Sexual stereotyping of boys

[greymatter]

Hi,

At my son's school's sharing assembly, which I attended yesterday, the headteacher commenting on 3 year 5 boys who had just read out some beautifully descriptive prose. She annoumced that it was amazing to see them reading their work "as we all know that boys don't like writing". She then repeated this statement. I am beside myself. My son is just learnign to write and has been told by his headteacher that it;s not for him anyway, The school h as a satisfactory status which hasn't change din 2 ofsteds. HELP!!!! I talked to my little boy afterwards and we agreed that boys doen't like writing because they LOVE IT!!

Advice please. This head is a disaster area on many levels.

I choose not to send my son to the local high school because of this attitude. The first room we went into was the BTEC room (as it was the closest to the hall) the teacher saw we had a boy and immediately launched into a long lecture to us about "how everybody knows boys hate reading and writing, they just don't learn by reading a book or writing things down. They just want to get their hands dirty". This attitude was prevalent amongst most of the teachers we saw. Ds's primary school was very similar also. There it was that all boys liked football and didn't like reading or writing. Ds didn't fit the stereotype and definitely wasn't seen as a hero. He was bullied to the extent that he needed help from CAMHS.

The figures don't indicate that boys don't like writing they indicate that boys don't perform as well as girls. To me it's not a perceived slight but actually very harmful. By all means discuss it in the staff-room and try and find ways to engage boys as well as girls. By stating that they "don't like it" then in my view it becomes a self perpetuating prophesy.

I agree kitty. I do hope that your son is OK now - what an awful time you must have all had.

chibi have you asked everyone or should I take offence and write to your head?

lol

Mrz I am reading a book called "delusions of gender", actually recommended by a mumsnetter! It makes very interesting read in that it argues overall that men and women perform better or worse in all sorts of tests when they are "expected" to do well. Controlled studies have showed that if women are told "studies have shown that women don't do well in this tests" they will drastically underperform.

Might be worth a read, if you are interested.

*shown

I think self esteem plays a huge part in attainment emy what I don't accept is the head was guilty of sexual stereotyping
www.everybodywrites.org.uk/projects/details/boys-writing-motivating-reluctant-writers/
nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/46134
www.teachers.tv/videos/ks2-literacy-boys-writing-2

the OP has acknowledge they have many issues with the head