|
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's been a while since I've looked at this issue, but I do recall noting the more subjective the grading the better girls do compared to boys. For example, in math you either get the answer right or you get it wrong. If you write 5 as the answer to 2+3 you get that point. Other hard sciences, (physics, chemistry, etc.) act in a similar fashion. The answers are what they are, and you are graded by whether or not you got them right.
In more subjective classes, (such as English), the grading tends to be more about how the teacher felt about your work, rather than right and wrong answers. It's well-known that boys and girls write differently in a few ways. Boys tend to focus on events and advancing the plotline, girls focus more on their feelings. Teachers, (mostly female), show preference to stories about feelings and will tend to grade those higher, even though this is not a right and wrong issue. Also, younger boys have a lot of difficulty writing sensible plotlines and have to learn this skill over time, while anything written about one's feelings is considered valid. Also, boys show a marked preference for printing rather than writing, which is more practical as it's easier to read, but tends to not be as pretty and so they get graded down for it. Finally, the reading material is often geared towards a more female audience in these classes, usually because that's what the woman teaching them prefers. The stuff that is more appealling to boys tends to recieve less importance. I remember many of my own teachers discussing Poe because it was in the curriculum and they had to, but none of them seemed to know or care why he was considered a great author.
Another problem with these subjective courses is that your opinions can cause you to get a lower grade. In math, if you state that 3+2=5, the teacher doesn't get to disagree with you and mark you down for it. In social studies, after watching a film of a bunch of people ooohing and aaahing over some junk just because it happened to be hand-made by members of ethnic groups to which I don't belong, I gave the film the review it deserved, and received an F for my political incorrectness. The stated reason for the grade was that I "obviously didn't understand the film", when I mentioned each piece of junk and where it had been made quite clearly in my review.
Since I went to school, there's been a major push to resolve the feminist alleged disparity in which girls are short-changed in school. I recommend Christina Hoff Sommers "The War Against Boys" for some good source material for your work. She discusses some of the laws you're asking about, and goes into detail about how they came to be and the real effect they're having. Good luck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ah, yes, English class, my old arch-enemy.
It's one thing to read books that are uninteresting, but it's totally ridiculous to write essays on them. In these "3-point essays", we are supposed to prove something about the book by taking quotations from the book and analyzing them. Of course, most of the authors like to be cryptic and hide symbolism in everything. So, a lot of students are just left guessing at what to write. Then, we have to go through the book to find quotation to support the thesis. And, you know, a lot of us took quotations deliberately out of context/meaning in order to support our original thesis. It's a very shitty way of teaching people how to write.
And it was all pointless! The only people who are ever going to write essays like that are English teachers and possibly book reviewers/analysts (or something like that).
There are just so many easier subjects to write about out there. For instance, for a CLEP test I took for college, I had to write an essay about an important invention in the 20th century and explain why it was important. (Since this was a test, I obviously couldn't go find quotations, but even if I could, it would be extremely easy.) In a class I took called "Practical Reasoning", I wrote an essay that weighed evidence for and against UFOs to argue if they are real or not. That class taught me how to make a good argument better than anything I learned in an English class.
At the same time, I think students need to be exposed to the non-sensical ways of English teachers so that they appreciate the more realistic methods of learning to write.
For Social Studies classes, or should I say, History classes, I never really had a problem except for one year. That year, my teacher was a former English teacher, and the curse of the English class carried over to that History class. She taught primarily social and political changes while ignoring military events and technological changes. She also seemed to emphasize speed and quickness in note-taking in order to "prepare" us for college. Being in college now, I think I can say that whenever someone in education says they are going to prepare you for the next level, you are about to be bored out of your mind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
by Anonymous User on 07:09 PM June 15th, 2004 EST (#7)
|
|
|
|
|
One shouldn't get too carried awy with all this.
The whole business of "boys doing badly at school" is part of the anti-male agenda, to discourage them.
However, where it really matters, things are different.
Go to http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2 099
and see what Dr Dale Spender (a woman, by the way) has to say about all this.
For those who like their arguments a bit more involved, go to http://www.lagriffedulion.f2s.com/women_and_minori ties_in_science.htm
Don't be taken in by the under-educated journos reporting on feminized agendas!
As the Good Book says: search and ye shall find - just use the net to find the "other side" of the argument - one should be pleasantly surprised.
I have been involved with education for years, and although the feminized profession has a lot to answer for, junior men - aka as "boys" - are far smarter than they are being given credit for.
One could do worse than counter the false arguments with facts!
Creon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I loved english when I was in school. See I was never one to study facts. It was boring and time consuming and I had other things to do (like talk on the phone, or listen to music. I was so wise.) However I can bullshit with the best. I also can read faster than most people and writing is second nature to me. So I would do best on tests designed in essay form, or papers based on literature or psychology. Even if I didn't know the answer I would write in circles and most of my teachers would grade well because I sounded complex. Math? Well, you actually needed to have the answer, and I did miserably. So yes, subjective testing was definately in my advantage. When as an adult I went to college I applied myself and aced both math and english. However I spent twice as much time on the math. My favorite was an english class based on critical arguement. LOVED that class, I was like Zena the warrior woman cutting down flocks of sheep ;-) I would take the side no one else would and beat them over the head with it, even if i didn't agree with what I was saying. Kids today have no idea how to communicate. I would always leave them with a question they could only answer by admitting they were wrong. Ooh, they hated that. Their thin sheet of liberal idealism was full of holes.
I think a lot of the push in English is not so much writing as communication. As a homeschooling mom, I ask for papers or essays to teach the art of communicating moreso than the content of the subject matter so I try to pick subjects that my son likes.
Ironically, the more they push for the soft classes in schools, the worse the kids become at communicating. Logic and reasoning are really hard sciences, learned in Math and Science.
My younger son is now in a pretty conservative school with a high percentage of male teachers and an active male principle. Their test scores are far above average, and the kids are much more under control as well as decent to each other. K-12 in one building, and the older kids are great to the younger ones. Makes you rethink the female utopea idea. Seems to me that a good dose of testosterone was exactly what this school needed to become so successful.
My son came out from school yesterday complaining that at this school there is no rule against aiming at the head in dodgeball. He got wacked twice before he realized he would have to pay attention. The gym teacher came over and said to me, "Yeah, he got nailed a couple of times. But he figured it out." I LOVE this. No whining, no crying to the nurse, no icepacks. Get in and learn from it. And he did. He wasn't injured, other than his pride.
I am going to ask if they have the test scores based on sex. I would be interested to see if the normal divide was lessened here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Probably one the the prime souces of information on this subject is the book "The War Against Boys" by Christina Hoff Sommers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
by Anonymous User on 12:38 PM June 17th, 2004 EST (#12)
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks a lot, i will definatly look for the book that u suggested i think that it may be just the thing that im lookng for.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi! Males being underachievers I agree with it in some point not only in school but in the men's movement, because you are all ignoring me I have been through a rough life and explained things to Warren Farrell and Glen Sacks and got completely ignored by them, I crying for help, because here in Canada the Mental Health Institutions from the gov to private practice, I thought of becoming a member of the men's movement it will help, but with no avail, Rich Zubaty said to me that I have something to share and I was very honest here is what I wrote in one of the thread here and got totally ignored:
I got abused by women in my life and it is no laughing matter.
Thank you. I really need help on all this and it seems that the men's movement is rejecting me.
I asked for help and nobody wants to help me.
No those women are not my wives but women who was babysitting and girls in school was treating me like shit. But it seems in the men's movement when you are single it is not important, I am single for a reason alright. So that is why I convey what they are saying that males are underacheivers, if you are ingoring a person who can be a good ally to all of you, well you are all underachievers. It is time that the men's movement takes men who are alone and single who struggles all their lives in considerations and been discriminate by the system too for employment by agents in those agency to those in the health system, if you think this is only a married or was married men matters who struggles you are going on the wrong road you and your God Warren Farrell and the rest. It is not only in school you and we are underacheivers it is in everything, you are even ingoring a man who are struggling, is the men's movement a cult only those with the same ideology can join and can get help, forget about me joining a group in my town there is none no men's groups only feminsts one, those of pseudo men. Is this what you all want and only picking those you like and ignoring those who can be of help in the future. Wake up and smell the coffee, the clock is ticking and if continues like that, we can not work together we will fail and be lower than underachievers not only in school. If you want or are interested in helping me you can E-mail me at this address, this is not my real E-mail address which I use everyday but it will do here it is: whitemanstruggle@yahoo.com
whitemanstruggle why I use that nickname, because I am a white man who struggle, no racist thing there. I could of use dietpepsimanaddic if I wanted to, but that nick name was more conducive to my plights. I used to repsect Warren Farrell very much but since a couple of years ago he ignored my E-mails and all, well he lost a lot respect form me and Glen Sacks too lately he completely ignored my problems in some E-mails that I sent him, I would have been better sending an E-mail to Mrs Sommers, maybe she would have help better, she is not in the Men's movement, but I think she would of care.
Is this what is the men's movment, ignoring a man who are struggling too a single man by the way, do you know what it is lonleiness and no man to talk to, except my father, he is a good man, but he is trying to understand, but he is struggling big time with my struggles he is getting old too so I will let himn live the rest of his life in peace. He is a feminist by the way. He is a great man. He is being brainwash by TV and the media and especially CNN the movie. So this is what I wanted to share. I was harsh, because I am losing patient everyday with all of you. That is why I did it and the article was very to the point underacheiving males, but for me it is not only school.
Thank you for your attention and collaboration.
Take good care of you all and stay safe.
Serge from Canada.
I really care for all of you but if nobody cares about me, how on earth I will continue to care for all of you.
I am 36 by the way. I had a hard time writing this message, I could of been much better with my English. I was not at my best. Sorry about that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exactly what kind of help are you seeking from us that you're not receiving?
What help did you seek from Glenn Sacks that he didn't provide? Did you provide him a copy of the e-mails you sent him when he asserted on a previous thread on this site that he received no such e-mails from you?
What help did you seek from Warren Farrell that he didn't provide?
I don't know this for sure, but it sounds like most of the people you're e-mailing and dealing with on this site and otherwise live in and are from the U.S. or England and probably have no idea how to help you in dealing with the Canadian system.
Have you considered starting a men's organization there in Canada that addresses the problems you seek to correct?
Is French your primary language?
Dittohd
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Serge je parle bien francais et je comprends votre frustration. Mais cette ic est le meilleur place au monde pour les oreilles sympathique. Cette automne je vais mettre un annonce dans les journals au Montréal pour un bourse de 1000,00$ pour les renseignments qui aide au la prosecution des professeurs du "women's studies"sous les "actes du haine"dans la code criminelle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is your old bud Maus (that's the German spelling of mouse) and I speak fluent French. I was just hoping that if someone replied to him in French he might feel a little more comfortable in telling us just what is bothering him...though if he is male and has not been living in a cave I really don't need to be told. For now just finding out that other men have noticed what is going on and affirm that you are not crazy is about as good as it gets. Perhaps he thought that somehow there is some legal or other remedy to this situation and is frustrated that it is really just a work in progress. Something I did come up with for a counter attack in Canada is that I am offering a $1000.00 reward for transcripts of lectures or published articles that lead to the arrest and conviction of any Women's Studies profs under Canada's hate laws....it should be an interesting turn in the game.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
by Anonymous User on 12:44 PM June 17th, 2004 EST (#13)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In 1995, the Scholastic Assessment Test scoring was "re-centered," that is, the battery of questions used and the number of points assigned to particular questions was adjusted to produce scores that were about 100 points higher combined. For some reason, concern for the feelings of students most likely, average scores of 1050 combined were preferable to scores near 950.
If you examine the data, you will see that the average verbal scores of women rose nearly one point higher than it did for men, and the average math scores of women rose about 6 points higher than it did for men.
I'm sure the re-centering was undertaken for legitimate, pedagogical reasons, but the men seemed to have slipped a whole percentage point in math, just due to the way the test was scored. Hmmmm?
|
|
|
|
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
|
