Why teenage boys need kindness, not harsher discipline

Article here. Excerpt:

'As a secondary school teacher of nearly 20 years experience, I’ve seen many ways in which toxic masculinity can manifest itself in the classroom.

I should be angry with the boys whose behaviour brings to life the cultural menace that is toxic masculinity. But I’m not. Working with these boys generates a sensation deeper than anger.

It’s a heavy and stomach-turning combination of feeling disgusted, threatened and disempowered by boys living out adopted values that are simply not their own. These young people have been damaged by our contemporary culture and they need our help.

At its best, toxic masculinity in schools looks like behaviours we’ve explained away for decades by saying, “it’s just boys being boys”. Offensive things, like penises drawn on desks, using loud and aggressive voices, derailing class discussions with sexualised and suggestive comments directed at both teachers and other students, and contributing to a classroom culture that makes it difficult for anyone to learn.

From my experience, school-based toxic masculinity can also look like boys dominating the classroom with physical intimidation that causes girls to withdraw from learning. It’s behaviours that make others, particularly girls, not want to climb the tree, put up their hand to answer a question, play sport, select STEM-based subjects or sit at the back of the bus. It’s behaviour that tells the girls, and everyone else, that we matter more than you.'