Comments on: The Boy Conundrum http://blogs.slj.com/nonfictionmatters/2008/09/19/the-boy-conundrum/ A School Library Journal Blog Sun, 05 Aug 2012 22:26:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Marc Aronson http://blogs.slj.com/nonfictionmatters/2008/09/19/the-boy-conundrum/comment-page-1/#comment-690 Marc Aronson Sat, 20 Sep 2008 06:31:06 +0000 http://blogs.slj.com/nonfictionmatters/2008/09/19/the-boy-conundrum/#comment-690 Walking my son to third grade the other day, two of his classmates were just ahead of me -- passionately debating where precisely the Titanic sank, whether there are icebergs in the Atlantic, and how exactly the ship was damanged. They were engaged, informed, bright, curious -- just what any alert teacher should cherish. Walking my son to third grade the other day, two of his classmates were just ahead of me — passionately debating where precisely the Titanic sank, whether there are icebergs in the Atlantic, and how exactly the ship was damanged. They were engaged, informed, bright, curious — just what any alert teacher should cherish.

]]> By: Nadine http://blogs.slj.com/nonfictionmatters/2008/09/19/the-boy-conundrum/comment-page-1/#comment-691 Nadine Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:09:28 +0000 http://blogs.slj.com/nonfictionmatters/2008/09/19/the-boy-conundrum/#comment-691 Marc, this is such an important and relevant topic. I had a very similar experience this week with the open house for my first grader. He is limited to the picture book fiction section in the school library... "non fiction comes later..." Don't get me started. Anyhow, what is KEY is your words in that last sentence/question, "open teacher's eyes to the exuberant passions of young males". I want to scream to the world that boys have FEELINGS. They get excited about things, like Star Wars books, and the sinking of the Titanic. They also get horrifically sad when there is turmoil in their lives. Why is it that their world dismisses these things? Why is it not ok to get totally excited about Star Wars light saber battles or the sinking of the Titanic? Why is it not ok to walk around angry or in a funk when your home life sucks? Why don't adults except these as the expressions they are instead of problems they need to be fixed (or ignore)? Boys feel. Boys are passionate. They are just not girls. So what! Marc, this is such an important and relevant topic. I had a very similar experience this week with the open house for my first grader. He is limited to the picture book fiction section in the school library… “non fiction comes later…” Don’t get me started.

Anyhow, what is KEY is your words in that last sentence/question, “open teacher’s eyes to the exuberant passions of young males”. I want to scream to the world that boys have FEELINGS. They get excited about things, like Star Wars books, and the sinking of the Titanic. They also get horrifically sad when there is turmoil in their lives. Why is it that their world dismisses these things? Why is it not ok to get totally excited about Star Wars light saber battles or the sinking of the Titanic? Why is it not ok to walk around angry or in a funk when your home life sucks? Why don’t adults except these as the expressions they are instead of problems they need to be fixed (or ignore)? Boys feel. Boys are passionate. They are just not girls. So what!

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