MAINE VOICES: David Vaughan & Layne Gregory

Boys have resources in community

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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About the Authors Layne Gregory is executive director of Boys to Men. David Vaughan is president of its board of directors. The New Gender Gap "The New Gender Gap" is a series of articles exploring how boys lag behind girls in Maine schools. Read the full series. Download the draft report of the state's Task Force on Gender Equity in Education. Let Us Know E-mail your thoughts about this series to boys@pressherald.com or post a comment on our Reader Comments page. To top of story

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram's series titled "The New Gender Gap" did an exceptional job of telling the story of what many boys experience in academic institutions across Maine and the nation. Boys to Men and many other youth-serving organizations are grateful for your efforts to raise the issue to eye level.

There were two vitally important influences on boys' academic success that were briefly touched upon in the series, but deserve much greater exploration: the impact cultural messages about masculinity have on boys' school performance and the organizational resources that the community has to offer to support the healthy development of boys.

In our experience, it is clear that contemporary and traditional definitions of masculinity have a major impact on boys' academic experiences. Listening to the voices of boys we have worked with tells us that: "it is not cool to be smart (if you are a boy)"; "guys are not supposed to show passion about school"; and that "doing well in school is what girls do."

For many boys, being a "successful male" no longer includes a rigorous academic work ethic and aspirations to be at the head of the class.

To complicate the picture, adolescence is a time when a boy is outwardly defining who he is as a male. For many boys, being a male is often defined by "not being female." Boys are not supposed to "throw like a girl," "be a momma's boy," "cry like a girl," etc.

When doing well in school becomes associated with being female, boys shun the outward appearance of academic prowess. As school increasingly becomes a female domain, more boys disconnect or devalue success in this arena — often policing themselves with bullying and verbal abuse to ensure conformity to the ideals of traditional masculinity.

We hoped to read more about what many community-based organizations are doing to support boys' healthy development. Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Muskie School's Community Mentoring Program are two great examples of effective programs that support boys in a variety of ways, including academic achievement.

Mentoring is generally a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the competence and character of the person being mentored. Mentoring programs that promote long-term connection can make an enormous difference in how well boys do in all areas of their lives.

The Mitchell Institute each year provides a generous college scholarship to a young person from every community in Maine. But its programming goes beyond simply handing students a check. It recognizes the need to offer young men and women professional development opportunities as well as ongoing support once they get into a post-secondary educational program. With its work, more young men will be likely to apply, attend and graduate from a two- or four-year college in Maine.

Boys to Men would have been another program to highlight as a community resource for adolescent boys and their families. Along with coordinating the first statewide conference on the academic aspirations of boys in Maine that was mentioned in the Press Herald series, Boys to Men provides programs year-round that focus on supporting boys in their transition to becoming men. We offer boys a chance to develop interests and skills and a chance to explore the pressures and mixed messages about being male.

Many of these messages bombard them with violent and distorted images of masculinity, images that tell them to stifle emotion, and that suggest they aspire to one particular representation of how they should act. Boys to Men advocates for the recognition and celebration of the many ways of being male and facilitates the healthy involvement of fathers and other significant adults in boys' lives.

Taking the time and devoting the resources to civic journalism projects like this benefits the entire community as well as those you specifically focus upon.

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