This is a must read for anyone who may find themselves tearing their hair out over that one little boy who will just not sit still, whether you’re a parent, teacher, or school administrator.  As I was reading the descriptions of all the bad boy behavior, I could put a face one each one, some 12 year old from my past classes who has driven me nuts and kept me from teaching the way I think I should be able to.

The Trouble With Boys, written by award-wining Newsweek writer Peg Tyre, does two very important jobs: first it explains some of the science and social factors behind why these little ones act the way they do. One of the best points she makes about this involves looking at how the modern school system, with its testing focus, super-structured time, and no-tolerance mandates sets up a pretty awful place for boys to develop a love of learning. Statistics show that boys show up to school every bit as smart and ready to learn as girls, but they steadily become less and less successful, even if they are from rich communities and attend “the best” schools. This trend goes all the way up; far more females are tackling college these days than men.

The book also, and perhaps more importantly, looks at strategies, models, and best practices that have been demonstrated to make learning more accessible for boys. Some of these are as simple as starting high school later in the day, to more involved instructional methods like using building projects to teach math, to encouraging male presence at school through a “Dad’s Club” of fix-it men.

The Trouble With Boys is not only a fun book to read (Tyre has a great narrative style and lots of anecdotes) but the emphasis on data to drive her arguments makes this a valuable resource for educators. Next time you think about picking up the phone because little Timmy is “climbing excessively,” try picking up this book first. Find it in the LB Public Library catalog.