boys will be boys

I woke up yesterday morning before selling hotdogs at the Dome and read Ralph Fletcher's, Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices which is a collection of research studies on boys and writing, especially as it is known that girls surpass boys in literacy assessment. It's not an alarmist text, but it does note the tradition that boys and language arts do not often go hand in hand.

I loved the text, especially as Fletcher rallies for more freedom in the writing classroom for tolerant subjects and to, basically, let boys write about boy things. There are a lot of clever stories in the text (farting, barfing and stupid jokes) but there are also tales that reminded me of my childhood. In particular, I remember a time Peter Boy and I were riding our ten speeds and came across a vagabond of frogs. For some reason, we wanted to know what it would look like if we ran over the frogs with our wheels from the back. Pete went first and it was both disgusting and thrilling. I went second and, well, the ordeal was over. Two dead frogs was enough.

Fletcher writes that boys seek to know and take on adventurous quests to discover. He writes about the video game generation and how boys delve into deep fantasy as a way to gain control and problem solve. It is an indoor adventure of blood and guts for the 21st Century.

I've always confronted those who think reading and writing is for girls, but I can understand why it's seen this way: 90% of our teaching force is female. I'm thankful for Fletcher's text and am feeling a bit of quirky delight that it is out there. I am envious, however, that my friends and I were never able to make a tree, sling shot to throw our bodies across two lawns like Jack Gantos accomplished in the text. That would be exhilarating!