Printer-friendly versionWhen our school decided to give single-gender classes a try, the first thing teachers wanted to know was whether or not they had to take the boys. I know folks who would rather take extra duty than have 25 boys in one room. But boys shine when they don’t have to worry about girls. I had a “boy homeroom” this past year and loved it.
Boys demonstrate out-of-the-box thinking that should have educators running to all-boy classes. My students successfully picked the Final Four. How? They talked about team mascots and based the winner on any given match up by which animal would win in a fight. They chose animals to beat human mascots hands down. Boys think differently. They step back and find the problems in something before they even begin the work.
The best part about the all-boy class was when there were questions about homework. They have “boy-speak” to explain what they understood the assignment to be or how to answer a question. When I assigned experts to tutor in subjects after I reviewed interims, they eagerly embraced helping and getting help with schoolwork. I had heard about other homerooms where all they wanted to do was to play table football. That was never an option in my class and my students knew it. I explained the concept of a Renaissance man, and it made all the difference.
In short, boys are who we see them to be. When you send the vibe that they are capable young men, they will strive to give you what you expect. They have a strong sense of right and wrong in a sort of esprit de corps. They genuinely want to see each other succeed and be happy. It touched my heart when they would tell me that “so and so broke up with his girlfriend today. Can we talk about Carolina baseball to cheer him up?”
And speaking of our state, it gets HOT in South Carolina. My boys went out for recess and played. Hard. The first day that they came in sweating and smelling like boys, I thought I would keel over. I made one comment about having to open the windows, but I didn’t fuss. The next day, they bypassed my room and washed up in the bathroom. I had to giggle when I heard one say, “Make sure you put on deodorant. We don’t want her passing out in here. We stink.”
Harriford-Platt is a middle school language arts teacher in South Carolina.
Comments
I couldn't agree more. I
I couldn't agree more. I teach single gender middle school. I have been an adviser to the boys since I arrived at the school 10 years ago as well. I couldn't agree more with your points. They DO learn and approach things differently. If their interest is piqued, you cannot go wrong. Engagement is key. My perception is they thrive on high expectations. It seems to me they are more sensitive to how they are perceived than most people think. They will read your signals and perform accordingly. That, unfortunately, is also true if you treat them as less than their potential and as behavior problems.
Thank you Wendy for writing
Thank you Wendy for writing about the joys of teaching boys. I teach a high school special education class that has given me by chance all boy classes. I found myself enjoying their straightforwardness. They tell you what is on their minds and you can see what kind of day they are having when they walk into the room. This allows us to get it all out in the first ten minutes and then get down to work. One of these classes had a girl transfer in part way through the semester. I had one conversation about thinking how she feels and being gentlemen. From that day forward they were like big brothers to her inside and outside the classroom.
I wonder, though, if the same
I wonder, though, if the same thing that scares teachers about teaching all boys is what keeps the girls from excelling. If the girls, after all, behaved like the boys (finding problems before they begin the work, thinking outside of the box, playing hard in the sun and smelling like pigs), would the teachers balk at teaching them? Doubtful. I notice your story didn't include teachers who thought segregating them was wrong (though I'm sure there were some)--just the teachers clamoring for the (quiet? reserved? subservient?) girls' classes.
I was a girl who displayed those types of traits that are seen as positive (by you and Many others) in boys, but as detrimental to girls' well being. It was a stifling environment that taught me to not try and to expect failure. Not because I couldn't succeed but because I couldn't succeed within the confines of my gender-expectations.
My point is, the boys were blessed to have You as their teacher. The girls, however, may have gotten the raw end of the deal...
Thank you for your excellent
Thank you for your excellent response. I hope that this conversation continues and includes reactions from single sex girl class teachers. Isn't the idea to help the students, no matter the gender, use their skills and have open classroom discussions? Classrooms should be preparing them for society around them, not secluding them in an unnatural situation. Unfortunately girls are the ones who are receiving the criticism while raving about boys classes.
Hiya! I would have signed up
Hiya! I would have signed up for girls and actually had a unique mixture of them when I taught a school within a school class to help keep at-risk kids in school. The girls were just as interested in many of the things that boys were when no potential suitors were around. They loved watching how stuff works and many things that teachers would be surprised to know that girls are interested in. They thought about winners and losers of athletic events based on how uniforms and color clashes would affect psyches of the athletes. Girls are awesome at "playing" school because they have had to tone down what is perceived as non-girl behavior. They are every bit as interested in whatever is presented to them in a positive light. I wrote about the boys because I happened to have them this past school year. When I was the sponsor of the Unity Council, it was almost entirely made up of girls who were so unique that I would be hard pressed to find one closely resembling another. I think that giving students a cocoon to learn about themselves is much better preparation for confidence needed in the "real world" than putting them in situations where they are all too uncomfortable to express themselves. Society and school are much different places than they were 25 years ago (I'm dating myself). They are so much more aware of what is going on with the opposite sex that it can be distracting when they are focusing on absorbing content that is absolutely essential for their success in the future. Is it an unnatural situation, really? They naturally congregate in a single gender on the recess field and are more relaxed.
It was actually homeroom and
It was actually homeroom and not a core content class. The students and their parents had the option of being in a single gender homeroom versus a mixed gender. I would have loved the girls as well. Variety is the spice of life! I heard from the many of the teachers who had girl dens who enjoyed them. I will try to nudge them to become more vocal about their experiences as well.
Bravo Wendy! In the past, I
Bravo Wendy!
In the past, I have taught a classroom of Socially/Emotionally maladjusted males 13-17 years-of-age. It was a very rewarding experience, where most teachers dared not take on the challenge. Initially they were a bit out of hand until I tapped their interests and established ground rules for mutual trust. During seat work periods, I would walk around to EVERY boy individually, either commenting or applauding them for completing assignments. It was evident that my young men needed something that was desperately missing in their lives; attention, trust, love and affirmation. Whenever a substitute was needed, the boys would request my presence. Administration was simply amazed at the results. To me, it was common sense.
Kimberly Railey, M.Ed.
Philadelphia, PA
Kudos and congratulations to
Kudos and congratulations to you, Kimberly! I think that with as many women in the education profession and the dearth of men in the classroom, educators who step up to fill those roles can actually touch the future and steady a young man who might otherwise be floundering.
Single sex classrooms make me
Single sex classrooms make me uncomfortable. At a very impressionable age these kids learn that the differences between boys and girls are so powerful that they can't even be in a room together where learning occurs. And good luck for the boys and girls who don't fit so conveniently in these gender boxes. Not all girls learn the same way. Not all boys learn the same way.
I understand why single sex classrooms are tempting. But perhaps the real solution is diversifying how we teach so that we're reaching all the different types of learners we have in our classroom.
How do you feel about it with
How do you feel about it with a homeroom?
Less icky. But it still
Less icky.
But it still reinforces the gender binary.
Also, if the whole reason for single sex classrooms is the idea that boys and girls learn differently... what is the purpose of doing it in homeroom?
For Mentoring and Guidance
For Mentoring and Guidance tailored lessons and activities.
Ms. Platt, Thank you for such
Ms. Platt,
Thank you for such an eye opening commentary. I am a Self-contained Special Education teacher in South Carolina with 8 boys grades 4-6. I often think that maybe my classroom would run better with a male teacher because I know, and believe, men think differently than women. I also think these boys view me nothing more than an extension of their mothers. I'm sure it's my own nurturing and responsiveness to them as I have a son of my own. However, particularly with these boys, who have reputations of being disruptive and have been labeled nothing less than "behavior problems", I am always looking for a way to build them up.
One of the reasons I oppose self-contained classrooms is that they feed off of eachother's bad habits leaving little room for modeling appropriate behavior. They want to handle things by fighting. I constantly hear ... "he's bothering me" which could be anything from a glance or stare to an outright derogatory comment. Any suggestions on how to create a climate that would foster and encourage "who we see them to be" in a positive way? Thanks!