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If your boys hate school it might be because America’s schools have been designed to tear down young men

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Ms. Jefferson, the kindergarten teacher, held up wooden skewers, cotton balls, and craft glue. “Today we’re each going to make a pussywillow,” she told the children. 

“I don’t wanna make a pussywillow,” Jason said. “I wanna make a lightsaber.” Ms. Jefferson ignored him. Jason glued a cotton ball to the end of his wooden skewer. “I find your lack of faith – disturbing!” he said to her, channeling his inner Darth Vader, brandishing the skewer. She sent him to the principal. 

Jason was sent to the principal’s office four times in the first two weeks. At the end of the second week, he came home in tears. He told his mom, “School is stupid. I hate school.” 

Deborah Stipek, former dean of education at Stanford, has found that kids form attitudes toward school early. Those attitudes, once formed, are stable and non-contingent. That’s a fancy way of saying that once a boy decides that he hates school, he’s not likely to change his mind. And he doesn’t think there’s anything he can do that’s going to make a difference. 

Over the past 25 years, I have visited more than 500 schools. I have seen........

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