Letter

Dear Reader,

When I first entered teaching, the context of a classroom was very straight forward. Students sit in rows and are expected to quietly absorb information, complete assignments, and generally remain busy. If a student was disruptive, anxious, or obnoxious generally the behavior would be associated with the student's choice to be disruptive. The assumption is that remaining quiet and completing work is a reasonable expectation that all students should be able to model. I remember a number of students being asked to leave class when they were unable to maintain such simple expectations. I also remember on a number of occasions I would also be asked to leave class and spend some time in the principle's office for my own disruptive behavior. I also remember being sent to the school counselor for testing, and I vividly remember when my mother approached me several days later with a pill that had been prescribed to me called Ritalin. I was in fifth grade.

At the time I didn't think about it that much I would wake up, take a pill and every three hours go to the nurses office to continue to take the pills throughout the day. All of my teachers were aware that I was one of those ADHD students, and I would be seated in special locations and given "special" treatment. I would also be privy to teacher's opinions on the "disorder" as being a cop out or an excuse. Overtime, though, I was not so alone. I noticed that many of my friends - all boys - were also diagnosed and making regular trips to the nurses' office. We usually became close friends because we had a secret knowledge of how teachers treated students like us, and would often have similar stories and struggles.

This blog, however, is not about ADHD. It's about boys and the unique struggles that many boys may face when subjected to the oppressive silence and stillness of most learning labs or classrooms. This is not to say that girls do not suffer the same issues in these environments, because many do, it just that I wanted to focus on boys because I believe that there are many elements of "masculinity" that contrast greatly with the expectations of the classroom and I believe that many boys - as they are figuring out how to be men - are subjected to an environment that is not open to appreciating certain masculine qualities.

Before you explore the posts below I think it would be helpful to read some of the statistics about boys in our current education system. They have a higher drop out rate, suicide rate, and failure rate than their female peers. There is a wealth of evidence that shows that many boys do not fit into the mold of the "good student" that traditional classroom environments expect. I believe that this leaves many boys feeling out of place, undervalued, and under appreciated in their school system. But there is hope.

In the tab of "teaching strategies" I have created videos of teachers who have created lessons that are "boy friendly". These classrooms encorporate more movement, competition, and visual aids than would many traditional or verbally based classroom environments. While most classroom environments still demand a certain amount of silence and individual work, there are certain strategies that can harness some of the masculine energy that boys carry within them and use it in the lessons, without the need of labeling the energy as negative or a "disorder".

ADHD and Boys

The American Psychiatric Association states in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) that 3%-7% of school-aged children have ADHD. However, studies have estimated higher rates in community samples. In fact according to surveys of parents 13.2% of boys have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. In the same survey, 5.6% of girls have ever been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. This survey's statistics states that 9.5% of school aged children (4-17) have been - at one time - diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. This is 2.5% higher than the high end of the American Psychiatric Association's estimate.

The real question that arises from these statistics is, are school aged children being "misdiagnosed" as having a "disorder"? If this is true, then it is certainly likely that boys are being misdiagnosed at a much higher rate. According to the CDC, children that are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD report three times more problems with peers than those who are not diagnosed and they are almost ten times as likely to have problems with relationships.

I suppose this makes me wonder if some of the problems associated with ADHD come from the label of such a diagnosis. Anyone who works with children understands that peer to peer and teacher to student relationships are extremely important in the development of that child. In addition these relationships are fragile and can change rather quickly. Would a student who has been "diagnosed" as having a disorder, be more likely to have difficulties with relationships simply because of his or her diagnosis as opposed to the actual "Disorder"? I believe that such a diagnosis may affect a student's sense of self and therefore affect the way that student relates with others.

According the CDC, "Using a prevalence rate of 5%, the annual societal ‘‘cost of illness’’ for ADHD is estimated to be between $36 and $52 billion, in 2005 dollars. It is estimated to be between $12,005 and $17,458 annually per individual". So even with a low estimate, there is quite a bit of money to be made with each diagnosis of ADHD, therefore it is benificial to doctors and corporations to liberally diagnosis this disorder. So why are boys more than twice as likely to recieve such a diagnosis? Is it because 13.2% are born with a "Disorder"? Or does it come from school's and society's expectations of what is "normal"?

To understand this we must first look at the criteria set our by the DSM-IV for diagnosis of ADHD:

DSM-IV Criteria for ADHD
I. Either A or B:

A.Six or more of the following symptoms of inattention have been present for at least 6 months to a point that is disruptive and inappropriate for developmental level:

Inattention

1.Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities.

2.Often has trouble keeping attention on tasks or play activities.

3.Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.

4.Often does not follow instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions).

5.Often has trouble organizing activities.

6.Often avoids, dislikes, or doesn't want to do things that take a lot of mental effort for a long period of time (such as schoolwork or homework).

7.Often loses things needed for tasks and activities (e.g. toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools).

8.Is often easily distracted.

9.Is often forgetful in daily activities.

B.Six or more of the following symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have been present for at least 6 months to an extent that is disruptive and inappropriate for developmental level:

Hyperactivity

1.Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.

2.Often gets up from seat when remaining in seat is expected.

3.Often runs about or climbs when and where it is not appropriate (adolescents or adults may feel very restless).

4.Often has trouble playing or enjoying leisure activities quietly.

5.Is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor".

6.Often talks excessively.

Impulsivity

1.Often blurts out answers before questions have been finished.

2.Often has trouble waiting one's turn.

3.Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games).

II.Some symptoms that cause impairment were present before age 7 years.

III.Some impairment from the symptoms is present in two or more settings (e.g. at school/work and at home).

IV.There must be clear evidence of significant impairment in social, school, or work functioning.

V.The symptoms do not happen only during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorder. The symptoms are not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g. Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder).

Based on these criteria, three types of ADHD are identified:

1.ADHD, Combined Type: if both criteria 1A and 1B are met for the past 6 months

2.ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type: if criterion 1A is met but criterion 1B is not met for the past six months

3.ADHD, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type: if Criterion 1B is met but Criterion 1A is not met for the past six months.

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000.


It is easy for me to look at this list of criteria and see the ambiguous nature of it. It seems to me that many of these "criteria" could be exhibited by any student from time to time and how each criteria may be noticed more or less depending on the personality and tolerance level of the teacher observing the behavior. As a teacher of boys, I often find a sheet with the statements made above and student's name on it in my mailbox. I am asked to check the following {never}, {almost never}, {sometimes), {often}, or {almost always}. It is usually associated with a student who has run into problems at school, often times associated with classroom behavior or "acting out". This student would more than likely have been recently asked to leave a class because of disruptive behavior, and now the teacher who he has disturbed is asked for input to help discern if this student has a disorder. This does not seem to be a very scientific manner in which to diagnose a student.

I believe that when my students start to fidget and act out, that the first person to look at is not the student but me and how prepared I am. I believe that often students begin to fidget and act out as a way to "stay awake" or maintian focus during the tedious hum drum of school. I believe that boys tend to be more agressive in the manner in which they express themselves and when they feel a teacher is not prepared or that someone is wasting their time, they will get antsy and "act out" in an act of defiance. This may be rooted more in a student's sense of anger or helplessness than in some sort of disorder that requires drugs. Maybe the DSMIV should have as one of the criteria "Student attends a class with an underprepared teacher" or "Student is enrolled in an inadequate and unjust education system"

Despite higher achievement, gender gap remains the same

According to the National Center for Education Statistics's 2008 study, boys are making improvements in literacy and mathematics across age groups. Yet this growth in achievement is not affecting the gap in achievement between boys and girls. In mathematics the statistics between male and female students were competitive, though there was not much change in the gender gap. "While there was no significant difference in the average mathematics scores for male and female 9-year olds in 2008, male students did score higher than female students at ages 13 and 17. At age 13, the male – female gap in 2008 was not significantly different when compared to 2004 but was larger than in 1973. At age 17, the gender score gap in 2008 was not significantly different from the gaps in previous assessment years." In Literacy the gap was more noticable. "Across all three age groups,female students continued to score higher on average in reading than male students in 2008. At age 9, the 7-point gap in 2008 was not significantly different from the gap in 2004 but was narrower than the gap in 1971. The 8-point gender gap for 13-year-olds in 2008 was not significantly different from the gaps in either 2004 or in 1971. At age 17, the 11-point gap in 2008 was not signi cantly different from the gaps in any of the previous assessment years."

Sources:
Perie, M. (2010). NAEP 2008 Trends in Academic Progress. US Department of
Education.
Salahu-Din, Debra (2008). The Nation's Report Card: Writing 2007. US
Department of Education.

The Imagination

Violent Fantasy Play: A Boon for Boys?

Peg Tyre's extensive research into the nature of boys has led her to the conclusion that refraining boys from engaging in fantasy play that depicts violence can be a hinderance to their natural development.  She believes that when little boys engage in fantasy play - even if they are pretending to kill their best friend - they are "playing at being the best, most compassionate, most heroic kind of men imaginable".  I know that I am often struck by the violent nature of toys and video games marketed to boys and have bought into the popular assumption that it is the culture that breeds the desire for these items in boys; however, I too enjoyed these toys as a young boy and spent much of my play time playing good guy/bad guy with my other guy friends.  I also spent some time playing video games where we hunted down a shot "the bad guy".  Now it seems that such games - while readily available - are often made as the scape goat for explaining why boys today are more violent than their female counter parts.  Tyre disagrees and believes that we are not serving our boys well when we discriminate against these forms of fantasy play.

Judging students based on the types of play that they engage in can create negative feelings within the child that could otherwise be avoided.  It's one thing to chide Johnny for rough housing a student who did not want to be involved to teach Johnny how to socialize.  It's anothe thing to break up a game in which all children are engaged and cooperating, simply because the content makes the adults somewhat uneasy.  Such judgement can further create a disconnect between boys and the institutions that serve them.  

Handbook of Psychology: Educational Psychology

For those interested in some current research concerning boy's dropout rates and lack of success in the classroom the Handbook of Psychology is an excellent resource.  I've linked this to a page specific to gender differences in education.

Culture of Schools

 Something often brought up in the debate about the gender gap is the"feminine" nature of schools.  I'm often reluctant to label certain activities as necessarily feminine or masculine, but something that I have noticed in my experience as a graduate student in education is the absence of men.  I mean there are a few of us, but I have had more than one class where I am the only male in the room.  I suppose I have always explained this as a  reaction to the pay scale teachers are locked into than lack of interest in the profession.  I have met many men who tell me they would love to be teachers if it payed more, at least that is what they claim.  Others claim that women tend to be more "nurturing" and are therefore more likely to choose the teaching profession.  Whatever the reason there is a distinct lack of men entering the profession.

If school buildings across the nation are staffed predominantly by women, can we make the assumption that education, or the culture of education is much more "feminine" than the outside world.  If so, could this explain why boys are more than twice as likely to drop out of school than their female peers?  It really could.  If from a young age boys do not have access to many male role models in the school buildings they are forced to attend each day, how can we claim we are creating an environment that equally serves boys and girls?  If all of the Schools of Education and training programs are dominated by female students and female teachers (I have yet to have a tenured male professor in two years) how can they claim they are effectively helping male teachers find their own voice in teaching?

I believe it is important to look at the culture of the school building and see what can be done to make it a place that is more masculine.  A place a boy might look forward to going to every weekday and staying through his adolescence.  At the moment, it seems the pull of the outside world can be intoxicating to a young man and schools seem to fail boys more than girls in regards to retention.  Michael Gurian claim that sitting, studying, and listening quietly is more difficult for boys than girls and that teachers need to create a more "aggressive" classroom setting.  Words such as "aggressive" and "competitive" in a classroom setting can cut against the grain of what many teachers hope for their classroom environment.  Often administrators may quickly judge teachers whose classroom environment incorporates noise and movement readily, without inquiring why the teacher is using this strategy.  I remember my first year teaching being questioned about having "too much noise" coming from my classroom with the hope that once I explained the activity all would be forgiven.  I was simply told something to the tune of, sounds good, but its still too loud.

Until school buildings can open up and change the expectation of a quiet, neat, organized classroom as being the ideal, I believe boys will more likely than girls feel out of place in their educational setting.  Until more boys grow up and choose to become teachers, I believe boys will continue to find the outside world more appealing than the school building. Until we can have an open conversation about the true differences about the development of boys and girls - physically, mentally, and culturally - we will not see this gap change much in the near future.

I look forward to my Education course tomorrow night at Seattle University - Male/Female ratio = 3/22.

"The culture of schools, especially for young children, is much more feminine than masculine. There are almost no male early childhood educators. Many teachers of young children find boys' interests in violence, gross things, and bodily functions to be boring or stupid. We need to recognize that many of us have 'internal prejudices' against these interests. Just as we used to ask ourselves in the '70s, 'In what ways am I being sexist in my treatment of girls?' we now have to ask, 'In what ways are we disapproving of boys' interests in our classrooms?' "

Joseph Tobin, Ph.D.

Professor of Early Childhood Education, Arizona State University. Author, Good Guys Don't Wear Hats