<p>I also have to agree with Justin1234.</p>
<p>In elementary school, I was part of this “special ed” group, but it was rightfully so, because I had a diagnosed disability earlier. However, this gave me perspective on what happens. There is a reason that many more boys are placed in special ed-- learning disabilities ADD and autistic spectrum disorders occur much more frequently in boys for genetic reasons. However, I have seen many boys also placed in special ed not because they had a learning or behavioral disability, but simply because they didn’t behave “like the girls.” As the article Justin posted mentioned, boys need a reason to care about what they are doing. They play because it is fun. They eat because they are hungry. They say please and thank you because it is the polite thing to do. They learn because…</p>
<p>Elementary school teachers give no reason. It isn’t until middle school that many boys realize that their education actually has a purpose, and consequently their academic achievement begins to increase.</p>
<p>Let me put it this way. Memories of high school for me will be of hilarious and interesting teachers who not only taught us material, but discussed other topics with us or integrated them into the lesson. My memories of elementary school are filled with dreadful mornings, boredom, and work. We would simply be taught something and told to do work. Where’s the hook? There was no laughter. There was no childrens’ pop culture integration. Trust me, simply using this can improve participation among boys greatly. Simply taking the personalities of my high school teachers and putting them into elementary schools while “childrenizing” it would greatly improve the participation amongst boys. Now that I think about it, most of these great teachers were men…</p>