Could somebody give specific examples of how boys are being harmed in school by feminism, and what should be-?

Question

done to stop it?

I think girls might be being harmed by the stereotype, "girls can't do math" in that they might figure, "why try, if we can't learn it after all".





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I read some of The Mrs. site about a four year old boy being accused of "sexual harassment" for putting his head on a female teachers chest while hugging her. It makes you wonder what the lack of common sense on the part of school officials is doing to the psychologocal health of the children.

Double standards should not be in place.

Wendy g. does have a point when she says students have always had to sit still and learn. Not just sense feminism.

To hmmmmfunn, There is absolutly NO evedence of boys not being able to play sports. As far as "rough housing" goes, there is less discipline in schools today than there was years ago.

Answer 1

It's a complete myth that the male and female brains "learn differently." That's the sort of thing that people who have no idea what they're talking about say. Everyone learns the same way...information is processed in the same way. for some people, learning is facilitated through different means, but generally, everyone, barring some kind of developmental problem, CAN learn through the same means.

Let me ask you this: If boys learn so much better through "kinesthetic" means, or are hindered by having to sit through lectures, why is it that the teaching model, throughout most of the history of education, has been that students sit and listen/take notes, while the teacher lectures? One hundred years ago, this was the model...there was certainly no "boy crisis." FIFTY years ago, same model, no crisis....TWENTY years ago....you get what I'm saying. And during all that time, girls were behind. In, fact now, more than at any other time in the history of education, that model has been called into question, and one that accepts the idea that children may need different means of facilitating learning has been adopted (to an extent) based on Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory.
http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm

Taking this into account, why then are our boys "in crisis?" The fact is, they're not, at least not most of them. Boys aren't doing worse, girls are doing better, so suddenly, "boys are in crisis" based on the improved performance of girls. SAT scores in general are going up, for all groups, but minority boys are falling behind in general. This is a multi-faceted problem, but the biggest problem is our culture's attitudes toward education. For some reason, it is now perceived as "feminine" to want to study hard, to read books, etc. Boys have been reading for, well, ever...and NOW they suddenly can't sit still long enough? It's these attitudes that need to change. Our culture reinforces the notion that boys don't have to try as hard, and that they're being "soft" or "nerdy" when they do, while girls are now encouraged to work hard, and they do. Boys learned and excelled in school fifty years ago, when they were expected to sit perfectly still for hours on end and listen ...why are they suddenly "disadvantaged" because they are still expected to do so? In fact, now more than ever, children are engaging in kinesthetic learning activities at the elementary level, the current learning model is NOT putting them at a disadvantage. There are other factors at play.

EDIT-The Mrs-Certainly, the child brain works differently. The male and female brains work differently. The LEARNING process i.e. the processes for learning, retention, and memory, are the same. The MYTH is that the male and female brain LEARN differently. The HUMAN brain, again, aside from injury, etc, learns and receives information the same, regardless of gender. It's a fine distinction, but an important one. If you're a teacher, you are familiar with Gardener's Model, yet you would also know that that does not refer to LEARNING, but how learning is (more or less) facilitated. My point in pointing out how the old learning model seemed to work "just fine" for boys was that boys, ostensibly, did BETTER under that model, if you look at how they did then, compared to girls now, taking into account that many schools are doing away with this older model. This suggests that it is not the learning model that is the problem, (for boys, although I agree that old learning model was a problem for ALL children), but that something else is the problem.
Again, my point is that under the "old" model, boys outperformed girls until recently...WHY? It's not the way they are being taught, ESPECIALLY if, as you say, it has changed little.


Jonmcn-Let me first say that you know I respect you, and I know we can agree to respectfully disagree. But you are always preaching against ideology, and I would ask you to consider this: Are boys getting lower grades than they were twenty, fifty years ago? No. Are they scoring lower on SAT's? Far from it. What's the problem, then? Girls are now outstripping them. So suddenly, there's a crisis. Obviously, it is ideal that each sex perform equably, with "about" the same number of boys as girls in school govt, performing similarly, graduating at a similar rate, and going to college at a similar rate. I KNOW that boys and girls, at the secondary level, at least, generally have different attitudes about education, unless they are upper class, in which case the attitude of BOTH is "graduate with good grades, go to college." But there is a huge disparity in the attitude of male and female teens from the lower classes, and THIS is where you see the biggest gap in performance.

Answer 2

The Mrs. is rather right on with this subject. I suggest you read," Why Gender Matters,What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences ", By Leonard Sax MD, PhD. I think you will find much in this book that will directly answer the question, " how boys are being harmed ", though not all the blame can be feminism. Much is just sexual variance ignorance.

Did you read hopscotch's answer, Tera? I would hate to think you discounted it for ideological reasons. Many feminist ideologues have remarked on " curbing " boys young, so they do not grow to men that certain feminists would not want to accept. I think the above poster I mentioned is addressing that very issue.

There was no boy crisis 100 years ago because girls were taught just enough, on average. It took a driven women to get a good education, then. You can not have it both ways, Wendy. Girls have just started to compete seriously, recently.

One disadvantage to female teachers, Tera, is just volume of sound projected and sound received. This has much empirical support. Boys perceive women as speaking below their hearing threshold and get board listening, unless they are right up front. Girls think boys are yelling at them, when the boy thinks he is speaking in a normal tone. There is variance in sound projection and reception in the sexes.

Well, if we are starting to through credentials around and talk about opinion, I guess I will get in. I do not care for opinion, but prefer the evidence allways. Opinion is usually what is at this site, though. I teach,also, though to adults and a class on Canid behavior, but we know fact from opinion. The fact is; there is a problem in male education, regardless of the cause. And I do know something of organismic behavior; all organisms.

Actually, Wendy, grades are getting lower, despite No Child Left Behind. Just tests are getting better results. SAT scores have been flat for almost 10 years. I would like to discus this further, but I am older and this is past my bedtime.
This has been a much more interesting and respectful discussion than usually is held here.
Goodnight, all.

Answer 3

In general male brains and female brains work differently. Female brains tend to learn through communication and male brains tend to learn through kinetics or physically manipulating something.

Most schools are set up in much of the same ways they were 20, 30, even 40 years ago. Though we have made some progress over the years many classrooms, still favor the way girls learn with lots of discussion and sitting. You will find less of this in primary and early childhood ages, however after 3rd grade a large portion of what students do is based on lecture.

I am a 1st grade teacher and find that incorporating things that get children moving and involve discovery on their own, not only motivates my male students more, but also benefits all of my students and even helps me manage classroom behavior.

If you are really interested this link has many links directed toward information on this topic:
http://www.boysandschools.com/blog

EDIT: Sorry you will have to click on "Facts and Research" to get the links. There are your "specific examples and proof" dear Tara. Sometimes you have to do a little of your own work if you wish to educate yourself rather than assuming you know it all.

EDIT2- Its not just about sexual harassment, infact most of this is far from it. Its in the way boys actually learn and the inability and unwillingness many teachers, specificlly female teachers, have to change to better educate these boys.

EDIT3- Actually Wendy there is scientific evidence of this. Its not just a myth. The reason why it was taught like that 50 years ago is because thats how teachers thought children learned best...the way adults do. And its simply not true. Many people including child professionals actually believed that children we just small adults up until about 40 years ago. It was then we began actually doing research on how the child brain works. This was a benifit of feminisim because it was a result of women going into the work force and looking for quality child care.

Answer 4

In response to a previous poster, not getting enough opportunities to play sports is not a problem for boys. The opposite is actually true. Too much emphasis is placed on sports in our society. As a result, many parents don't think it is all that important for a boy to get a good education as long as he shows promise as an athlete. As a result, they'll slough off poor grades and lack of school attendance because they're hoping he'll get an athletic scholarship and eventually become a professional athlete. That's because many top athletes did not get good grades in school or even finish college and they're pulling in millions of dollars a year. What are parents supposed to think when they see people like these who are presented as role models?

Answer 5

My son was told that his remark that he wrote in a girl's year book saying "I'll be big pimpin' all around the world during summer," was considered too explicit, but yet, the girl wrote in his yearbook, "don't pimp too much girls, save some for girls gone wild" and she didn't get called in or was written up in her permanent file, but my son had it on HIS permanent school record.

Double standard. One can do it, but the other one can't. What does that tell the Parents about the school's authority? Biased? Discriminate? Or sexist? What ever it is, it sure is petty to report things that is written in yearbooks as derogatory or explicit. I know I've had MANY things written in my yearbook that my Parents would have CRINGED while reading it.

Answer 6

yes!
This is an excellent point, and one i have been worried about for some time.
I believe that the feminist movement in our schools is to completely deprive the males in of their natural, god given birthright to BE A BOY!
they want to make them as thought they are lacking testosterone and a need for physical contact. This is so wrong and damaging, I cannot believe so many people are just turning their heads to it.
Taking away the boys rights to play sports, to roughhouse, to show aggression and anger, I don't know about anyone else, but, i feel sorry for the women who have to marry these men one day.
A man needs these things to learn to protect and defend.
they are NOT built the same, and i will be DAMNED if my son turns out this way!!!

Answer 7

Maybe you should read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/WAR-AGAINST-BOYS-Misguided-Feminism/dp/0684849577/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-8156602-3491336?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193458214&sr=8-1

An excerpt from a review of the book:

"This book tells the story of how it has become fashionable to attribute pathology to millions of healthy male children. It is a story of how we are turning against boys and forgetting a simple truth: that the energy, competitiveness, and corporal daring of normal, decent males is responsible for much of what is right in the world. No one denies that boys' aggressive tendencies must be checked and channeled in constructive ways. Boys need discipline, respect, and moral guidance. Boys need love and tolerant understanding. They do not need to be pathologized.

Sommers eviscerates feminist scholarship by Harvard's Carol Gilligan, the American Association of University Women, and others. Hers is feisty, muscular prose and fans of Who Stole Feminism? will delight in it. "There have always been societies that favored boys over girls," she writes. "Ours may be the first to deliberately throw the gender switch. If we continue on our present course, boys will, indeed, be tomorrow's second sex." That rhetoric may err on the side of alarmism, but Sommers' ideas are full of common sense. She essentially urges parents and educators to let boys be boys, even though their "very masculinity turns out to be politically incorrect." The War on Boys is sure to set off a fiery controversy, just as Sommers' previous book did--but it should also find a big audience of readers who become fans."

Answer 8

Answer:
Guys:
>feel pressured
and guys feel they have the right to defense them self against
abuse form Feminism...

My Point of view


Feminism is stupid, girls should be proud of who they are not there gender, because theres no point in abusing your own fellow humans just, because of there gender.

In todays world male and females have the rights so i see no reason why gender should be a problem.

Answer 9

Boys aren't being harmed by feminism. They may incur damage from the fact that male elementary school teachers are virtually non-existent. They may be harmed by the fact that men don't think educating young boys is important. They may also be harmed by the fact that the male politicians do nothing to create funding or make changes in the way the unique learning styles of boys are addressed.

Much could be done, if only men took the interest in education that women have despite it's low pay and thanklessness.

Answer 10

I'm not totally certain that I believe boys are being harmed by feminism. Wouldn't the proof of this be found in test scores and IQ tests? And, if boys' test scores are falling, how can one be certain that this is due to feminism and not other causes? Correlation is not causation, and I'm not even certain there's a correlation to be found here. Boys and girls may have different strengths. Boys tend to do better in math than girls. Wouldn't this suggest that boys can learn in a "sit and listen" type of environment? Kids are only in schools for six hours of a day, five days a week. They have recesses (in elementary school), and breaks between classes (in middle/junior high/high schools). They aren't chained to their desks. Boys have plenty of opportunities for exerting physical energy on the playground or in sports. Classrooms provide an opportunity for kids to learn structure, consistency, and self-discipline. These are necessary to do well in life outside of a school environment. These things don't disadvantage children, boys OR girls. Having female teachers does not harm boys. In fact, I think it teaches them that women can be authority figures (outside of the home), and it's important, I think, in early life to establish this idea. It's not sexist.

EDIT: Incidentally, my son was suspended from school in the fifth grade for drawing a picture of a gun on a sheet of notebook paper. Do I think he was suspended because of feminism or sexism? No. He was suspended because schools take a hypervigilant view of anything that pertains to violence in any form. Kids today are being suspended for lots of things that schools didn't used to suspend kids for, like squirt guns, and phony "bomb threats" written on bathroom walls. Perhaps more attention is focused on boys when it comes to violence. How many school shootings (perpetrated by students or adults) were committed by girls or women? The hypervigilance schools now have, the "zero tolerance" policy, is something schools were pressured to adopt in response to these sorts of incidents. Schools are criticized for not being more fully aware of students who are troubled. The pendulum, perhaps, has swung to the extreme side of caution. The fact that males are committing the most violent crimes are perhaps why schools give males more scrutiny. Is it sexist? Or is it a product of what has so far been a study of real life situations?

EDIT: Again, how are the problems (or trends, if they exist) related to feminism? That WAS the original question here, correct? And, why is it that girls' problems and issues are being ignored (as if they have none) ? Isn't it rather sexist to say that only boys have problems with the system the way that it is?