Some colleagues of mine were conducting a media audit on gender in education recently and came across a letter to the editor, written in response to an op-ed entitled, “Why Men Are Disappearing on Campus”
Ken writes…
There is another reason every bit as compelling as the four outlined by Richard Vedder and Braden Colegrove for (op-ed, Sept. 20). A lifelong love of education starts in the elementary grades and yet, as I have witnessed with my grandchildren, the hours per week dedicated to teaching subjects that young boys thrive on, like science and history, have been reduced substantially. Those hours have been reassigned to reading and writing, subjects that girls excel in.
In addition, the teaching of math has been transformed. Numeric problems have been steadily replaced by word problems, with written narratives required to explain how one arrived at a correct answer—all to the detriment of males’ learning. While knowing how to read and write is critical, boys come to it later in the process. Meanwhile, we turn off their enthusiasm for learning. Who can be surprised by the outcome?
Ken Kolkebeck
Sparta, N.J.
Dear Ken,
Congratulations to you, sir, on your recent letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal. Despite your gender, you seem to have been able to form words and thoughts, ‘excel’ and ‘thrive’ in your writing, and express your ideas in such fashion as to be accepted into one of the most well-reputed newspapers in the country. How do you manage?
An exuberant kudos to you, Ken, for pushing beyond the grunts, calculations, and boy stuff of science, your more natural environment.
I wish your grandchildren all the best in educating you that gender is a construct.
Best regards,
Kate Rose
Sacramento, CA