Has school let the boys down?
June 28, 2007 – The school does not care enough about boys, hence the lack of interest of many of them in furthering their education.
This is the observation of psychologist William Pollack1, from the prestigious Harvard University School of Medicine. This trend can be seen as much in the United States and Canada as in most Western countries.
Quebec is no exception either: “Seven out of ten dropouts are male,” he says. The dropout rate is peaking in disadvantaged families: 43% of young Quebecers from these backgrounds do not have high school diplomas.
Even before dropping out, boys find it difficult to find their place in school. “However, they receive twice as much help as the girls”, pleads William Pollack. In the United States, kids are storming the special classes â € ”where children in difficulty are found. They represent no less than 70% of the numbers in these classes.
How do we learn? “Many girls learn by simply listening to their teachers or by observation. As for boys, they prefer to learn by experimenting – by doing it themselves. Most classes are not suited to this way of doing things. As a result, a boy may be bored or restless and be labeled with behavioral problems, attention deficit disorder, or hyperactivity disorder.2. “ William Pollack |
“Do they have less ability from birth? “, Launches William Pollack in the form of a joke. The psychologist does not answer his own question directly. But the examples he gives to illustrate his point clearly indicate that he does not believe in it.
According to him, the school system does not respect the specific needs of boys. Recess time is a good example. To satisfy their need to move, male schoolchildren should have five recess periods. “But it’s not bad when they have one. And sometimes there isn’t any at all, ”he says with regret.
At university too
This disparity between girls and boys continues until college. “They are doing better and better while they are less successful than ten years ago,” said the American psychologist.
Across Western countries, 33% of women aged 25 to 45 have a university degree compared to 28% of men in the same age group3. The gap is therefore likely to widen further over the next few years.
William Pollack cites surveys of university students. The former devote barely three hours to their studies over the course of a week. Young women do five times more!
Play to be “real guys”
Why do kids and young men meet so many hardships on the way to academic success? William Pollack explains it in a shocking sentence: “They feel ‘disconnected’ from themselves and from society. “
Sometimes unconsciously, family and school teach them to conform to what a “tough, dominant,“ macho ”man should be, according to him. Result: they learn to hide their real emotions. “Many boys are sad, isolated and disturbed even if they seem at first glance harsh, happy or confident,” he argues in his bestselling book, Real Boys4.
The risk is then great, for them, of losing ground. Whether we think of drug addiction, depression or suicide to which they are more exposed, recalls the researcher.
Reconnect with them
What then to do to help them? “Have an emotional engagement,” he exclaims. Parents and teachers alike must, according to him, reconnect with boys: play with them, listen to what they have to say… He also calls for the upgrading of the work of educators â € ”in daycare and ‘school â € ”whose role is so precious to children.
William Pollack draws attention to experiments carried out to promote academic success for schoolchildren5, including mentoring. “In all the schools where mentoring has been put in place, the dropout rate has dropped. Each boy could then create a special bond with his mentor, ”he says. The impact has been immense.
“We are so powerful,” continues the psychologist enthusiastically. We can turn the tide… and help our children not just at age 4 or 5, but throughout their lives! “
Talented and happy children? Being devoted to children can pay off big. William Pollack reminds us of this by emphasizing how the loving and warm context of family and school can have an impact on children’s success.
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Johanne Lauzon – PasseportSanté.net
1. William Pollack is the author of Real Boys, a book that hit the US bookstore in the late 1990s. He also wrote Real Boys’ Voices et Real Boys Workbook. He gave a lecture in the framework of the 13e edition of the Montreal Conference which took place from June 18 to 21, 2007.
2. Free translation, extract taken from Real Boys : www.williampollack.com [accessed June 27, 2007].
3. Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), cited by William Pollack.
4. Real Boys was published in French: Pollack W. Real guys, Varennes, Éditions AdA-Inc, 2001, 665 p.
5. William Pollack referred to the work of Robert Pianta of the University of Virginia. An example: Hamre BK, Pianta RC. Can instructional and emotional support in the first-grade classroom make a difference for children at risk of school failure ?, Child Dev, 2005 Sep-Oct;76(5):949-67.