Boys, Men and Society

Father

Testosterone

Questions

• What is our role in school and society?

• How as teachers can our classroom make a difference to boys?

Boy Crisis?

The struggle of boys and men to adapt to a rapidly changing society causing men to fall behind or fail.

• Employment/Education

• Environment/Health

• Social

Employment

• Work force- shift away from manufacturing• 1990 20% of American jobs in manufacturing• 2012 5% (US News)• 2001-2007 U.S. lost 3 million manufacturing

jobs 500,00 have returned• 15 top expected growing professions in 202013 are traditional women professions.(Computers and Janitors)

Changes- Women and work

• Women in management• 1970 15.9% 1980 26.2% 1990 36.6%• 2000 48.% 2012 51.5%– US Bureau of Labor

• Women who out earn their husband– 1990 24.8% 2009 37.7% Catalyst.org

• Women- Sole bread winner– 1976 6% 2010 23 %

Title IX

• 1981-2005 • Female athletes rose 34%, teams 34%

• Male athletes fell 6%, teams fell 17%

• 400 mens college sports teams have been dropped (NCAA)

• For every woman slot created men lost 3.6 (NCAA)

Unemployment 2010

Stats on Health

• 1 out of 54 boys has Autism- Girls 252 (CDC)

• Men more than 2-4 times more likely to die of 36 types cancer (American Cancer Society)

• Suicide Boys 17.7 per 100,000 Girls 4.5

• 80% of suicides are of males under 25.

CDC stats on Suicide 2010

Stats on Boys in School

• 70% of D-E• 80% Discipline Referrals• 70% Learning disorders• 80% Behavioral Disorders• 80% Ritalin Users• 80% of High School Drop outs• 43% of College Population– American Council on Education

Birmingham Demographics

• 81% White 12.6% African American• 89% white• 10% Special Education (77% white)• 9.33% Free or reduced Lunch (57% white)

• Groves 71% White 23% African-American• Seaholm 88% White 5% African-American

Birmingham

• 52% Male

• MEAP reading grades 3-8 (Fall 2011)– Female 89% Male 84% proficient

• Disciplined Students 9/2011-3/2012– 71% Male of 772 (69% White)

Seaholm

• 91 Students at Seaholm receive Special Services. 69 are boys.

• Students with disabilities: 155- boys 115-2012 Civil Rights Report

Groves

• 2013 Fall 1st trimester D-E list• 9th 36/53• 10th24/47• 11th 46/63• 12th 27/36

• 133/199 67%

Seaholm

• 1st tri grades 2012 104/160 65% received D-E

2nd tri grades 12-13 125/188 66.4% received D-EUnderclassman 60/82 73%

1st tri grade 2013 101/163 62%

Survey

• 10th graders 23 boys 15 girls• Biggest Challenge in School– Boys- Paying attention– Girls specific grade issue Tests, Math etc

• Biggest Challenge out of School– Boys Balancing time– Girls Family and friends

• Change: Boys better relations with teachers

Profile of challenges

• Poor or incomplete prenatal and infant care

• Lack of a Father/Divorce

• Environment

• Media portrayal of men

Lack of Male Role Models

• 24 million children in fatherless homes• 1 in 3 (US Census Bureau)

• 5% of Child Care professional are men• 91% of elementary teacher women

• 82% of middle school and elementary women(U.S. Labor Bureau)

Media Portrayal of Men

• Hyper masculinity– high risk activities- pursuing pleasure– defying social standards determined by

women

• Primitive masculinity– Uncomplicated– Inept social interactions– Easily manipulated by women

(Jeanette Erlendson, Cal Poly)

Wounded Souls

• Boys feel that they are not loved by their parents and hated or disrespected by their peers and teachers.

• Neglect and abuse

• Bullying– Bringing up Boys by Dobson

Brain

• 11 year old girls brain are at the ‘inflection point’ full at 21-22 (NIH)

• 15 years old for boys and 30 for full• Girls multi task better than boys. • Girls are better with oral instructions• Girls are better with word production,

expression and verbal communication.– The Minds of Boys By Michael Gurian

Boys brain• Boys are better with lists and point-subpoint

organization.• Boys are less able to verbalize emotions and

feelings• Boys have better spatial abilities and abstract

reasoning. (Moral debates, abstract arguments)• Better deductive reasoning. Ex..SAT• Boys hear less- ex…Mom’s voice• Boys need space to learn- movement• Boys rely pictures to learn

Brain at rest

Brain part deux

• Boys operate with about 15% less blood flow.• Overstimulation leads to frustration• Frustration- ‘fight or flight’ more problems• “Rest state”: Essential to male brain activity. • Down time to regenerate. • Girls need less down time because of blood

flow and activity

Lesson From Men’s magazines

• Pictures

• Lists

• Q & A

• Brackets

• Timelines

Failure

• Failure is personal to males.

• An attack on our manhood

• Avoidance of possible failure

• “I did not try”

Motivation

Competition

• Brings out the best and the worst

• Winners and losers

• Ultimate competition is with yourself

• Group or team competition

Socialization

• Season of Life by Jeff Marx

• Poverty, Drugs, Racism, Crime and the breakdown of the family are symptoms of the biggest failure of our society:

• Not teaching boys how to be men.

Society Teaches Men

• A false concept of masculinity– Athletic Ability– Sexual Conquest– Economic Success

• This sets up men for failure. Always in competition, never good enough.

#1 problem

• Father/Son Dysfunction

• Sons try to earn respect and love through performance

• Fathers need a clear definition of manhood and communicate that to there sons.

Ability to love and be loved

• Displays of emotions are shunned in males

• Men lack the tools and the vocabulary to deal with their emotions

• Even men who are “successful and powerful” still fall into the trap.

Works Cited

• Gurian, Michael, and Kathy Stevens. The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling behind in School and Life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2005. Print.

• Dobson, James C. Bringing up Boys. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2001. Print

• Marx, Jeffrey. Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print.

Works Cited

• Powell, Kevin"Manhood, Football and Suicide." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Dec. 2012. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.