Should Public Schools Have Mandatory Curriculum to Teach Boys to be Men?

I have one child, who is six. But I'm responsible (in part) for the formation of character of an entire parish; from the toddler to the 90-something year olds. I have a valid perspective.

Paidiske said:

I have one child, who is six. But I'm responsible (in part) for the formation of character of an entire parish; from the toddler to the 90-something year olds. I have a valid perspective.

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I disagree.

Then please do spell out what your point of view is, rather than making this about my (perceived) deficiencies.

Paidiske said:

Then please do spell out what your point of view is, rather than making this about my (perceived) deficiencies.

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Post #67

Do you really believe a group of men can teach a young girl how to be a woman?

RDKirk said:

Post #67

Do you really believe a group of men can teach a young girl how to be a woman?

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In almost all respects, yes. (Aside from some issues of biology; I don't expect men can teach a girl how to manage menstruation, for example).

Because I don't think men and women are fundamentally that different; I think we're basically the same - human - just in different packaging.

hope said:

Should our public schools now be mandated to teach a school based curriculum to instruct boys on how to be men?

On how to handle anger and rage issues with anger management at an earlier age, so as to prevent school shootings, for example?

How about how to understand and to deal with their developing bodies and to know how to conduct themselves in a civil manner sexually?

If they are not learning it at home, why not teach boys to be men?

Prevention is worth the monies it would cost, yes/no?

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My wife teaches third grade and does go out of her way to teach the boys how to be young gentleman. But, we see a Time coming in the school system when this will be frowned upon. Sad I know.

For these days some do not want boys to be pushed into a boy mold or girls to be pushed into a girl mold. There is a sick trend to not even call them boys or girls.

I guess calling them little people that are not sure what they are yet is what they think would fit better?

M-Bob

Paidiske said:

In almost all respects, yes. (Aside from some issues of biology; I don't expect men can teach a girl how to manage menstruation, for example).

Because I don't think men and women are fundamentally that different; I think we're basically the same - human - just in different packaging.

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And yet, scripture points out our different emotional needs.

Having worked with many boys and young me in Scouting and church youth groups, as well as young men and women in the military for decades, having raised a boy and a girl to adulthood, marriage, and grandchildren, I've found scripture to be true.

Most of the bad decisions boys make is over respect--how to be respectable, how to gain respect, how to avoid disrespect. Most of the bad decisions girls make are over love--how to be lovable, how to be loved, how to avoid being unloved. That does't mean boys don't want love at all, nor does it mean girls don't want respect at all. But I've observed that in the extreme, males are more willing to live without love if they can be respected and vice versa for females.

And so it makes sense for scripture to say:

"Husbands, love your wives"
"Wives, respect your husbands."

RDKirk said:

And yet, scripture points out our different emotional needs...

"Husbands, love your wives"
"Wives, respect your husbands."

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I don't see those as different emotional needs, so much as different responses to cultural conditioning. Often "love" - or at least, relational attachment - is all that our societies give girls and women to aspire to. Give women more options and they are less likely to be focussed on "love."

I also see too much emphasis on that as particular couplet as dangerous, because it feeds into the disrespect of women.

hope said:

Should our public schools now be mandated to teach a school based curriculum to instruct boys on how to be men?

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Absolutely not! They would only screw it up.

RDKirk said:

You do not interact with the students the same way you interact with other adults outside the school environment.

Nor do students see any real details of your interaction with other teachers in an adult-to-adult fashion. Everything is crafted for the isolated and artificial environment of the school.

For instance, how do adults handle severe disagreements? How often do students see two teachers get into a heated argument and de-escalate their own conflict?

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Students are children. I would never interact with them anywhere in the same way I would interact with adults. The "severe disagreements" you're trying to build shouldn't happen in any professional environment, or at least should be handled professionally. In a professional situation, us having "severe disagreements" in front of the children would be like business people doing it in front of the clients. Highly, highly unprofessional.

The only thing "artificial" here is if anyone is asking anyone else to step out of their role. In my role as teacher I can certainly teach. I can even model. What I cannot do is parent. That is artificial. Absolutely. But increasingly, this is what we're expected to do.

Paidiske said:

In almost all respects, yes. (Aside from some issues of biology; I don't expect men can teach a girl how to manage menstruation, for example).

Because I don't think men and women are fundamentally that different; I think we're basically the same - human - just in different packaging.

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I couldn't disagree with this more.

Liza B. said:

I couldn't disagree with this more.

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On what basis?

Paidiske said:

On what basis?

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Based on teaching children for 24 years, and being alive for 48. I mean that entirely seriously, in case it comes across with sarcasm--I don't mean it so. There is a great deal of variation in humans, of course. But there is absolutely a stark difference between the sexes.

What I see, in ministry and in everyday life, is that there is no real difference except perhaps at the extremes... but most of us are not at the extremes. Most of us exist towards the middle of the bell curve for our sexes, and the bell curves of the sexes overlap much more than they don't.

In pastoral conversations or the like, there is no stark difference. We're all just people, each dealing with our particular fears and hurts and hopes and loves.

RDKirk said:

A. "Stabilizing the emotional development of the kid" doesn't really mean anything. It sounds like it ought to mean something, but it really doesn't.

B. That's not the topic, anyway.

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Yes it does and it is.

Thanks, though.

Liza B. said:

Based on teaching children for 24 years, and being an adult for 48. I mean that entirely seriously, in case it comes across with sarcasm--I don't mean it so. There is a great deal of variation in humans, of course. But there is absolutely a stark difference between the sexes.

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Paidiske said:

What I see, in ministry and in everyday life, is that there is no real difference except perhaps at the extremes... but most of us are not at the extremes. Most of us exist towards the middle of the bell curve for our sexes, and the bell curves of the sexes overlap much more than they don't.

In pastoral conversations or the like, there is no stark difference. We're all just people, each dealing with our particular fears and hurts and hopes and loves.

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Of course we are all human. That is obvious. But the way men and women DEAL with fears, hurts, hopes and loves is very different. That we all experience them is the common denominator. It's critical to understand how men and women deal differently with them.

I just don't see it. I don't see men and women dealing with them differently. I see a great range of behaviours from people of both sexes. Each person needs to be assessed and supported as an individual, not out of a set of gender stereotypes.

Paidiske said:

I just don't see it. I don't see men and women dealing with them differently. I see a great range of behaviours from people of both sexes. Each person needs to be assessed and supported as an individual, not out of a set of gender stereotypes.

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They're not just stereotypes. They're Biblical precepts as well, as a poster earlier in the thread spelled out.

Liza B. said:

They're not just stereotypes. They're Biblical precepts as well, as a poster earlier in the thread spelled out.

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He posted one couplet of instructions, which he claimed reflected the sexes' differing needs. I think it more reflects the sexes' differing social situations at the time.

I'm open to being persuaded, but I'm not being presented with much that's persuasive.

If one values truth he will find truth; however, some arent after truth, but just the pushing of an agenda.

To ignore the God-designed differences in the sexes is to ignore reality itself. The punishment for doing so is also God-designed. Suppression of the truth eventually makes one incapable of seeing the truth. See Romans 1 for details.