Fair Minded

I was reading Marianita's blog the other day and she touched on a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. I have to say I was surprised by her post and the fact that she even notice the situation at all. Then I was shocked to read she thought the situation was unfair even though the whole set up was to her benefit. That says a lot about her in my opinion.


The problem stemmed around the fact that the people being picked for medical school were chosen in some cases in the name of diversity. Therefore leaving some of the best and most qualified students out of the system.


When I read that it made me sad as I have two boys just entering school and their future does not look good. As white males they have no group advocating for them and any attempt to do so would be met with charges of sexism and racism. Even some reading this might let that thought creep in.


Groups like NOW (National Organization for Women) and others have spent the past few decades championing women's causes. Demanding the schools change to address the needs of women in the name of equality. While I will be the first to agree there was definitely a time for such action, clearly times have changed. Groups that began to advocate equality for their members, don't seem to stop when equality is met. Worse they push on with the goal of tipping the scale in their favor. They seem to take the approach that we have fought hard to bring our causes to the forefront and if it has injured others in the process then that is not our concern. So much for equality, sounds more like the prusuit of domination to me.


The truth is that these organizations have had such an impact on schools that boys are falling behind as a direct result their new policies. Does that stop these organizations from continuing to push for more changes that favor girls? Or look for ways to make changes that are fair to all groups? No.


When my son started kindergarten they had an advanced learning program for some of the more gifted students. Placement for this program occurred before school started, how did they know who was gifted? Of course once in the program the extra attention all but guarantees advanced learning. As far as we could tell all the participants were girls. By first grade it was down to 90% girls but still a high percentage. When I asked my wife the criteria for being accepted into the program she said she didn't know but it did include the child having an interest in arts and crafts. An odd criteria if you ask me.


Just to make things clear, I don't feel that my son should be in the gifted program. He lacks the focus and the love of learning that you would expect one to find in such a program. I just never thought his inability to sit still for hours and do crafts would be a factor in him not being a candidate, as would be the case with most boys his age.


There are some other issues I have noticed in my son's school. A heavy emphasis has been place on being able to be calm and in control for hours at a time. Recesses have been shorten or skipped all together and class time lengthened. When they do have recess they are not allowed to play any game deemed aggressive. This includes, cops and robbers, cowboy and indians, pretending to be a monster and anything army. No rough housing, wrestling or touching. At lunch they are not allowed to talk for most of the time and must sit still.


Most boys I know are little balls of energy. Most of their outlets to release this energy have been tapered down or cut off completely. Is it any wonder that boys are the majority of the behavior problems in the classroom? What is the answer to these behavior problems? Is it to change the environment to make it more accommodating for the boys to be better students, like they did when the girls were struggling? No, the answer is to drug them and put them zombied out in the corner and be happy the disruption is fixed. Boys are placed on the drug Ritalin four to eight times as often as girls.


Evidence of this bias surfaced in my sons classroom this year. At the beginning of his first grade year my wife, who volunteers in my son's class once a week, was told that a certain girl was very "special " and way ahead of her peers. She was in the gifted program and was sat at a special table with a few others so that they could do advanced work. Several times this year my son has out performed this special student and his accomplishments were played down. My wife once witnessed my son's teacher out and out lie to cover up the fact that my son had completed all levels of his reading for the year before this particular student. Since first grade isn't a competition we let it go.


The result of these actions are becoming apparent today. The percentage of males on college campuses are falling dramatically. The ones that do make it through the now stacked system are faced with more hurdles of diversity placement in higher learning and finally affirmative action in the work place. While some may say "it's about time", I have to wonder if the same people will one day ask "where have all the men gone?"


Can we really raise real men if, as boys, they are taught to act like girls? If we teach them that their strengths are really weaknesses, should we expect them to have anything to contribute? If we steal their confidence at an early age can we expect them to feel they have something to offer society? Will women be happy marrying men who have had their spirits extinguished? I'm already meeting young men who don't see a difference between men and women. They wouldn't hold a door open for a woman, watch their mouth in front of women or refrain from hitting a woman. Is this the kind of man women are looking for? I fear this is what the new school system is about to produce by the millions, if they haven't already.


I am a big advocate of equal rights but I find something seriously wrong if to compete in a race you have break your opponents leg at the starting line. Is that really a victory we want? Is it one that we can live with? I for one have more faith in my daughter's abilities than to buy into that.