Phyn :
The reason we cant reach them in the classroom is because they dont care. Why should they? Curent masculinity doesnt value intelligence, dilligence, cooperation, compassion or awareness of others, i see it everyday in the way their behavior is reinforced by adults neglecting to correct their behavior. All things necessary to succeed in a classroom. Masculinity values aggression, dominance, competiveness and loyalty which is reinforced by the boys themselves through social acceptance. I could see the contrast in social programming so clearly as a trans boy. I tried to show others that i was a boy by acting like a boy (ie like myself) but was constantly corrected by adults, called disruptive, mischevious, disrespectful, un-lady-like, and so on. Only when i "acted like a lady" was i given positive praise and attention. But I watched the other boys, watched how i could do the same exact thing as them, right alongside them, and be the only one chastised. The boys dont need special attention, they need to be treated like girls, need to be told they arent acting gentlemanly when shouting in the classroom, or not respecting their peers space, or being unclean and slovenly in the bathroom. They act accordingly when we give them the accord. I have had genuine concersations with boys about how their actions affect others, how they have a responsibility to look out for other people, that as a boy you may move through the world one way but the girls around you have to move through it completely differently. Most of those conversations really opened their eyes and i noticed a shift in the way they acted the hallway, the way they asked others to be respectful towards their peers or environment and most importantly the pride they developed in themselves for being a leader because what one boy does so do 3 others.
2026-11-04 03:16:26