3 Reasons Boys are Struggling in School
As a mother of two boys, I join moms across the nation who wrestle with ensuring their young men enter safe schools that support academic and social/emotional excellence particular to their needs. The ongoing quest for balance between encouraging resilient, self-defining sons and our “mother-knows-best” intuition can be overwhelming. However, this paradox can be softened when we identify why our boys may be struggling in the first place. It’s been years since I’ve claimed a classroom as my own, but my ongoing work in schools pushes me to objectively dissect the topic of why boys are struggling from a practitioner’s angle, nonetheless. So, let’s dive in.
1. “It’s Just So Boring.”
Long-gone are the days where we should want or expect students to be engaged in learning simply because… they just should. I recount a Facebook status once that read, “If you are a teacher who does not enjoy lesson planning -- you don’t enjoy teaching; you enjoy performing.” That quote rang true as I observed teachers in their classrooms the following day. Sure enough, teachers whose lesson plans integrated innovative and thoughtful ways for students to both learn and retain knowledge were the most stimulating classrooms. Were they dressed as Mrs. Frizzle or dancing on tables? No. Absolutely not. But, what was evident was that they were both prepared and considered every student in their room when authoring their lesson.
According to “The Boy Crisis” (Warren and Gray, 2019), worldwide, boys are 50 percent less likely than girls to meet proficiency in reading, math, and science. It’s no wonder that if classrooms are failing to leverage teaching methodologies that consider learning styles of all students, intrinsic motivation to learn and perform well also fall short. Some argue that this can be combatted by ensuring schools offer a range of organized, high quality extracurricular programming, because, let’s face it – the actual school day is not always fun or interesting. So, offering activities of personal interest that connect boys to their learning institutions beyond the classroom is also necessary.
Expanding curriculum to offer a wide range of activity-based programming, including but not limited to: music, sports, debate, mentorship programs, STEM (ie., robotics, coding, mechanics), creative writing, book clubs, etc. extend areas of opportunity to experience “school” beyond the bounds of textbooks and worksheets.
2. “What Does School Have To Do With Real Life?”
For many of our boys growing up in under-resourced communities the connection between school and the “real world” seem light years apart. If, as a young man, my community fails to showcase how formal education comes to fruition through economic prosperity, I may be less likely to recognize its true value. This level of disengagement often leads to the startling data around school attendance, graduation, post-secondary matriculation, and living wage income. See some of this data for Memphis/Shelby County below:
Percentage of students *chronically out-of-school – 12.9%
Percentage of students not graduating – 20.4%
Percentage of students not enrolled in post-secondary school (4-year college, 2-year college & technical school) – 44% (2016)
Shelby County wage data for 1 adult with 0 children
Living wage - $11.06
Poverty wage - $5.84
Minimum wage - $7.25
Chronic absenteeism – missing 10% or more of the academic school year (17.5 days or more)
*Data pulled from the 2018-2019 TN State Report Card, TN Department of Education 2016 Drive to 25 report, and MIT Living Wage Calculator
Economic development and sustainability go hand-in-hand with student achievement. While we hear, know, and live success stories of young men rising above circumstances to maximize their full potential, we must also consider those who do not. If your neighborhood boasts new community-centered business developments, bike lanes, community resource hubs (ie. thriving libraries, grocery stores, and coffee shops) – count it all joy. Many of our boys arrive to school every day passing blight, abandonment, and businesses with no true connection to the community. This perpetual denial of access to both cultural and economic resources only help widen the economic disparity gap thus impacting student achievement.
3.“I’m Just Not Good at School.”
Schools tend to praise and applaud the skills girls, by in large, excel at. I reflect on the days trapper keepers, Lisa Frank pencil pouches, and gel pens ruled almost every adolescent girl’s desk top. Copious note taking was a pleasure as many of us were excited to view our multicolored adorned spiral notebooks full of details from each subject area. Little did we know this attention to detail and tools of organization were indicative of how girls and boys often interact with school.
Movement, competition, and personal relationships drive boys’ learning in a way that is different for many girls. For boys, when/if these components are absent they tend to fall behind or disengage altogether, thus settling into the feeling that school is simply something they’re just not “good” at.
Tools for success stretch higher and wider than any school day can capture. However, our children will spend, on average, somewhere around 16,000 hours in secondary school over the course of their lives. Expecting any human, irrespective of gender, to connect and identify with an experience they feel excluded from sends a clear message that this experience does not consider you, the person.
Three Recommendations for Parents
1. Hold the folks placed in front of our sons everyday accountable for delivering. If teachers are not delivering high quality content aligned to age appropriate behavior, we must advocate on behalf of our children. If we do not, who will?
2. Take an interest in the larger school community. Become involved in the school PTSA, join ad-hoc committees, chaperone school events, etc. This can be especially difficult if you have a complicated work schedule but be present as early and often as possible. Most schools also encourage regular emails, phone calls, and text messages.
3. Encourage your school to meet your son where they are! You can do this by letting them know his interests and what captures his attention. Many educators are open and willing to incorporate things that excite students. For your son this could mean teaching statistics through March Madness polls or connecting Lord of the Flies to Fortnite!
My hope as an education professional is that we remain diligent in truly considering our young men and their needs both inside and outside of the classroom. As adults, many of us are in search of balance, structure, joy, and purpose in the workplace – why should we expect schools to offer any less? The road ahead will be met with hurdles and many times we’ll have to pivot as needed, but our sons, nephews, neighbors, and students’ lives depend on us getting this right.
-Cortney Thomas