A few days ago Noel Sheppard argued here that articles such as the one in the current issue of Newsweek titled "The Trouble With Boys" with its cover splashed with a picture of several glaring pre adolescent males, hgeadlined "The Boy Crisis."
"The Trouble With Boys" merely perpetuates the myth of girls being smarter than boys. The real trouble with boys Noel Sheppard concluded, is that adult male figures are absent from the home depriving young boys of role models and balance.
While this may be true I——a white, middle class, Jewish teacher——think the Newsweek cover story is correct. Boys are different than girls——really!——but schools are geared for girls. Schools usually expect verbal dexterity and decorum——skills and behaviors geared for...girls.
And now a white middle class student has filed Schoolboy's bias suit — The Boston Globe reports
a federal civil rights complaint contending that his school discriminates against boys.
Among Anglin's allegations: Girls face fewer restrictions from teachers, like being able to wander the hallways without passes, and girls are rewarded for abiding by the rules, while boys' more rebellious ways are punished.
Grading on homework, which sometimes includes points for decorating a notebook, also favor girls, according to Anglin's complaint, filed last month with the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
''The system is designed to the disadvantage of males," Anglin said. ''From the elementary level, they establish a philosophy that if you sit down, follow orders, and listen to what they say, you'll do well and get good grades. Men naturally rebel against this."
Sure there will be those who mock him, his parents who filed the suit and the legal system which allows such frivolous doings. But the suit has merit, so whether or not he wins, hopefully more attention will be paid to this issue.
Ethel C. Fenig 1 26 06
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