Interview with Peg Tyre, author of The Trouble With Boys

Tuesday night marked the final interview in our first Summit Series for Families Event and it was a pleasure to interview Peg Tyre, author of The Trouble with Boys. Her well-researched book has uncovered some startling statistics regarding how our sons are doing in school and the problems seem to start all the way back in preschool.

The statistics are enough to worry any of us. 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 get held back. Boys lag behind girls in reading and writing and the gap is getting bigger as they move from elementary school through to high school.

While there are many reasons for this troubling trend, she points out some promising solutions as well. Her extensive interviews with parents and teachers and her observations in classrooms throughout the country have uncovered creative approaches to learning. Some teachers are incorporating periodic breaks throughout the day and allowing more room for movement within the classroom to help the younger boys adjust to longer school days and less recess. Encouraging male volunteers, (including Policemen!) to come read to classes is helping counter the stereotype that reading is for girls. She even had examples of afterschool clubs that combine sports and reading to engage boys more.

There’s a lot of work to be done and many solutions are not as easy as simply recruiting more male volunteers and understanding that boys move around more than girls. But coming up with solutions starts with an understanding of the problem and The Trouble With Boys will help you understand just how big this problem is throughout our country.

I’m pleased to provide a link to the interview here—don’t get scared off by the break halfway through, though. The thunderstorms in Georgia were in full force Tuesday night and I lost power momentarily but was able to carry on moments later. Enjoy!