It has been noticed that the amount of boys who are reading has greatly decreased, and men are shying away from jobs that involve reading. David Brooks has come up with a solution to this problem; he believes that single-sex schools would help boys and girls to achieve better grades, to gain more of a desire to read, and to break free from gender stereotypes. In the article “The Gender Gap at School”, David Brooks is correct in his stance, boys and girls should go to single-sex schools in order to help them succeed; therefore, boys will be more likely to do better in class if they are reading books that they are interested in because they can have more of a desire to read, can have more understanding, and can be taught differently if needed. …show more content…
In comparison, the women’s section contains books about feelings and relationships. He talks about how men prefer novels written by women. Brooks then discusses why this might be, the part of the brain where men experience negative emotion, the amygdala, is not connected very well to the brain unlike in a woman’s brain, the cerebral cortex, the part where women feel and experience negative emotion is very well connected, so women are better at processing emotions and expressing them through words. Brooks brings up a good point that teachers should devise different curriculums to instill a love for reading in girls and boys alike. A big problem is that guys are being told that they are bad students. They are being sent home with new-wave young adult problem novels. Brooks states that a percentage of young men who read has plummeted over the last few years and it is dropping three times as fast as in young women. He also states that men are drifting away from occupations that involve reading and school. Brooks then talks about Dr. Leonard Sax and his book, Why Gender Matters, and how boys and girls should be taught in a different way and go to single-sex schools. Sax says it would allow kids to open up and to break free from gender stereotypes. They could also be assigned books they actually care to …show more content…
Most boys will be more likely to get into a book if it is something that they care about and are interested in. It will give them a greater desire to read, they will understand what they are reading better, and if needed can be taught differently if they are in a boys only school. Everyone should agree that boys and girls should go to separate schools, because otherwise we are just going to keep raising generations of boys who are “turning into high school and college dropouts who hate reading” (334). Single-sex schools is an idea that should be put into action to save guys from becoming dropouts and to help them develop a desire to
The Sociologist and the Movie Man Gerry Garibaldi, a high school teacher, and Michael Kimmel, a professor of sociology, both explain how the consequences of the feminist movement are harming boys in school and later in life. Kimmel and Garibaldi present their views on the gender education problems in their articles “How Schools Shortchange Boys” and “A War Against Boys”. Both make passionate arguments and prove that boys are at a disadvantage in modern feminized classrooms. Kimmel’s arguments about the problems boys face in the American educational system are more convincing than Garibaldi’s, because his style of argumentation is more objective, supported by more statistics, and provides an unbiased restatement of opposing views. Garibaldi shares his professional experience in order to prove that boys are the ones who are being short changed in schools today.
In “Exploiting the Gender Gap” Warren Farrell argues that the issue of disparity between men and women’s wages does not exist. Farrell provides multiple statistics and research that contradict the ever prominent “fact” put out by the media that women are paid less than men. He then covers a range of personal examples that strengthen his argument. He, subsequently, moves beyond the simplicity of wage disparity and brings the focus of his attention to the focus on discrimination.
The critical rank for reducing gender inequalities should be education, labor force participation, and lastly, wages. There are obvious differences between men and women whether it’s anatomically, financially, and so forth. The gender inequalities women face compared to men is alarming and saddening. Gender stereotypes reinforce gender inequalities because stereotypes can often be internalized which results in biases against either sex. These biases against a person can result in negative results. Gender inequality has been within our society for a long time especially amongst women.
It seems that single-sex education perpetuates gender stereotypes and promotes gender bias among students (Taylor). Gender-separate education requires schools and teachers to create gender-oriented courses, facilities, and learning environment. As a result, sing-sex schools exacerbate sexist attitudes and “feelings of superiority toward women” (Guarisco). It is fair to argue that the best way to achieve gender equality is to promote rather than eliminate interaction among girls and boys. However, girls in the sex-mixed class receive less attention from teachers than boys, which may lead to gender bias. More precisely, boys always have disciplinary issues, such as interruption; teachers have to pay more attention to boys’ behaviors in order to proceed the lecture more smoothly. Girls may feel less important and supportive in male-dominated classes; boys may think that males are smarter and far superior than females. Single-sex schools can address both girls’ and boys’ issues of gender stereotypes directly and accordingly. Male students may be freer to engage in some activities they have not considered before in mixed schools. For example, boys feel pressure to follow some non-macho interests when girls stay around them; however, the all-boys schools eliminate their pressure toward gender stereotyping to pursue music, dance, and drawing. Single-sex schools would help boys explore and develop themselves. Also, girls in sex-separate schools show more confidence and power (Guarisco). They could receive full attention from teachers and express their opinions in science classes without worrying about the boys’ banter. They may realize that they are as important as boys. Hence, both girls and boys can be free from gender stereotypes and benefit from a same-sex learning
Mary Pipher's "Saplings in the Storm" and William S. Pollack's "How U.S. Schools Are Stifling Male Students"
The argument David Brooks delivers about the gender gap at school regarding males reading comprehension is irrelevant. As students beginning their education they need to be able to create their own study set, regardless of the material. Despite, "what field males are interested in, they will have to read. And the better they can read, the easier it will be for them to learn new subject matter and to effectively communicate their knowledge"
Brooks argues that male and female brains work and experience things differently. He suggests that this theory is also the reason as to why young girls are surpassing their male counterparts in school settings. He incorrectly assumes that by separating males and females, males will be allowed to break free from gender stereotypes. Brooks strengthens his argument with results of brain research on sex differences. But, Brook’s argument is unpersuasive. He categorizes all young males, and suggest that single sex-schools are the best solution for them. He wants to apply a black-and-white solution to something that is just not that simple. While Brooks uses comparisons and surveys to convince the reader, his argument simply does
“According to some experts, nearly 50 per cent (of boys) describe themselves as non-readers by the time they enter secondary school.” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2004, p. 5) Thomas Newkirk says in his interview with James Preller in In the Classroom, Interviews & Appreciations, The Gender Gap in Reading, “Reading well is so tied to school success — and to liking school — that it is unethical to write off a big percentage of boys as non-readers. It may have been possible in previous times to drop out or barely finish school and go on to good jobs. But that is not the case now.” (Preller, 2011) Evidence of the need to deal with this locally can be found in the test scores of middle school boys and circulation statistics at my middle school library. Me Read? No Way! suggests strategies to engage boys in developing literacy skills by engaging them in reading: be mindful of boys’ reading preferences; give students a voice in choosing the books you acquire; encourage boys to recommend their favourite text; and establish web-based clubs in libraries…to review books. (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2004) Michael Sullivan makes it clear that “if we want to transform boys into lifelong readers, we need to discover what makes them tick.” (Sullivan, 2004, p.36) Boys’s reading preferences are itemized by Michael Smith in Reading don’t fix no chevys. Boys are more inclined to read: informational texts, magazine and newspaper articles, comic books and graphic novels, escapism, humour, science-fiction and fantasy. (Smith, 2002, p.11) Simply put, “Buy books that the boys want to read.” (Jones, 2003, p.11)
...Gender stereotypes do not only target women, contrary to popular belief. The largest issue facing boys and, ultimately, young men in our society is the amount of emphasis placed on women whether it be through literature, propaganda, or equality. The modern society tends to place so much emphasis on women’s suppression that the majority of citizens forget about men’s equality. School-age boys should be given the option to read male-oriented literature rather than that of the feminist era. Women’s rights propaganda should either be eliminated or that of men’s rights should be added to counteract all of the negative things said about them. Finally, young men should have the right to choose their learning environment, whether it be in a classroom or outdoors. All of these things should be incorporated into society in order to end unfair discrimination against young men.
The teacher tossed a Styrofoam basketball to the outstretched arms of a fifth grade boy. Catching the ball was the incentive for the boys to point out missing conventions in a paragraph. The teacher projected a paragraph on the board with omitted punctuation for the students to add. The other boys in the class watched him as he went to the board to add the missing comma and then tossed the ball back to the teacher. A few seconds later, other arms shot up in the air to point out other missing conventions (Stotsky). A simple incentive of competition for the boys made them enjoy learning and actually got them to participate in class. Although single-sex classrooms can develop stereotypes for both genders, separating boys and girls can be beneficial for the students. Single-sex classes are more effective because they raise test scores, create fewer distractions, and make kids interested in school.
Children’s interests in the books they read could be influenced by their day to day experiences. The differences in what boys and girls prefer to read as well as the content within the materials serve to perpetuate gender stereotypes. Differences in reading preferences between boys and girls may not be due to any inherent difference in the sexes, but rather due to societal expectations and gender roles.
Women, Girls, Boys and Men today face a variety of different issues in contemporary american society. Many of the problems that they face are regarding gender and cultural issues. Today we say that both genders are equal but in reality they are really not. We have both girls and both falling behind in school because of these cultural issues. According to David Brooks article titled “Honor Code,” the reason why boys especially, are falling behind in education is because of the way the education system is set-up. He states that schools today proclaim that they are diverse, but in fact they have become “homogeneous,” they only cater to students who are “nurturing, collaborative, disciplined, neat, studious, industrious and ambitious.” He says that those who do not fit in with those categories are left behind, they become disconnected and eventually withdraw completely from their education. It has become a huge problem in the U.S, where colleges are lowering their admission standards just so they can admit more men. Mr. Brooks says the problems with boys is that they are naturally aggres...
The proponents of single-sex education argue that boys and girls have differing needs and that their styles of learning are different. Education which respects personal differences must take this into account. ( Mullins 124) Single-gender schools seem logical, than, to a public that accepts that gender differences are real and likes the idea of expanding choices. (Silv...
Garrett further discusses how reading is pushed upon children at earlier and earlier ages. She believes that since girls begin reading at a younger age this puts them ahead of their male peers and keeps them ahead for the rest of their educational career. Garrett also believes classrooms have been remodeled to serve the needs of girls. This creates reverse sexism in the classroom. Boys need structure and competition to thrive and in the new classroom they lack this. The article continues to give examples of this and give tips on how parents can help their sons keep up.
Some people think that single sex schools are good because girls and boys feel free to talk, ask and raise their hands without being made fun of, "The theoretical approach termed 'girl power' argues that girls lag behind boys in some subject in co-ed classrooms." (predit, 2014). However, Single sex schools are very bad because it affects children attitude, they will find difficulty in communicating with their colleagues in college as they were secluded and didn't interact with other sex in school. Boys and girls should know from a young age how to deal with the opposite sex, instead of facing that when they become adults, and don't have experience on what to do. Students in single-sex classrooms will one day live and work side-by-side with members of the opposite sex .Educating students in single-sex schools restrains their chance to work helpfully and cooperate effectively with parts of the inverse sex. "It is not long before the youth of today will be the parents, co-workers and leaders of tomorrow" (strauss, 2012). "Anything we organize along any variable, if we're saying boys he...