There is a hidden factor in human safety and equity that often goes unnoticed, especially in the lives of children.  As our nation surges with interest, debate, and new programs aimed at helping people of all races feel safer, whether you are male or female determines much of what will happen to you in life.  This is especially true in the education sector.

The Gurian Institute as a network provides training in pre-k through post-secondary education using the sex and gender lens.  One of our new certified trainers wrote this powerful piece as she applied to become a trainer.  We are honored to provide an edited version of it as our blog this week because we feel that it captures one root of our present social issues beginning in the very early years.  Both directly and indirectly, and like nearly all of our trainers and partner schools do, a crucial point is made here–that when we help boys, we will also help girls.

“Back in the 1990’s I read a journal article in Lutheran Education that discussed teaching the faith to boys. It suggested that if you want to share faith concepts with boys, you should take them out to the garage and build something, or engage in another physical activity. Even though the activity may have no connection to the topic of discussion, the author felt it was essential for boys to be doing something if they were to understand and truly internalize abstract faith concepts. Unfortunately, over the years I have misplaced that journal and cannot properly credit the author, however the principles of this article have remained with me. Since that time, I have often discussed these theories with colleagues, friends, and family members. I have wanted to know more about how boys and girls differ in how they learn.

Many life and career changes have taken place in the following decades. I have worked in a wide of variety of early education settings—first grade, kindergarten, second grade, preschool, day care, and Head Start. In each place I have often observed the many differences between how boys and girls tend to act and respond to situations in classroom settings. During my formal higher education in the 1990’s and in the early years of my career, the clear emphasis was on providing equal opportunities for girls. As time has gone on, it has become clear to me that while it is important to ensure opportunities for girls, it is boys who are not necessarily receiving the opportunities they deserve.  If we help them, we will also help girls, but do we help them?

My experience shows me that we fail to respect the needs of boys to be engaged in movement and competition. We often expect boys to behave in ways that actually inhibit their learning. We ask them to sit still and listen, and respond negatively when they struggle to do. As our educational system becomes progressively more developmentally inappropriate for young children, I fear that the struggle will become greater for boys.

Even having grown up in a tiny community with limited offerings in science and math, my 18-year-old daughter is heading to a top-tier university this fall to study bioengineering. Meanwhile, my son, who has above average academic and language skills, is frustrated daily in kindergarten and is frequently chastised by his kindergarten teacher for moving and talking too much. I fear that he (and many other young men) will not succeed in reaching higher levels of academic success because of the attitudes he is developing toward school at such a young age.

Last April, I attended the Gurian Institute presentation in Gering, Nebraska. I was fascinated by the brain science that is now available to definitively show that males and females are biologically different. I felt inspired to share that information with many other people. I am eager to learn more so that I can help other educators to understand the necessity of addressing these differences in order to provide more meaningful learning opportunities for both boys and girls.

One of the primary responsibilities of my current position as an Education Supervisor for Head Start is coaching and training educational staff. I provide training and support for teachers and paras in our public school partnerships as well as our stand-alone Head Start classrooms. It is my goal in developing formal trainings for educational staff to provide insight and information which will allow them to improve the quality of educational experience they provide to the children in their care from that day forward. I select topics to present based on both their stated needs and those I observe in the classrooms I visit.

I regularly observe preschool classrooms in several public school districts. In virtually every situation, the majority of children who are struggling with behavior and meeting teacher expectations are boys. A frequent request from teachers is support for behavioral guidance. It is my hope that by increasing my own understanding of how boys and girls learn, and becoming more well-versed in the information provided by the Gurian Institute, I will be able to share this knowledge and help both our public school staff and our Head Start staff appreciate and apply these principles.

Although this alone will not remove all behavioral challenges, I believe addressing the basic learning needs of boys can significantly improve their ability to function effectively in our classrooms. This should lead to a reduction in inappropriate behaviors. In addition, staff who are able to better understand when behavior is truly inappropriate versus male-oriented should be able to provide a more supportive environment in which all learners are allowed to flourish.  Classroom management is an example of where helping boys helps girls:  when our classrooms are relieved of constant negatively around boys, the environment becomes easier and more fluid for girls.”

If you would like to check out the success that Gurian-trained schools and staff are having, please visit the Success page of www.gurianinstitute.com.  If you would like to become a Gurian Certified Trainer, please click the Trainer page on www.gurianinstitute.com.   To learn more about our next tele-summit, click www.helpingboysthrive.org.  Many thanks to our certified trainers for their thoughtful assessments of educational difficulties faced by many children.