Who's Smarter?

Who's smarter? There have been several tests given to young boys and girls to test their intelligence, the turnout has been that girls' overall average intelligence is higher than that of boys. Are girls just naturally born smarter or do the teachers have something to do with it?

In David Thoma's article, The Mind of Man, he writes about how he believes that women teachers are the reason why boys score lower on tests and don't do as well as girls in school. "At kindergarten and primary school level, in which little girls out-perform the boys, the vast majority of teachers are female."(121) He focuses on the fact that boys are more rebellious and outgoing than girls. Thomas believes that becasue most boys have behavior problems the teacher becomes concerned with their social and not their academic life. Since girls tend to be more diligent and less rebellious, the boys are usually the ones that speak up more forcefully and are spoken to more often by teachers. "Surveys showed that woman teachers consistently praised girls more than boys, and equally consistently criticized the boys' behavior, often regarding it as a serious problem requiring remedial treatment."(121) He adds how women teachers always seem to find boys to be loud and aggressive. In a classroom setting little girls will usually be playing or working in a quiet orderly manner while boys would be doing the same thing in a noisy and disorderly way requiring more supervision. Thomas believes that because a female teacher has to constantly keep calling the boys' attention the teacher ends up having favorite, usually being girls because they are going through a process they have already been through.

Although Thomas believes that traditional male behavior is politically unacceptable, he does not agree with boys having to be conditioned to behave in ways that are not natural to them.

I agree with Thomas as far as knowing that boys are usually the ones known for being disruptive and aggressive in class, but there are always exceptions. I don't agree with the notion that boys score worse on tests and at school in general if they have female teachers. As I was growing up I only had four male teachers between elementary and middle school. In elementary school I found it hard and intimidating to talk to my male teachers, but neither did I see the boys in my class finding it easy to talk to them. These male teachers were very seious and didn't have much of a personality. Although most boys are not really talkative even if the male teacher does have a personality. As far as I can remember, even under male instruction, the boys were still the troublemakers and the girls still did better in class. The boys looked forward to recess and lunch time. The difference that I see now between having a male or female teacher is that with a female teacher I felt more comfortable going and talking to her. They have the motherly instincts. I don't remember every seeing one of my female teachers treat a boy different just because they were boys or had behavior problems. They were just as welcomed as girls to come and talk to them.

Working with children now as a T.A. I can see the different behavioral patterns with some boys and girls. I am currently working with a kindergarten class made up of fifteen girls and seven boys. In this case, throughout the three hours they have school I find myself saying both girls and boys names about the same amount of times a day. I would say we only have one troublemaker in the class. When I call this boys attention it's usually because he's playing while he's supposed to be working or he's hitting the girl that sits next to him. In regards to the girls, we have very sweet girls but also very talkative. There's a couple of them that need to be reminded to limit their conversations. Both the girls' and boys' attention are being called often and their scores are not decreasing. When it comes to academics the boys have shown me that they can concentrate and participate in class and have fun and jump aroud during recess time. Out of the fifteen girls only two are a little below average, out of the seven boys two are also a little below average. What I have noticed to be the problem is not the teacher, it's the attention span, how much effort and concentration the children put into it. for those few children that are a little behind we try to work with them on a one to one basis and try to find out each of their weaknesses, whether it be a girl or a boy.

I don't agree with Thomas when he says that teachers tend to reward and reinforce 'feminine' behavior. Following class and school rules does not mean boys need to act 'feminine', it means they need to follow directions and act accordingly. any bad behavior is a problem. the rules apply to both girls and boys. True, it might be easier for girls to follow directions because girls tend to be calm, but it's not impossible for a boy to do it. Both boys and girls need to be conditioned to behave in ways that are not natural to them surely they act different at home.

As a future teacher my goal is to have a class where all the children, boys and girls perform their best academically. As a female teacher to be, I am not planning to have some sort of special connection only with the girls in my class. I want both boys and girls to feel comfortable talking to me. A boy can be as active as he wants, and if that boy is just as smart, he will be able to show it in the classroom. Both a boy or a girl will receive the same amount of praise. If a boy or girl has a behavior or academic problem the teacher should try to help in a professional manner. The same action should be taken regardless of the sex of the teacher. I believe a child will do as well in school as they choose or are able to do.

A boy and a girl cannot be expected to get the same score on an intelligence test or on different subjects. The mind of each works differently and they each have thier own task at which they excel. for example, Thomas maintains, "Males excel at rotating three dimensional objects in their head. Females prove better at reading the emotions of people in photographs."(121)

Overall, I don't agree with Thomas' statement that boys do bad in school due to female teachers. If this is the case then can we say that girls do badly with male teachers? What does Thomas mean by saying that boys need to behave in ways that are not natural to them? Does he mean that they need to behave in a disciplined manner? I believe Thomas kind of contradicts himself because he does say that "boys whose lives are led without structure and discipline do not find themselves liberated. Instead they become bored, frustrated and maladaptive. They fight. They misbehave and they perform badly, both at school and thereafter."(124)

Works Cited