Tapsearch Com EditorEnding the war on boys
July 31st 2007 01:48
This Time magazine article is quite interesting -- it argues that boys fell behind on many wellness measures, but that they've gained a lot of ground back. They're better off than they used to be; the fact the girls are even better shouldn't worry us as much as it does.
I find this point a little ludicrous, though:
Let's get this straight. We should require college degrees in more fields, not because those fields demand four years of classroom-style training, but because...well, because education is an end in itself. We should have these guys waste four years spending money instead of making it because it would make our statistics look better. We should demonstrate "the need for higher education" by forcing people to get degrees they don't need.
I'm all for education (I have a college degree myself), but it's an investment. You pay money for people to teach you the skills you need for a specific goal, such as (in my case) becoming a journalist. You don't just go around getting degrees because they're cool.
I find this point a little ludicrous, though:
A generation of enlightened teaching and robust encouragement has awakened American girls to the need for higher education. Women now outnumber men in college by a ratio of 4 to 3, and admissions officers at liberal-arts colleges are struggling to find enough males to keep their classes close to gender parity. "We've done wonderfully with girls. Now let's do the same for boys," says Gurian. One way to start might be to gear advanced training to male-dominated occupations--already the case in many female-oriented fields. Schoolteachers and librarians (roughly 70% female) must go to college, but firefighters and police officers (pushing 90% male)? Not necessarily. Top executive secretaries are college educated; top carpenters may not be.
Let's get this straight. We should require college degrees in more fields, not because those fields demand four years of classroom-style training, but because...well, because education is an end in itself. We should have these guys waste four years spending money instead of making it because it would make our statistics look better. We should demonstrate "the need for higher education" by forcing people to get degrees they don't need.
I'm all for education (I have a college degree myself), but it's an investment. You pay money for people to teach you the skills you need for a specific goal, such as (in my case) becoming a journalist. You don't just go around getting degrees because they're cool.
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