As I read Terry Stoops’ post over in The Locker Room about the newly released data on the four-year graduation rate for some high-profile public school districts in our state, I couldn’t help but wonder how boys are doing, compared to girls. And that brought me to one of my favorite columnists and authors, Kathleen Parker. In her new book, Save the Males, she writes about the plight of boys in a politically correct world that caters to girls. From page 13:
This is not quantum physics. Civilizations have known for centuries that boys need men to become men. Yet boys, except those lucky enough to attend all-boys schools, are surrounded by women most of their growing-up years. Just 25 percent of the nation’s three million public school teachers are male — the lowest percentage in forty years — according to the National Education Association. Looking at the typical American classroom these days, there’s a good chance that boys may be bored witless by classes that are mind-numbingly dull and that favor girl interests. I can’t count the number of map-coloring assignments and dioramas my son had to build up through twelfth grade. Can you imagine making a seventeen-year-old male decorate little shoeboxes for a grade that will determine his college options? What kind of sadistic insanity is that?
