Coming of age rituals

[motherhubbard]

I'm reading this book about how boys world wide are falling behind girls in their academic performance. The statics are really shocking! Anyway, it mentioned something about coming of age rituals and I can't think of any.

So, what are some coming of age rituals?

[OrphanPip]

They vary a lot between different cultures. The ones people are probably most familiar with are religious in nature, like the Jewish Bar Mitzva.

[DanielBenoit]

In ancient Greece if you grew a beard you were officially a man. Now-days it's if you get laid. Alas, our culture promotes a lot more sympathy for those poor men who just simply can't grow a single prick of hair on his chin.

[The Comedian]

I'm reading this book about how boys world wide are falling behind girls in their academic performance. The statics are really shocking!

As a teacher, I can say with absolute certainty that this a trend that I am seeing in my classroom. One reason, I think, for the boy's poor performance is that for some reason (unknown to me) girls are much better at seeing them selves as having multiple roles: they can be the scholar when the time calls, the daughter, the friend, the party-ier. . .etc and see no issues when they have to shift gears, as it were.

Boy, on the other hand, seem to see themselves much more monolithic-ly, and as a result put themselves at a tremendous disadvantage. If they like to party and drink then heavens!!, they would NEVER study. That's just not who they are. Silly business.

[motherhubbard]

http://www.amazon.com/Why-Boys-Fail-Educational-Leaving/dp/0814415342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275415431&sr=8-1

Here is the book, Comedian. He has a lot of really great points that begin well before kids can drink. You might enjoy it.

[papayahed]

Boy, on the other hand, seem to see themselves much more monolithic-ly, and as a result put themselves at a tremendous disadvantage. If they like to party and drink then heavens!!, they would NEVER study. That's just not who they are. Silly business.


I remember some TV show had this band whining that their image would be tarnished if people saw them working hard or even practicing..:out:

Coming of age rituals - Driving? Graduating high school/college?

[BienvenuJDC]

Maybe it is a change in the Education System. Are we catering to teaching styles that are more applicable to females? Has the Feminist Movement grown to favor that which is more suited to the girls (unintentionally I mean)? It seems that the most logical conclusion would be to look at how we changed our style of doing things. I seriously doubt that boys have changed in the physical/intellectual development. So I personally think that we ought to direct our considerations to 1) the way that we teach and 2) the personifications of the male role models.

[OrphanPip]

We also have to admit that just maybe, girls happen to be better suited to a structured learning environment. Cultural stigma certainly plays a part though, it is maybe less socially acceptable for boys to be seen as studious. There is also the fact that school is slightly less important for men. The military, construction, and trades remain male dominated jobs. It is much easier for a man to make a career as a carpenter than it is for a woman, just because of physical limitations. Also, in lower income areas, male students are more likely to become involved in crime.

The change could be reflective of women finally coming into their own and achieving everything they were always capable of achieving academically. Maybe men have always been bad at school to an extent.

Bien is probably right that the education system favours girls to an extent. Studies suggest that girls in general are better at multitasking, which helps in an academic environment where they are faced with multiple subjects in small increments.

Anyway, if you look at universities, women seem to be dominating every field except engineering, math, and physics. The gap becomes smaller at the graduate level, except in professional schools (like medicine) where women still far outnumber the men. There certainly does seem to be a problem with male success in school, but there's probably more at work than just the way the students are taught.

[Scheherazade]

Where I come from, once you turn 13, they send you off to the jungle to fend for yourself for 40 days and nights without any weapons or personal belongings.

[The Comedian]

Where I come, from once you turn 13, they send you off to the jungle to fend for yourself for 40 days and nights without any weapons or personal belongings.

So, how did you do Scher? Any good jungle stories?

[JuniperWoolf]

There's this coming of age ritual in a tribe in South America where they fill a glove with bullet ants and then boys as young as twelve have to put the glove on twenty times. Here's the youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIZ-zUvotM

[motherhubbard]

Maybe it is a change in the Education System. Are we catering to teaching styles that are more applicable to females? Has the Feminist Movement grown to favor that which is more suited to the girls (unintentionally I mean)? It seems that the most logical conclusion would be to look at how we changed our style of doing things. I seriously doubt that boys have changed in the physical/intellectual development. So I personally think that we ought to direct our considerations to 1) the way that we teach and 2) the personifications of the male role models.


Bien, this is one thing they look at in the book. Education has changed in that they are pushing down the curriculum. The exit standard for preschool used to be the entrance standard for first grade. There is a huge push for greater literacy skills, and this is traditionally a woman's stronghold. Anymore every content area has a strong literacy element and so boys are falling behind in math and science, which was their traditional strong hold. In addition, since Columbine the kinds of books in the classrooms and stories boys tend like to write are not allowed. No violence allowed and boys don't usually want to read or write about “girl stuff.”

There are numerous elements. I would recommend the read.




We also have to admit that just maybe, girls happen to be better suited to a structured learning environment. Cultural stigma certainly plays a part though, it is maybe less socially acceptable for boys to be seen as studious. There is also the fact that school is slightly less important for men. The military, construction, and trades remain male dominated jobs. It is much easier for a man to make a career as a carpenter than it is for a woman, just because of physical limitations. Also, in lower income areas, male students are more likely to become involved in crime.

The change could be reflective of women finally coming into their own and achieving everything they were always capable of achieving academically. Maybe men have always been bad at school to an extent.

Bien is probably right that the education system favours girls to an extent. Studies suggest that girls in general are better at multitasking, which helps in an academic environment where they are faced with multiple subjects in small increments.

Anyway, if you look at universities, women seem to be dominating every field except engineering, math, and physics. The gap becomes smaller at the graduate level, except in professional schools (like medicine) where women still far outnumber the men. There certainly does seem to be a problem with male success in school, but there's probably more at work than just the way the students are taught.

I think in many ways women have come in to their own. I grew up knowing that the playing field was not level. Like you point out women are dominating college graduations and many fields that are traditionally considered to be men's. But, something else has to be going on. These trends are evident in elementary school.



There's this coming of age ritual in a tribe in South America where they fill a glove with bullet ants and then boys as young as twelve have to put the glove on twenty times. Here's the youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIZ-zUvotM

That sounds like a video I'm not going to watch. I'm a chicken.

[Nikhar]

Its really simple.... girls make boys fall for them and then leave boys heartbroken. Boys, therefore, are unable to study and girls top. :p :D

Wicked wicked girls.:nopity: