War on Boys

Over the years, I have noticed a disconcerting trend — boys are underperforming in school as well as in the college application process. And then I came across a YouTube clip by PragerU entitled, "War on Boys," and found myself nodding in agreement: "[O]ur schools have little patience for what only a couple decades ago, would have been described as 'boyishness'. Girl behavior is the gold standard in schools. Boys are treated like defective girls."

Consider the partial profiles of the following 'Student A' and 'Student B':

Student A:

• Writing. Stories are commonly about personal narratives full of emotion and self disclosure.
• Reading. Prefers fiction, magazine, and poetry.
• Book. Favorite book is Little House on the Prairie.
• Behavior. Calm, orderly, and obedient.

Student B:

• Writing. Stories are commonly about skateboard competitions, pirates, and aliens.
• Reading. Prefers comic and non-fiction.
• Book. Favorite book is The Guinness Book of Records.
• Behavior. Restless, disorganized, and noisy.

If you were a teacher, then which of the above students would you prefer to have in your classroom? In case you haven't guessed it already, Student A is a girl and she's the model student that today's school teachers prefer.

If boys are constantly subject to disapproval for their interests and enthusiasms, they are likely to become disengaged and lag further behind in school. Instead of having general notions of what makes a good student a good student, if we are to help our boys (as well as girls) succeed in school, then we need to accept them for who they are and guide them to discover how they can come into their own. 

WHAT CAN I DO (IMMEDIATELY)?
We want to do something about the problem at hand; we want to help our boys achieve their peak performance potential. Whilst there are many things that ought to be done at the school or political level, that's neither here nor there.

The solution that I am encouraging myself (and everyone else) to put into practice immediately, however, is to invest the time and energy to be present and available for the boys in my life. A five-year study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health supports that boys who have mentors are:

• More likely to do well academically;
• Less likely to be bullied;
• Less confused about their identity; and
• More encouraged to be themselves in school.

Be his mentor. This is something that'll have practical and immediate outcome for him in school. Schools can be as dysfunctional a place as ever, but that still won't ruin our boys, if he has someone he trusts and respects guiding, nudging, and coaching him through it all. This is how we can all do our part in fighting against the 'War on Boys.'

MENTORING BOYS
If you are willing to do your part and become a mentor for boys there are literally hundreds of organizations and opportunities — just do a simple Google search:

https://www.mentoring.org/
https://www.obama.org/mbka/
https://mentoringtucsonskids.org/
https://www.mercyhome.org/friends-first-mentoring/
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-prevention-of-youth-violence/resources/programs/mentoring.html

The above are just a handful of organizations that I found in less than two minutes.

One final note: being concerned about the well being of boys and wanting to do something to help, on the one hand, and being concerned about more opportunities for our girls and wanting to empower them, on the other hand, are both not mutually exclusive. You can fight against the 'War on Boys' and still be 100%, uncompromisingly supportive of empowering our girls.