Lost Boys
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- 3/22/2010 |
- 10:00 am
The studies are in, and the word is out. Boys don't read as well, or as often, as girls. Boys aren't as passionate about reading, and their grades reflect that. Boys are far less likely to grow up to become reading adults, and book sales prove that. Boys are...
Boys are lost.
But, despite what some might claim, this is not a new phenomenon. It might be picking up steam, but the underlying problems have been around for a long time. It might now be trendy to spotlight the issue, but educators have grappled with the gender gap for years.
It's time to help some of the boys find their way back to the book. In order to do that, it would help some parents - especially parents of young men - to understand three of the primary reasons for the gap.
First, accept the monkey wrench that genetics have thrown into the works. Although some people stubbornly insist that 'œwe're all the same,'쳌 we're not. Boys' brains are fundamentally wired differently than girls'. Yes, there are some exceptions, but for the most part boys will be boys and girls will be irritated by them.
It's unclear if we'll ever completely understand why we tick the way we do, but suffice to say that our learning centers are different. Women utilize more areas of the brain in tandem (think multi-tasking), while men are more focused on specific tasks. Most teachers will nod as they read this.
Next, take a look at a child's reading environment. It's a sad fact that boys have fewer reading role models at home. Kudos to every dad who devotes time to reading to his children, but stereotypically that duty falls to mom. Additionally, what is the percentage of male elementary school teachers? How many men are school librarians? Like it or not, many boys view reading as a 'œchick thing.'쳌
The final piece of the puzzle is the most damaging of all. Boys could more easily get past the genetics and the environmental speed bumps if they weren't so worried about what their peers would say. This is at the heart of my foundation, The Big Brain Club, which targets both genders. With boys, however, the pressures are more pronounced.
If reading is perceived among young men as a chick thing, then the books get tossed aside in favor of video games or skateboarding. Boys are intensely sensitive to their macho image as they age. Ever notice that pre-school boys seem to be just as interested in books as the girls, but noticeably retreat by the time they reach middle school?
Peer pressure is a tidal force that's hard to overcome. But not impossible.
Some will argue that there aren't enough books written for boys. That's nonsense, and borders on a cop-out. There are plenty of great '˜boy books' available; the challenge is in fighting the perception that reading is not a manly thing.
Role models are critical in this battle, beginning with Dad. But awareness of the issue is a good start for everyone involved in the process. As the addiction specialists say, acknowledging the problem is the first step to battling it.
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