Succeeding and thriving in school and in life is difficult. It can especially difficult for adolescent boys. Though it is often unnoticed, young boys are often forced into stereotypical molds that they do not fit into. Numerous factors play a role in this injustice and some negative effects on the boys come as a result. It can even be argued that boys are rejected and therefore become insecure “The expression ‘Be a man!’ strikes me as insulting.”(P.Theroux, pg 567) This bold statement is made by author Paul Theroux in his composition Being a Man. Theroux argues that from boyhood men are forced to be things that they are not. They are viewed by others so stereotypically, the author describes the expected qualities of a man as the following: …show more content…
The boys see fitting in as the norm, the everyday struggle that has simply become a part of their routine. The children see it as harmless while the parents see it as destructive in the lives of their children. A concerned mom and author spoke out about the issues facing adolescents in her essay Putting Down the Gun. Rebecca Walker was inspired to write Putting Down the Gun when her eleven year old son came home from middle school and informed his mother that he wanted to play a sport. Knowing her child, the curious mother asked why her animal loving, lego building, anime reading, boy wanted to play sports. Her son’s answer was simple. “Girls like boys that play sports”. (R. Walker, pg 574) This infuriated Walker. What kind of things was her son learning in school? His answer was also very simple as well. There are two categories that the boys in her son’s school the jocks and the computer nerds. Walker did not allow her son to play the violent video games that were popular and her son did not enjoy sports. He was struggling with which class he would associate with. This is a prime and perfect example of the pressures that adolescent boys are forced to conform to in their everyday …show more content…
It has been scientifically proven that girls are better students than boys. This is most likely because the curriculum is aimed more towards girls. This argument is made very convincingly in the Washington Post article by Mark Bauerlein and Sandra Stotsky Why Johnny Won’t Read. This composition attests that girls are better students, bigger readers,higher English test scorers, and more likely to be accepted to a better college. The article also included the argument that “...textbooks and literature assigned ... do not reflect the dispositions of male students. Few strong and active male role models can be found as lead characters. Gone are the inspiring biographies of the most important American presidents, inventors, scientists and entrepreneurs. No military valor, no high adventure. On the other hand, stories about adventurous and brave women abound.”(M. Bauerlein; S. Stotsky, pg 576). It is a known fact that if a child is not interested in the material he won’t do as well in a class as if he was interested. This yet another example of how young boys are sometimes neglected and are forced to settle into a part that they are not meant to
In the essay, “The High Cost of Manliness,” writer Robert Jensen discusses the harmful effects of having male specific characteristics, such as masculinity. Jensen realizes that men’s actions and ways of living are judged based upon the characteristic of being manly. He argues that there is no valid reason to have characteristics associated with being male. Society has created the notion that masculinity is the characteristic that defines males as males.
When someone is thinking of a man, what do they think? Strong? Brave? That’s what most people think; in reality that is a very false image. In “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel, talks about what it means to be a man and what it takes to be a man in today’s world. Men are pressured into what they “should” be. If they don’t follow certain unwritten rules, which include: not asking for directions, not giving up, not showing fear, or any signs of emotional weakness, such as tears; they are considered less than a man, a wimp. A real man must be aggressive and brave, he must defend his territory: status, family, possessions. Men blindly follow the Guy Code, they believe in order to fit in, they must comply and be part of the pack.
William Pollack, PhD, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, uses his clinical practice to observe a national crisis, a “gender strait-jacketing” of boys (62). Pollack chooses Adam, a fourteen-year old boy who is being bullied and once a good student, as his patient and example of how boys often feel compelled to wear masks to hide their true feelings and thoughts. He does not know how to ask help, even to his mother; in result, his academic performance is left behind because of his inside struggles. Pollack deduces that boys’ self-esteem as learner is far more fragile than of most girls which boys are afraid to sit in front of row or be active in class because they do not want to be called as a nerd, dork, or something like that (65). Recent research indicates...
It is a common phenomenon in coed schools that when an instructor asks a girl to answer a question in a science or math class, some boys always interrupt and answer that question correctly. Many girls at that moment may feel embarrassed, frightened, and even want to be invisible. In many cases, instructors do not punish the boys for their rude behaviors. As The learning environment and teachers’ attitude make girls feel pressure and decrease their Learning enthusiasm. As a result, girls and boys receive a different education even though they have the same class. In the U.S., the discrepancy in academic performance persists across gender. In order to close the gap and provide an equitable and quality education
Pollack is a well-respected author of a number of books, to guide boys successfully through the many challenges they face. Pollack is the Director of the Centers for Men and Young Men and the Director of Continuing Education Psychology at McLean Hospital, and is Assistant Clinical Professor Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the Past President of the Massachusetts Psychological Association, a member the Boston Psychoanalytic Society, a Diplomat in Clinical Psychology and a Founding Member and Fellow of The Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity. Some of the book that Pollack had wrote are Real Boy’s Voices, New Psychotherapy for Men, The Re-creation of Masculinity, all this book here help to understanding and interacting with boys of all ages and teach them how to deal with everyday life. Pollack is an expert in the areas of boy's development, education and men's roles. He help young men how to deal with everyday life, such as in workplace, schoo...
The topics that Joe Ehrmann uses as framework for his Building Men for Others program are quite intriguing and make you really question masculinity. The first topic, rejecting false masculinity, can be interpreted a few different ways. In the book, it states: “As young boys, we’re told to be men, or to act like men” soon followed with “we’ve got all these parents say ‘be a man’ to boys that have no concept of what that means. I completely agree with the statement of Joe Ehrmann and often question the definition of ‘being a man’. Many boys and men will reject the idea of a man being anything other than being big and strong or having power.
Do humans let their gender define their capability to learn? In the “The Gender Gap at School,” David Brooks talks about how “Male reading rates are falling three times as fast as among young women’s” (Brooks 391), because teachers are not providing equal reading interest in both genders. However, gender does not play a role in males capability to succeed in their education for reading. “The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be, rather than recognizing how we are” (Adichie).
Lastly, we look at identity without knowing it adolescents are searching for the answers to the question, “who am I?”. Although this is an important part of development for this stage it didn’t just being in this stage nor do adolescents have the capability to figure it all out. While growing up children are pushed one way or another by parents and peers some are pushed towards academics while others athletics. But how influential are parents and peers?
Martin (2015) supports this claim with data from the Australian Department of Education and Training shows that university admissions for men are significantly lower than that of women. The low level of academic achievement is attributed to the feminisation of schooling and the disproportionate amount of female educators to which male students struggle to identify with, resulting in subject disengagement and academic floundering (Roulston & Mills 2000). Traditionally masculine subjects such as science and maths have also seen a steadily decline in male students’ level of achievement whilst their female counterparts are showing gradual improvement over time (Sanders 2003). Sanders (2003) notes that perhaps it is not particular subjects that affect academic achievement, but the entire breadth of schooling that disappoints men. Furthermore, data collected supports the claim that male students are not failing in just feminised subjects, but across an entire range of areas (Sanders 2003).
Feminism or Manism? In Paul Theroux’s article “Being a Man,” he discusses the true essence of what it means to “be a man” in today’s world. “I have always disliked being a man. The whole idea of manhood in America is pitiful, in my opinion.
While Reading the book Real Boys by Dr. William Pollack, I realized that our society is holding boys to contradictory standards aiding the problems that many of them face while in adolescence. This book introduces the reader to numerous boys who share their feelings of shame and despair in trying to live up to the "Boy Code". Pollack feels the pain that comes from boys prematurely separating from their mothers puts them on the cycle to hardening themselves emotionally. The one acceptable emotion becomes anger.
In “School is Bad for Children”, John Holt discusses the faults and failures of the education system. According to Holt traditional schooling stifles children’s curiosity and learning, causing them to be ill-equipped as adults. He believes children are smarter before they enter school, having already mastered what he says is the most important thing, language. Holt goes on to describe how children no longer learn for themselves in school. Their learning has become a passive process. Children then come to realize teachers are not there to satisfy their curiosity, and in turn, grow ashamed and accept what they think teachers wants them to believe. School also becomes a place where uncertainty and incorrect answers are forbidden. The students learn how to cheat and pretend to work when the teacher is looking. As a result, they only use a small portion of their brain, and soon they grow bored. Holt suggests this boredom shuts off their brain and is the reason why many students turn to drugs. Drugs he says is the only way many young people can find awareness in the world they once had when they were little. Children John Holt says, are very fascinated
Theroux, Paul. "Being a Man." The McGraw -Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines 8th edition. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. Boston: Mc-Graw-Hill, 2003.
Students are more focused and therefore have better test scores in single-sex classrooms. Although stereotypes are formed because of separating genders, a study in the 2009 British Educational Research Journal concluded that in single-sex classrooms, girls achieve more in math and science while boys achieve more in English (Kwong). Stereotypes have been developed early on of what girls and boys are more proficient at. Naturally girls are better at English; boys, math and science (compound sentence: elliptical construction). Single-sex classes encourage girls to pursue more in science and math and boys in English because it takes away gender stereotypes. If a boy and a girl are in the same science class working together, the girl becomes the scribe to write down data while the boy is doing the experiment (Kwong). Math and scien...
This problem occurs in schools everywhere and is starting to become more evident in today's society. The problem is that boys and girls learning potential are not being reached when put into the same teaching atmosphere. Girls seem to be out smarting boys in many classes. While boys excel in math and sciences and girls seem to be better in English. The styles in which boys and girls feel comfortable with are extremely different. The learning styles of girls usually contain socializing and context. For instance, most girls like to talk in small groups about the current discussion. They also like hands on activities or real life situations to compare things to. Boys are confrontational and formal. They need to be challenged by their teachers to help motivate them to become better students and be prepared. In contrast girls do not like to be confronted by teachers who are asking for an immediate answers. In most cases, girls seem to be more reserved and modest than boys about their intelligence ("What are someÉ) are. Their differences may not seem evident but make a difference to reaching their highest learning potential.