The author shares anecdotes about fourth graders, parent-teacher conferences, parenthood, and teaching

Tween boys diary with large graphic smashing tasks and questions.

Do you know what makes boys tick? In recent years suicide has drastically escalated among young males and academic underachievement is common, so it is of vital importance that our understanding of the young male psyche is well informed and not merely 'received wisdom'. John Head gets to the heart - and mind - of the matter, by tackling difficult, pertinent questions. Has male behaviour in school worsened, or has media hype inflated the proportions of a 'good story'? What is at the root of male violence? Are biological or social explanations telling the whole story? Head shows that it is only by engaging boys in new arenas of thought and feeling that we can hope to understand and help overcome the difficulties faced by boys today. Essential reading for teachers, headteachers, researchers in education, gender, youth, community and social workers.

* How can teachers address the challenge of educating boys for life in the 21st century? * What aspects of schooling are particularly problematic for boys? * How do issues of class, race and sexuality impact upon boys educational experiences? This edited collection brings together leading researchers from Australia, United Kingdom and the United States to explore issues of boys, schooling and masculinities within the context of the current concern about the education of boys. The contributors draw on detailed empirical research to highlight some important issues that are not addressed in public debates about boys in the media. Chapter topics include international perspectives on debates about boys; teaching boys; programs for boys in schools; boys and risk taking; boys and discipline; boys and sexuality; Afro-American boys; indigenous boys in Australian schools; boys and reading; boys and maths; boys, dance and sport; boys and science; girls' talk about boys. The book will be important and compelling reading for all teachers concerned with the education of boys.