While I am no expert in raising boys, I have worked with boys in a school setting for the past 15 years. I hope to draw from others' research and experience. I will use this page to post information from books I am currently reading, personal experiences, or research that I come across that I think might be helpful.
Boys and girls are very different in the areas of depression, bullying and expressing anger. For example, in the area of depression, boys may act in the following ways:
becoming angry unnecessarily
acting out towards others either verbally or physically
becoming withdrawn
dropping grades
Girls tend to withdraw also, but may show more emotions such as crying and anxiety.
I recently started reading a book called Boys Adrift, by Leonard Sax. The subtitle explains the purpose of the book: "The five factors driving the growing epidemic of unmotivated boys and underachieving young men." Those factors, each given a chapter in the book, are: changes at school, video games, medications for ADHD, endocrine disruptors, and moving from boyhood to adulthood.
This topic interests me because I work with a lot of boys, and middle school years are critical in attempting to help them proceed into young adulthood on a positive path. I know some of them have a hard time relating to women, and that can be a challenge for me at times, but I won't accept that and will strive to reach every boy who is placed in my watchful care at school.
No matter how much research is out there, how many opinions and books have been written, or how much medication they might take, I know from experience the key to reaching all students is building a relationship with them where they can learn to trust me. Not every student has the same triggers for that trust, so it is my duty to learn about different motivators and personalities so I can figure out what works for each one of them.
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