Scan barcode
amdkemp's review against another edition
4.0
Great book! Made me realize what a great school James attends and the mistakes I've made with Will. It reassured me that we have made the right choice in changing Will's school too.
jellokites's review against another edition
4.0
Even though the book was a bit dry and filled with data and statistics, it had some good points. Being a teacher and a mom of an energetic young boy, it made sense the difficulties boys have in school vs girls.
We have a long way to go in the educational system to help boys and make sure we are teaching in a way that encourages them and helps them to learn and not to fail.
We have a long way to go in the educational system to help boys and make sure we are teaching in a way that encourages them and helps them to learn and not to fail.
mamalemma's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most important and revelatory books I have ever read. Our boys are failing to achieve at the same rate as our girls in record numbers. Lest you believe this is just a problem for boys, it has an impact on our daughters, too. The book alternately moved me to tears of recognition at some of the struggles my son has to face, while simultaneously making me angry on my daughter's behalf at how gender inequity (on either side) benefits no one. With objectivity and a heck of a lot of source material to back her up, Peg Tyre lays out the problems facing our sons, and offers some interesting solutions. I will be talking to my son's teachers differently, have already brought the issue to the attention of the school board chairman, and have begun changing the way I parent my boy. For starters, we went through his Scholastic Book order, and enthusiastically picked out "boy books," and I didn't try to influence his choices. Whether you have sons or daughters, this is a vital book for parents who want the best for their kids.
mrsbond's review against another edition
3.0
I got the point about 1/3 in and didn't feel the need to continue, yet I did. Presents the issue nicely up to a point, then seems to be a bit redundant.
22meh's review against another edition
4.0
This was very interesting, although it needs to be read critically, but it makes important observations.
magdon's review against another edition
4.0
How to get my husband fired up: read this book, tell him about it :)
Kind of a freaky read with oldest son just entering kindergarten. Hopefully author's thoughts will enable us to avoid some traps (and if we do sounds like we're all set for the college lottery!).
Kind of a freaky read with oldest son just entering kindergarten. Hopefully author's thoughts will enable us to avoid some traps (and if we do sounds like we're all set for the college lottery!).
roddej86's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book thought provoking, but ultimately lacking. The book relies on an essentialist understanding of gender--you could structure a drinking game around the frequency of mention of how much boys love trucks, for example--that limits its claims. Every page, I asked WHY: why are boys less verbal entering school? why do boys require more physical activity to succeed in school? why do boys need "gross-out" humor to find discussion accessible?
In this orientation, Tyre misses a critical analytical step in my mind. Averages can mislead; not all boys are suffering. Who are the boys who are in trouble, and why? The answer may well be systemic practices that disadvantage boys (from which some high achievers are more immune). From her arguments, though, it's impossible to say.
Many of the conclusions she ultimately draws about how schools must change to accommodate boys are excellent, and would benefit students of all genders. It's also extremely sensitive to how charged the question of the "Boy Crisis" is from many angles. I came to this book as a feminist with a blind spot on this issue, and I appreciated the care Tyre took to articulate her argument in a way that respected the hard work of feminists to attain educational equity for girls, and the suspicion with which some feminists view claims of a "boy crisis."
In this orientation, Tyre misses a critical analytical step in my mind. Averages can mislead; not all boys are suffering. Who are the boys who are in trouble, and why? The answer may well be systemic practices that disadvantage boys (from which some high achievers are more immune). From her arguments, though, it's impossible to say.
Many of the conclusions she ultimately draws about how schools must change to accommodate boys are excellent, and would benefit students of all genders. It's also extremely sensitive to how charged the question of the "Boy Crisis" is from many angles. I came to this book as a feminist with a blind spot on this issue, and I appreciated the care Tyre took to articulate her argument in a way that respected the hard work of feminists to attain educational equity for girls, and the suspicion with which some feminists view claims of a "boy crisis."
skundrik87's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this, but didn't much agree with the automatic assumption that educations=better paycheck. In Alberta, you can just have high school and make bank working for the oil companies, while people with multiple degrees are making the same take home money as fast food managers...
claudiaswisher's review against another edition
5.0
"The longer boys stay in school, the farther they fall behind the girls." And we teachers and parents allow that to happen.
This book has rocked me to the foundation of my beliefs about education. Tyre's discussions of the research support what I 'felt' about education: we've rigged the system toward little girls, and our boys may NEVER, NEVER catch up. There are now universities that have to practice quiet 'affirmative action' to bring in more male students...so while males are not the beneficaries of quotas. How did it get to this? It starts the first time a preschool teacher complains that her little boys can't sit still for circle time. It continues with subtle and not-wo-subtle messages to boys, to girls, to boys' parents: school will not adapt to you; you must adapt to school.
The chapter on literacy both supported my Reading for Pleasure class and the philosophy of choice, of movement, of building stamina...but it also challenged me to go farther...to continue to look for appropriate books, to give boys a way to write about books that doesn't necessarily include writing about feelings...a boy just today told me he can't write about books because he doesn't like to write about his feelings. I can fix that with assignments...the fact boys don't talk to each other about books, I can fix that. Giving boys wider choices ...I can fix that!
I will certainly reread this one.
This book has rocked me to the foundation of my beliefs about education. Tyre's discussions of the research support what I 'felt' about education: we've rigged the system toward little girls, and our boys may NEVER, NEVER catch up. There are now universities that have to practice quiet 'affirmative action' to bring in more male students...so while males are not the beneficaries of quotas. How did it get to this? It starts the first time a preschool teacher complains that her little boys can't sit still for circle time. It continues with subtle and not-wo-subtle messages to boys, to girls, to boys' parents: school will not adapt to you; you must adapt to school.
The chapter on literacy both supported my Reading for Pleasure class and the philosophy of choice, of movement, of building stamina...but it also challenged me to go farther...to continue to look for appropriate books, to give boys a way to write about books that doesn't necessarily include writing about feelings...a boy just today told me he can't write about books because he doesn't like to write about his feelings. I can fix that with assignments...the fact boys don't talk to each other about books, I can fix that. Giving boys wider choices ...I can fix that!
I will certainly reread this one.