Running Head: Trouble

The Trouble with Boys:

A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and
Educators Must Do

Tiffany DeWalt
University of St. Thomas
Dr. Leiker

Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons

Introduction
I was inspired to read a book by Peg Tyre. Tyre currently writes, consult, and speak on
educational topics around the nation. She is an educational journalist that has written two
significant and honored books. The Good School in 2012 and The Trouble With Boys in 2008,
which became a New York Times bestseller. The book, The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising
Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do,
discusses problems that boys face throughout education.
This book intrigued me because I have a young son that soon would be entering pre-k. I
am the mother of three children and have watched how they have developed their own

Running Head: Trouble

personalities. My first two children are girls and my last is a boy. All of my children have
experienced the same preschool with the majority of their teachers in the same classroom. All of
my children have expressed their enjoyment of attending the preschool and my girls started
elementary school with no problem. However, I have noticed some differences in my son. My
son is currently attending the preschool and his behaviors and interest in academics are different
in comparison to my girls. My son is very activate and full of energy. I want to read this book to
see if it would give me some insight on how to support my son once he begins elementary.
This book also captured my attention from a special education leaders perspective as
well. From my studies, in several classes we discuss the disproportionalities of boys in low
social economic status in the classroom. However, this book focused on all boys. As a future
leader, I found this theory very intriguing because I never consider this perspective. I wanted to
read about the struggles that the author discussed and how it applies to all boys in education to
see if I can not only support my son, but any male student that needs assistance.
Summary
Tyre believes that boys are struggling in school from the moment that they step into the
classroom. She conducted her research by interviewing principals, teachers, parents, and
students. Her findings support that the education system does not support boys needs and
interest. Boys get expelled from preschool at nearly five times the rate of girls. In elementary
school, they are diagnosed as having attention problems or learning disorders four times as much
as girls and are twice as likely to be held back (Tyre, 2008, p. 5). She argued, after laws were
passed to support womens equalities, the achievement of boys started decreasing over time. She
does not believe that the decrease was intentional, but was a result after the focus was shifted to
supporting girls. Their research states, fewer boys were taking AP courses, graduating, and

Running Head: Trouble

attending college. She reports that just 72 percent of girls and 65 percent of boys finish high
school (2008, p. 26).
She believes that this trend started when the boys first entered elementary school. One of
the topics that she focused on discussed how boys need time for free play and movement. She
called it a "boy-friendly" environment in early education. She believes that boys need time to
burn energy. From an early age boys start playing catch and other physical activities with their
parents. To require boys to transition to school and sit for several hours is setting our boys for
failure. Teachers are labeling these boys as ADHD or having a bad day because they not able to
follow the classroom rules. The majority of these teachers are females because there are a few
male role models in the school system that are available to support the boys in the classroom. In
addition, she believes that boys are not willing to participate in school because of the lack of
physical activity. She believes that the solution to this epidemic is to allow boys to participate in
more physical activity, like recess and free play. Her suggestion is that kindergarten classes
should focus on social and emotional development verses academics. She understands that these
changes are difficult because of the high demands of testing and No Child Left Behind in the
school districts. However, there is also a link between students interacting with peers during
recess can lead to higher scores on standardized tests. The author interviewed and shared many
experiences of educators and parents to support her theory in this book.
Reflections
The author helped me understand some common misconceptions about boys. Before
reading this book, I fell into some of the same patterns with my son, similar to a few of the
parents that were interviewed throughout the chapters. I felt that I was constantly redirecting and
talking to my son about his choices at home. His teacher is concerned with him learning the

Running Head: Trouble

alphabets and numbers at a slower pace than the other students in the preschool. When the
teacher brought this to my attention, I started working with my son learning the alphabet and
numbers. I wondered if he had a deficit like ADHD, because I had difficulty getting him to focus.
However, I have learned after reading this book that he is not a bad kid, he does not have
ADHD. He just needs more physical activity and time participating in things that he is interested
in. We as parents and teachers need to include more techniques to motivate our boys in school to
assist them in receiving a free and appropriate education.
Conclusion
I find this book to be very interesting and informative. The book was an easy read and in
my opinion a good book. The author discusses many ideas on the struggles of boys that are in
school from pre-k to 12 grade. Many of the ideas were easy for me to relate to since I have a son
that is starting to demonstrate some of the same struggles. After reading this book, I believe that
has a better insight on how to support my son and other students that are in school. It is in my
best interest to be proactive in supporting boys based off of the suggestions and experiences that
the author outlined in this book.

Running Head: Trouble

References
Tyre, Peg. 2008. The trouble with boys: A surprising report card on our sons, their problems at
school, and what parents and educators must do. Three Rivers Press, New York
Tyre, Peg. 2015, About the Auther Retrieved from http://www.pegtyre.com/about-the-author.php