the fact that boys make up more than 90% percent of the students in special classes for children with learning disabilities.
To put it in a teenage boy's perspective: That sucks! I find it unfortunate that so many boys have to much trouble, particularly with the most essential skills in the world today (reading and writing). I'm glad I don't have the trouble reading that a huge chunk of my gender seems to have. And the thing about learning disabilities is undoubtedly due to the Y chromosome, which is found only in males. I would explain why it's the Y chomosome's fault, but my fingers are getting tired, and I still have a lot more to write. Stupid Y chromosome....And definitely, by far the most disturbing fact about the state of my gender today is that schools are not run in a way that is to the benefit of boys. Classes expect you to sit quietly and listen closely, taking notes, and being unbelievably bored. This method is all well and good for girls, who prefer learning and expressing their feelings through talking. But boys learn better when they are shown the material, and when they can interact with the subject material. I believe that this is why, in my experience anyway, boys tend to get better grades in computer classes. Because we can interact with what is happening on the screen, instead of staring at a textbook. And any boy who tries to deviate from the undeniably unfair method of teaching being applied is sent to the principle's office and often slapped with a diagnosis of having ADD or ADHD. I also believe that ADD and ADHD are severly over-diagnosed. Many times, a boy who shows symptoms of either of these conditions is simply trying to express how he feels about the subject or how it is being presented to him. He might not say "Can you show me?" or "Can't you explain that a different way?" like a girl might, for a few reasons. For one, boys are mortally afraid of the shame or embarrasment that might be felt when asking for help. For another, many boys, in an unconcious attempt to follow the "boy code" will pretend like nothing is wrong, and put on a happy face, for fear that he show helplessness, or uncertainty, emotions stricly forbidden by the code. And, in closing, I would like to restate my previous opinion of "This sucks", and say that anyone who interacts with boys or men should read this very informational and very well-written book. Check out "Real Boys:Rescuing our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood" here
I'd like to talk about a book I read a few days ago titled "Real Boys: Rescuing our Sons From the Myths of Boyhood." by Doctor William Pollack. It talks about the way how boys are misunderstood and misinstructed in society today. The book revolves around the idea that there is an unspoken code among boys today. This "Boy Code", as it is called in the book, strictly forbids boys from showing any emotions other than toughness and contentment. It also forbids any kind of behavior that can be viewed as remotely feminine or sensitive. Almost all boys in society unconciously follow and enforce this code. Any boy who tries to express feelings considered unnacceptable by the code, such as helplessness or vulnerability, is quickly slapped back into line by means of taunts and reprimands.