June 2013
This really resonates with me. Like a number of the other boys in my primary school, I was always getting into trouble for disruptive behaviour. However, looking back, it is fairly clear to me that a basic understanding of the dynamics of young male behavioural tendencies on the part of my teachers could have changed a lot. Time has taught me that the very things that I tended to lead me into trouble - independence of mind, high levels of self-confidence, a fierce sense of justice, a love for competition and challenge, discovering strengths through physical and mental struggle, dislike for mere conformity and dictation, etc. - are actually strengths that my teachers failed to recognize, shape, and nurture in me and many of my male peers. I have heard a significant number of men report similar experience. The classroom really is typically a fairly feminized environment, ill-equipped to develop traits that are more commonly masculine.
This could be a real timesaver in my procrastination.
