Everyday the halls of AHS are quickly filled with boys and girls alike walking to their classes. But the next time you see a guy and a girl walking together to class, according to the book Why Boys Fail by Richard Whitmire, that boy is more likely to fail academically than that girl.
Why Boys Fail argues that boys take longer to gain literacy skills than girls do, especially in today’s world. According to a recent article by the Washington Post, Whitemire said that literacy is being used more in a variety of classes. For example, “math class used to focus on calculations, but now it includes a lot of word problems.”
AHS counselor Linda Wheeler, whom has been working at AHS for 17 years, said, “It might be that 9th grade boys experience slightly more academic difficulties adjusting to high school than 9th grade girls, but I don’t know for sure because I’ve never analyzed that hypothesis in a scientific way.”
However, literacy skills are not originally gained in high school. In fact, these skills are attained at a very young age. According to The Washington Post, Whitmire said, “Kindergarteners today are being asked to do what second graders used to do, thanks to the standards and accountability movement, and the “No Child Left Behind” law. And now, schools no longer give boys a chance to catch up.”
AHS French teacher Richard Kearsley said, “There may be some truth to that in certain ages, but when boys go to high school they’re in the stage of development where they’re capable of doing as well as anyone else.”
Whitmire has a blog wherein he continuously argues that boys do or will not do better than girls academically. Interestingly, he brings up counter arguments, such as “then why is the White House, Congress and Wall Street run mostly by men?” His response is that there are still statistics that prove that the “gender gap” exists and there will be “a problem in the future.”
If this is true, then why do boys gain literacy skills slower than girls do? Is it some sort of lack of brain development? In his blog, Whitmire failed to explain why. Instead, he says, “In part, the gender gaps remain a mystery. Regardless of the reason why boys are relative slackers, the momentum of this social change appears unstoppable, at least in the near future. Women will increasingly dominate higher education. Within about ten years, projections indicate that the average U.S. campus will have two female graduates for every male. At many state universities, that’s already the reality.”
Whatever the cause may be, Whitmire’s argument does not make up for any boy slacking off in AHS. What is more, senior Brett Wynn said, “I think I’m a pretty smart guy.” Both girls and boys should always aim for the best when it comes to academics, regardless of what Whitmire claims.
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