Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label boys

The Boy Friendly Classroom: Making Time for Movement

Welcome back friends to my series about boys in the classroom!   Last post I shared some of the startling statistics and research about what's happening to our boys.  I also talked about why it's a matter near and dear to my heart.  Today I'm going to explore one of the first tried and true ways to keep your boys engaged: make time for movement! It's no secret that things like recess and specials have fallen by the wayside in our country's current high-stakes testing environment.  There's probably not much you can do about the fact that your kiddos are lucky to get 1-2 short recesses a day (when research shows they need significantly longer to engage in play and develop self-regulating skills) and maybe go to gym 2x/week (because it's not like we've got an obesity problem in America or anything).  THOSE are topics for another day.  Today I want to talk about you and me and focus on what we can do as teachers in our classrooms! Get moving an...

The Boy Friendly vs. Boy Proof Classroom

Thanks for joining me today on a topic that is near and dear to my heart!  No, I don't have little boys of my own (yet)!  But I do have brothers.  I have a husband.  And I teach wonderful little boys every year that steal my heart with their bright smiles, high energy and mischievous ways.  And every year I worry about where I'm sending them to in the future.  Will their new teacher understand the unique needs of boys?  Will they grow up to be lifelong readers and writers?  Will they graduate from college someday?  As it so happens, the odds are not in their favor. What is going on people?  According to recent research, here's some of what's happening: What do the boys have to say about all this?  Well, in survey results shared by Kathleen Cleveland in her book Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School , here's what they shared: I want to step in a brief minute and share why this hurts my heart so...