125 Years for the Boys: Best Practices From The Haverford School

125 Years for the Boys best practices from the haverford school

125 Years for the Boys Best Practices from

The Haverford School

Published by Š The Haverford School

Haverford, PA

Acknowledgements Editor/Designer Meghan K. Mulrooney Copy Editors Kathy Stevenson Cox Dawn Blake Archivist Sandy Mercer Photography Dawn Blake George Scarino Linda Walters Michael Branscom Maura Ciccarelli Peter Miller Meghan Mulrooney Timi Wolov Blair Stambaugh Terri Grossman Jim Roese Linda Katz Jill Wurman Contributing Editors Joseph T. Cox Rebecca Davis Todd Wolov ’88 Andy Grossman ’96 Tom Stambaugh ’90 Dawn Blake Lisa Snyder Mondo Murage Special Thanks To Francis Bonner, M.D., P’08 and to Trustee Ken Brier ’68 P’09 for financing Abigail James’ consultancy.

Contributing Authors Joseph T. Cox, Ph.D., Headmaster Brad Adams Abigail James, Ph.D. Valerie Case William Palmer Pat Renehan Jane Manns Cheryl Saunders Mondo Murage Jenny Waring Kate Thorburn Todd Wolov ’88 Cheryl Joloza Carol Ann Luongo John Suter William Strong Chris Avery Nick Romero Andrew Franz Pat Gately Andrew Grossman ’96 Gerhardt Reich Joyce Chan Lori Reed Tom Stambaugh ’90 Mark Fifer Ben Rein Robert Upton Brett Boham Rebecca Smedley Jamison Maley Carol O’Brien Gerry Rooney Andrew Poolman Sara Adkins Michael Stairs Edward Hallowell Lisa Snyder

This book is dedicated to: Haverford School faculty – past, present, and future.

125 Years for the Boys Best Practices From THe Haverford School

Table of Contents One Hundred and Twenty-Five Years for the Boys..........................................1 Headmaster Joseph T. Cox, Ph.D. Great Schools for Boys........................................................................9 Brad Adams, Executive Director, International Boys’ School Coalition Timeline.......................................................................................15 The Haverford School:125 Years Intuitive to Intentional........................................................................31 Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. Lower School Lessons........................................................................ 49 Middle School Lessons......................................................................79 Upper School Lessons.......................................................................105 From the Archives...........................................................................135 Bibliography...................................................................................159

years of concern and commitment to the best practices in boys’ education. We hope that itwill serve as a resource and guide for everyone who loves and

The Haverford School

teaches boys.

One Hundred and Twenty-Five Years For the Boys

C

Board Chair Bill Thorkelson, Haverford ’68 and Par-

taking part in a celebration

cation, Bill hopes that they automatically conflate

of a century and a quar-

excellence in educating boys with The Haverford

ter of educating boys and

School. Because of our long and exemplary his-

Headmaster young men to serve their Joseph T. Cox, Ph.D. community and country. In

tory as a remarkable School for boys, many do au-

1884, The Haverford School was founded on the

The Haverford School. We are justly proud of our

Haverford College campus by a group of parents

125 years of serving the educational needs of boys,

who wanted the best possible education for their

and this book celebrates both our unique and distin-

sons, and it has prospered throughout the past 125

guished history and our ongoing efforts to produce

years thanks to the good judgment of able adminis-

bright, responsible, well-rounded young men.

ongratulations!

ent of Alumnus, David ’96, succinctly articulates our

By reading this

value proposition as a school for boys. When any-

book you are

body begins to discuss best practices in boys’ edu-

tomatically equate the best in boys’ education with

trators, the generosity of concerned and committed alumni and parents, and, most importantly, the wis-

The history of The Haverford School is one of dis-

dom, compassion, and hard work of distinguished

tinguished graduates and distinguished teachers.

teachers.

Excellence in boys’ education begins in the classroom. If the relationship between teacher and stu-

This book will share with you a chronology of the

dent is weak, the educational process is undermined.

School, an analysis of educational best practices

At The Haverford School, our outstanding teaching

gleaned from observations of Haverford teaching

award is named in honor of Spanish instructor Ra-

by a leading expert on how boys learn, a collection

fael Laserna, and it celebrates, “the teacher who has

of sample best lessons for boys assembled by three

a lasting influence on his or her students and who

Haverford School alumni who currently teach at

inspires them to learn and to excel in the classroom

their alma mater, and an annotated bibliography of

and in life.” I didn’t know Rafael, but what his col-

the most current thought on best teaching practices

leagues and former students tell me over and over

for boys. This book reflects The Haverford School’s

is how he inspired success in students who were

not always successful in other areas and how he changed lives in the classroom because he cared about every boy, and every boy knew it. He set the standard of good teaching expected at Haverford: every boy counts, and it is the job of every teacher to develop each boy’s full potential.

The Haverford School has been on the front line of the latest efforts to define and enact the best teaching practices for boys. As a charter member of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition, Haverford has worked with schools for boys from around the world to define the key educational methods that

statistics reveal that girls are more tolerant of bad

best serve boys’ learning. Several years ago, the

teaching; they will learn despite negative teacher

theme of an International Boys’ Schools Coali-

traits that will set boys back. For example, boys will

tion Conference in Australia was the “The Spirit

not do the work for a teacher they believe does not

of Boys,” and speakers and workshops focused on

like them; girls will. Girls work through situations

best practices to help boys learn and grow into emo-

where the teacher is not organized; boys are more

tionally healthy men. One lecture in particular has

affected by the organizational skills of a teacher.

stayed with me. In a presentation entitled “School

Boys learn better with a touch of laughter and hu-

and Teacher Effectiveness – Especially for Boys,”

mor in the classroom; funny is not as much a fac-

Dr. Kenneth J. Rowe, Director of the Australian

tor in girls’ learning. Girls can deal with ambiguity

Council for Education Research, made a statisti-

better than boys. More than girls, boys like to know

cally supported case for outlining what works best

what the rules are, and they are more discouraged in

in schools for boys.

a classroom when they perceive a lack of fairness.

The four F’s: Friendly, Focused, Funny, and Fair,

I greatly oversimplify Dr. Rowe’s presentation,

describe teacher characteristics that prove more ef-

but what he shared has immediate implications

fective with boys than girls.

for making schools more intentionally effective learning environments for boys. Not surprisingly,

A personal recollection of my most effective teach-

Dr. Rowe’s research showed that boys and girls

ers supports these conclusions, and, I think, if we review the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of your

respond to teacher traits differently. Overall, the

or your son’s teachers, you can trace it to these char-

Boys respond to role models, and they need to see

acteristics. The truly great teachers seem to have all

a wide range of masculinity after which to pattern

the right stuff, and sometimes a teacher can build

their lives. At The Haverford School our graduates

a reputation by stressing one or two unique teach-

have been exposed to a variety of men who model

ing traits. However, a significant weakness in any

their masculinity in different ways. They have also

one teaching trait, according to the research, will

benefited from strong women teachers and coaches

dramatically reduce a teacher’s effectiveness, espe-

who know how boys learn and appreciate their in-

cially with boys. As in most good research, these re-

imitable ways. Boys have been taught by teachers

sults seem to confirm common sense. The Haverford

who appreciate the unique learning needs of boys

School has had more than its share of boy-friendly

and develop in them important empathetic skills,

teachers who were fair, focused in presenting their

and, as you will see in the sample lessons, we are

material, and who appealed to a boy’s sense of hu-

working to share what our teachers know to be the

mor to impart important lessons.

best ways to teach boys. At The Haverford School our most effective teachers are those who genuinely like the boys and young men they teach. You can’t

At an International Boys’ School Coalition Confer-

fake that with boys.

ence in Dallas, Texas, Dr. Edward Hallowell was especially insightful in the teaching methods that reach boys best. He talked about his intellectual awakening in eleventh-grade English, his teacher’s use of laughter, never shame, to bring out his students’ attention to detail and words. He reminisced about the beginning of a conversation that has never ended, a conversation of the mind that has turned into the very thing that as a psychologist Dr. Hallowell does for a living. He talked about how this extraordinary teacher made learning an emotional experience and how that experience was more concentrated and less distracted because of the all-boy environment. That teacher is still teaching boys at Saint Mark’s and was on the stage to introduce his former student.

It is sad that so much of the debate about new re-

physical breaks to help them release excess energy

search into learning style differences between girls

and focus in class; and that at The Haverford School,

and boys is fraught with sociological caveats and,

their sons will never come home and tell them that

more often than not, hijacked by the left-right po-

the teachers like the girls better.

litical noise machine. I would bet that most teachers and laymen would agree that boys and girls interact

In Middle School, boys need extra attention teach-

differently to their educational environments. In-

ing them organization skills, and they thrive aca-

spired and energized by a common effort to educate

demically without the added stress of navigating the

good men, those of us who teach at The Haverford

hormone jungle that is puberty in competition with

School do not see a school for boys as an anachro-

young women who are two to three years ahead

nistic throwback to some forgotten age. Instead, we

of them in maturity. Also, in an all-boys Middle

see Haverford as a place to learn fundamental les-

School, they are allowed, in fact encouraged, to con-

sons about our sons and to revel in the joy that boys

tribute their talents to the arts. Sometimes, the arts

bring to our lives. We know what it means to be a

can be perceived as outside the domain of men, but

school for boys, and we celebrate the unique quali-

at Haverford they are an important part of a well-

ties of the boys and young men we teach.

rounded education. The boys do not have to be selfconscious about demonstrating musical, artistic, or

Education is not gender neutral unless teachers are

dramatic skills. They are encouraged to pursue the

informed of gender learning differences and adjust

complete range of their human potential.

to individual student needs. Girls and boys move through their developmental stages in markedly different ways, and often quite out of harmony with one another. Girls acquire language facility sooner, comprehend concepts earlier, and develop small motor control at a younger age. There is a fastidiousness to the work of girls that most boys never acquire. I usually begin The Haverford School admissions sessions pointing out that boys are slower to learn the language arts than girls, thus we emphasize learning reading skills thoroughly; they are more rambunctious and need the strenuous activity of recess and gym class, thus their days are full of

In Upper School, young men need to learn how to listen, to make good decisions, and how to empathize. We work against the strong, silent stereotype, encouraging and actually teaching empathy.

In peer leadership and social psychology classes, we teach and encourage boys to learn how to listen to and care for one another. The boys form incredibly strong relationships with one another. Again, the ability to focus on the arts without being selfconscious, to pursue academic achievement for academic achievement’s sake, and the lack of superficial posturing for the opposite sex enhance their Upper School experience.

Sociological and political opinions aside, all of our students need our individual attention. No one argues that certain segments of our male population are failing disproportionately, and that our success

about relationships, being part of something bigger

as a society depends on all of our children getting

than yourself, and loving those around you. Boys

the best education we can provide. The best thing

are joiners and boys make great friends. The bonds

we can do is to get beyond the myths and the poli-

of friendships that form in the all-male class last a

tics of single-sex education, encourage all of our

lifetime.

students to blossom, and, most importantly, never stop celebrating the joy that is the wonder of boys.

Boys are competitive. When confronted with intel-

And what should we celebrate?

lectual or artistic challenges, boys rise to the trial.

They like to compete with one another, and they

Boys are social. They want to be part of something

like to test themselves against their limits. Girls are

larger than themselves. The former All-American

more sympathetic to those who do not win, where

and All-Pro football player Joe Ehrmann points

boys exalt in their victories. If handled correctly,

out that in today’s world boys are taught that being

competition in an all-male environment is a strong

a man is about being successful in athletics, with

motivator and can be a positive force in the learning

women, and earning money when, in reality, life is

dynamic.

Boys are active. Anyone who has been around boys knows that they can’t sit still. They like to touch each other and push when in a line. They pick up sticks and sword fight when they are supposed to be on a nature walk. They respond to big-muscle, active-learning challenges and thrive on physical challenges. Their boundless energy can sometimes be at the root of behavior and discipline problems if not appreciated and guided in more positive directions. Boys love hands-on projects – making things, building things up, or tearing things down.

Boys are great leaders. They can handle responsi-

tice is engaged. Boys tend to see the world more

bility from a very young age and respond in direct

black-and-white than girls and, as Carol Gilligan

proportion to the trust shown them. Compared to

has pointed out in her groundbreaking research on

levels of self-confidence in girls, boys are overly

girls, boys are less concerned with feelings in de-

confident, even when the evidence for such confi-

ciding moral issues than they are concerned with

dence is not there. In the hands of a good teacher,

fairness and justice. Boy-friendly schools engage

this built-in can-do attitude can be a wonderful in-

boys in making the rules that they should live by,

centive to academic achievement, leadership suc-

and once established, boys feel more comfortable

cess, and self-esteem. Given opportunities for lead-

in a community with very set boundaries. They are

ership, boys will rise to the challenges and exceed

much more literal than girls in their efforts with

our expectations more often than not.

moral calculus.

At boy-friendly schools you will find boy-focused

Boys like to take charge, and those of us who work

support services. In boys you will find a wider

with boys are generally impressed with the virtues

range of learning differences than you will with

of letting boys take responsibility for their moral

girls, therefore boy-friendly schools have extensive

decisions. Our student-run honor system has been

support systems to make sure all learning styles are

a success because our boys take responsibility for

fully engaged and appreciated.

community values of respect and honesty, and they have the courage to speak up when those virtues are not being adhered to.

At boy-friendly schools, a boy’s innate sense of jus-

Likewise, boys should be engaged in hands-on, re-

Essential Qualities of a

sult-oriented community service. There are more

Haverford Graduate

visual and active learners among the ranks of boys, and the “Empty Bowls” hunger project that re-

With the background of a superior liberal arts education, a Haverford School graduate should:

quires making soup bowls and preparing a dinner to raise awareness about world hunger is a big hit

Think critically and communicate effectively.

with them. Building Iroquois log houses out of invasive trees culled from a city park is a wonderful, hands-on Middle School service program. At the

Possess intellectual curiosity and a passion for lifelong learning.

Upper School level, Habitat for Humanity is a sure-

Appreciate the arts.

fire way to engage boys in meaningful community

Have a moral compass to guide him through life.

service.

Respect others.

Schools for boys are schools where teachers care.

Cherish the humanity in all people and treat them equitably.

Any good school is a school where teachers love their students and their job of teaching. This is a

Take joy in his accomplishments and those of others, but also recognize the potential for growth from adversity.

truism that we can all agree to, but it does not go far enough in illuminating what happens in a truly

Value perseverance and hard work.

boy-friendly school. They are magical places. I can only speak from my experience at The Haverford

Meet the challenges of daily life, great and small, with courage, flexibility, and humor.

School, but the key to success in any school is making the student know that his learning is important

Pursue health of mind and body.

and that HE is important – to himself and to oth-

Know how to collaborate and compete with grace, to lead and to follow.

ers. The wonder of boys transcends sociology and politics. Inspired and energized by a common effort to educate good men, those who teach at all-boys’

Share responsibility for the environment.

schools see them as places to learn fundamental les-

Live as a cooperative, compassionate, and engaged member of his local, national, and global communities.

sons about our sons and to celebrate the joy that boys can bring to our lives. Enjoy the following celebration in word and image of The Haverford School’s 125 years for the boys.

The Haverford School

Founded 1884

development that can have important consequenc-

Great Schools for Boys

es for effective teaching. For example, many boys

Brad Adams, Executive Director International Boys’ Schools Coalition

struggle with the tasks of reading and writing, especially as taught in the modern curriculum, and good

I

schools for boys are especially savvy in deploy-

It’s an opportunity to mark and

ponent where they own the flow and objectives of

celebrate the flourishing, and in-

learning. Of course, good teachers know that there

deed, the renaissance of schools

is a wide range of learning styles and preferences

for boys! In fact, Haverford is a

among boys, but an all-boys’ classroom can be a re-

leading member of the International Boys’ Schools

markably effective and inclusive place to spark and

Coalition, a remarkable worldwide network of

celebrate all of them. This highly specialized focus

schools, all dedicated to learning together about

leads to heightened practice. In fact, Haverford and

what makes a school for boys a truly great one.

seventeen other IBSC schools are currently engaged

These schools are in so many places and differ in so

in just such an unearthing of these best approaches:

many important ways, but in their daily work and in

The Wisdom of Teaching in Boys’ Schools.

t is a privilege to join in cel-

ing texts and approaches that lift achievement. We

ebration of The Haverford

know, too, that many boys tend to respond better to

School’s 125th anniversary.

lessons with a strong competitive and active com-

their aspirations they have the following attributes in common.

How boys learn, and learn together First and foremost, great schools for boys start with how boys learn. Good teachers in these schools have perhaps always plied their craft with intuitive good sense and wise observation about what “works” to engage boys. What we are seeing today is a burgeoning, intentional, and increasingly precise “pedagogy for boys.” It’s informed in part by an expanding body of neuro-cognitive research, which is beginning to unveil differences between boys’ and girls’ trajectories of brain and learning

Boys in the zone

cause. And as members of a team, boys display and

Ambitious schools for boys have an unusual capaci-

learn about the sometimes challenging lessons of

ty to tap their imaginative energy and intense focus.

character and self-discipline. And, the spirit of team

Absorbed in hobbies and collecting, in spontaneous

reaches further into the fabric of school life – to the

play and sports, or in an almost unimaginable va-

string ensemble, the theater troupe, and even the

riety of activities and projects, boys are especially

collaborative classroom.

affirmed by the performance of mastery and competency. They revel in what Milhaly Csikszentmi-

The Arts

halyi calls being in the “flow” – “that condition

Increasingly so, contemporary schools for boys put

of heightened focus, productivity, and happiness

an emphasis on the arts – to develop self-expression

that we all intuitively understand and hunger for.”

and competency, and to deepen a sense of meaning

Great schools for boys celebrate and build upon this

and purpose. So often the first stop on a tour of a

natural enthusiasm and passion, and use it wisely

thriving school for boys is the new fine arts studio,

as a powerful tool to deepen school and personal

theatre, the design and technology facility, or the

engagement. They guide and celebrate “boys in the

music rehearsal and performance spaces. There,

zone” – whether on the rugby pitch, in the music stu-

boys are often at their most focused best, in the

dio, or in the classroom.

“zone” of creative enterprises. These meet the needs of the talented student, but they also bring a sense of

Team

creative mastery to the life of every boy. Schools for

It is perhaps axiomatic that sports are everywhere

boys can be highly effective in encouraging them

in a school for boys – from the elite team down

to explore this additional dimension of personhood.

to that spontaneous handball game at recess. In a

On the same tour, the visitor is likely to encounter

school for boys, even the eternal rhythms of the

the multitalented and engaged boy – the fullback

school day are harnessed to help boys find positive

who sings in the choir, the thespian who captains

outlets and expression for their unstoppable energy.

the rugby team. And that’s an intentional outcome

Not all boys, of course, are as athletic or gregarious

of the mission of a school for boys.

as others, but the experience of team has a positive role in a boy’s life. Team play of all sorts enriches

Many paths to manhood

the mastering of skill. The “team” is for many boys

One of the most remarkable aspects of these high-

a training ground for camaraderie and loyalty, a

functioning schools is their ability to expand the

foundation for learning how the self finds a greater

horizons of manhood for boys, and to do so in ways

10

With this core affirmation begins a rich and ongoing commentary about “what it means to be a man.”

Diversity of perspective and achievement are welcomed and celebrated; and the men and women who teach there serve as strong, engaging role models. It’s interesting to observe that more and more schools for boys offer or require courses or units on the topic of “masculinities,” inviting boys to dig deeper into this core of their identity. In addition, lots of hard evidence tells us that boys in schools for boys are more likely to explore subjects that might be considered “unmasculine,” and to pursue a broader range of disciplines and vocations thereafter.

Boys step up In these schools, boys are encouraged to “step up.”

Here the distinct advantage of an all-boys’ learnthat can profoundly challenge a constricting defini-

ing environment means that boys routinely and

tion of masculinity. They can point the way to “many

naturally rise to tasks that girls might otherwise do.

paths to manhood,” and guide boys along this jour-

Boys lead in every aspect of classroom discussion

ney. But it begins with an open and compassionate

and participation, and show a wider and more com-

affirmation. Reporting for the “Good Man Project,”

plete range of engagement and thought than might

a collaborative undertaking of New Zealand boys’

be the case in a coed environment. They step up as

schools, Cecilia Lashlie writes:

school leaders, as editors of the yearbook; they step

“By their very existence, boys’ schools encourage

up as flutists and singers, as budding poets in the

the building of a sense of pride in being male. In a

literary journal. They take risks on new challenges

world where there’s a great deal of discussion about

and activities where they might slip or fail; and they

the absence of positive male role models and where

show courage in standing up in an assembly hall

much of the media focus is on the more negative

to talk about something that matters to them and

aspects of young men, the ability of boys’ schools

to the community. And when they step up in these

to provide an alternative view cannot be underesti-

and other ways, they are supported and celebrated

mated.”

by their peers.

11

Compass

Robert Greenleaf’s enduring Servant Leadership

At the heart of any great school for boys is the work

comes to mind: “The servant-leader is servant first

of character. Boys are natural and strong justice-

… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants

makers, possessed of a strong moral sense. The

to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings

task of educators of boys is to nurture and draw out

one to aspire to lead.”

those core values of integrity, respect, and responsibility. It can find expression in formal character

Perhaps in just this way, and in deep resonance with

or leadership programs, but it lives especially in the

an enduring notion of masculinity, schools for boys

ethos and relationships of the school community.

foster their natural but often unexpressed capacity

A football coach explains the lesson of a famous

for service and sacrifice for others. “Hands on” ser-

headmaster:

vice learning and volunteerism – in the neighbour-

“I want you to have revolving integrity. What does

hood, in the city, or abroad – are thus important to

that mean? No matter which way you turn, or what

schools for boys, and deftly tap their energy. Boys

situation you’re in that turns you, people will see that you have the same integrity in every situation.

You’re no different here with me than you are tonight with your friends. You’re no different in class than you are at home. When a situation’s easy, you’re no different than when it’s hard …”

Schools for boys differ widely, of course, and the enterprise of character building may be specifically religious and spiritual, and the form it takes in any particular school will find different words and emphasis. But this central work is powerfully consistent across all effective schools for boys.

To serve and to lead It follows that a major purpose of a great school for boys is to heighten awareness and action in their community, and in their relationships with others.

12

are profoundly rewarded and challenged by service

taking care of themselves. Boys are more likely

opportunities that take them out of themselves and

than girls to engage in high risk activities, abuse

grow the roots of empathy and connectedness to

substances, and commit violence. Far more boys

their community. Inside the school, cutting-edge

than girls are diagnosed with learning disabilities

leadership programs are likely to emphasize team-

and medicated. We have already discussed boys’

work and mentoring, the hallmarks of service lead-

emotional vulnerability. These are all difficult

ership.

matters that are not easily solved, but an effective school for boys can address these issues head-on.

Connected boys

They keep boys “in the groove” – active, fit, and

The work of growing up is joyful, but sometimes,

engaged. They provide support and counseling, and

and for some boys, it’s hard. Too often they pick

tackle the toughest issues in assemblies and in the

up the message that emotional connectedness and

curriculum. And they help parents to sharpen their

expression are somehow unmanly: better to hide

knowledge and skills. More than ever, the promo-

behind a tough-skinned exterior. But the emotional

tion of boys’ health and well-being is vital to the

current runs deep and many boys are vulnerable

work of schools for boys.

and alone, often without support and skill. It may well be that many boys are less able than most girls

Community

to put words to feelings. In contemporary schools

Schools for boys are community-builders. Boys are

for boys, teachers and staff are well-versed in this

capable of great loyalty and love for one another,

social-emotional realm, and provide an empathy-

and for their school. Friendships and relationships

building environment. In a boys’ literature class,

are easy and relaxed, even if noisy and rambunc-

without the pressure to pose, defer, or hide, boys

tious at times! Intentionally, schools for boys cele-

can and will express themselves, and they do so

brate the full range of achievement, and thirst on its

with remarkable acuity and sensitivity. All of this

daily demonstration, often in novel and compelling

matters, of course, because their personal well-be-

ways. Pride in the fellowship of the school commu-

ing is foremost. But it also important because such

nity is kindled again and again. And many schools

social-emotional intelligence is essential to their

for boys relish history and a degree of ceremony,

well-faring as tomorrow’s citizens and leaders.

all of which help to knit the tight fabric of community life. The task of a good school for boys is to

Healthy boys

build on this natural will to belong and to use it as

Medical research from around the world is grimly

foundation for building self-confidence and shared

consistent: men – and boys – are not very good at

purpose as a learning community.

13

Understanding the business of boyhood

Neither slogan nor relic, the mission statement lives

Lashlie again hits the mark: “… one of the inher-

at the heart of a school that is truly for boys.

ent strengths of boys’ schools,” she writes, “is their ability to revel in and celebrate the business of

The future

boys.” Never a dull moment! At a time when boys

There can be no doubt that such wonderfully fo-

are so often seen as toxic or somehow deficient, ed-

cused and diverse schools for boys are well-poised

ucators in schools for boys champion them as rich

to embrace all the exciting, if daunting, challenges

in potential to achieve and “to do good.” They strive

of the future. Indeed, they are at the forefront of

to be places where “each boy is known and loved,”

educational leadership. Best wishes to The Haver-

to borrow one school’s unabashed declaration of

ford School as it celebrates this anniversary, and as

purpose. While setting clear and firm boundaries

it continues to grow and innovate in service to the

and expectations, schools for boys are wise about

next generations of boys!

the business of boyhood.

Mission And finally, all of these attributes are anchored in mission. To a great degree, these schools are no longer just “boys’ schools by tradition.” They are now “boys’ schools by conviction” – with confidence in their institutional purpose and effectiveness. Further, they are not “schools comprised of boys,” but schools for boys – designed in every way to respond to their needs, to harness their potential, and to guide them along the journey toward full and responsible manhood. As mission-driven schools for boys, governors and trustees put this overarching objective as a key instrument on their dashboard of governance overview. And most important of all, the men and women who teach there are engaged in lively, focused, and constant discussion about the best ways to ensure that the mission is advanced.

14

125 Years: A timeline of the Haverford School

15

Notable Alumnus: Smedley Darlington Butler

Smedley Butler was a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps and, at the time of his death, the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.

He is one of nineteen people to be awarded the Medal of Honor twice, and one of only three to be awarded a Marine Corps Brevet Medal and a Medal of Honor, and the only person to be awarded a Marine Corps Brevet Medal and a Medal of Honor for two different actions. Butler attended Haverford until 1889, when he left to join the Marines at age seventeen.

The Haverford College Grammar School opens with twenty-five students. Sumner Crosman becomes Headmaster the same year.

1884

Haverford College Grammar School joins the two-year-old Inter-Academic Athletic Association.

1885 Merion Cottage is completed and becomes the first school building. Its nickname is “The Incubator.”

16

1888

1891

Haverford’s football team wins the first Inter-Academic and Inter-Scholastic Championships.

Notable Alumnus: Maxfield Parrish 1898 Maxfield Parrish was a famous painter, known for such works as “Daybreak” and his illustrations of Poems of Childhood. His work has been featured as album art for musicians including Enya, the Moody Blues, Elton John and Michael Jackson. In 2001, Parrish was featured in a U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp series honoring American illustrators.

Official name becomes “The Haverford School” and Wilson Hall opens.

The Dramatic Club is formed.

1894

1897

1903

The Haverford School purchases the Austin Estate. The Oaks boarding facility is acquired as part of this purchase, which brings the campus to its current location.

Fun Fact: 1898 Because of the similarity of the School colors and those of the flag of Spain, the student body voted to drop yellow from “maroon and yellow” for the duration of the Spanish-American War and adapted the School colors to “maroon and gold.”

17

Edmund Mood Wilson becomes Headmaster.

Fire destroys The Oaks boarding facility, but the School rebuilds.

1905

1909

1906

The Haverford School withdraws from the Inter-Academic Athletic Association (having won the AllAround Cup five years in a row) in order to compete with schools outside the I.A.A.A., and to deemphasize winning in favor of sportsmanship.

1912

The first of the second generation of Haverford School boys: Collwyn Kennedy Humphreys and Charles Owen Humphreys enrolled in Lower School.

Alumni Athlete: W. Howard Fritz Jr. 1909 Represented the United States in the 1912 Olympics. He placed eighth in pole vault.

18

Notable Alumnus: E. Burke Wilford Jr. 1918 Wilford is believed to have designed the first American aircraft to fly without wings. In 1931, his gyroplane made its first successful flight from the field. He is also credited with the design of the powered dental chair now in general use. Wilford also developed the varispeed control system for electrical motors, which is now used on everything from drills to food blenders. This invention won him a Franklin Institute award.

The Haverford School reenters the Inter-Academic Athletic Association.

1916

Haverford’s basketball team wins Inter-Academic Championship.

1921

The School becomes a nonprofit organization.

1923 Twenty-five graduates lost their lives in World War I. Memorial Field was dedicated to these graduates in 1924.

19

1924

FUN FACT: Philip Bishop Day In 1938, upon the death of Phys. Ed. teacher, Philip Bishop, the School’s Annual Spring Sports field day was dedicated to his honor. The Annual Spring Sports field day has been a part of Haverford tradition since 1889 , but has wavered in popularity over the years. Philip Bishop Day is alive and well at present, with a community service component as a newer tradition in honor of Philip Bishop.

Ryan Gymnasium is completed and the Cum Laude Society is founded.

1926 The first Phi Beta Kappa Award is given.

Cornelius B. Boocock becomes Headmaster.

1931

1935

1937

Haverford’s football team wins Inter-Academic Athletic Championship Notable Alumnus: Francis Beverly Biddle 1903 On Aug. 25, 1941, President Roosevelt nominated Francis Biddle to be Attorney General of the United States. The Senate promptly approved the appointment. Biddle’s great-great-grandfather, Edmund Randolph, was the first Attorney General of the United States, and was appointed by President George Washington in 1789. - Haverford School Alumni News, October 1941

20

Two wings are added to Wilson hall in honor of the hundreds of alumni who served in World War II.

Dr. Leslie R. Severinghaus becomes Headmaster when Boocock leaves to join the Navy to serve in World War II.

1941 After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, faculty, students, and alumni either volunteered or were drafted.

1942

1943 Fire damages The Oaks a second time and The Haverford School decides to discontinue boarding students.

21

1949

Alumni Athlete: Frederick “Fritz” P. B. Thornton ’47 was on the 1956 U.S. Olympic field hockey team. At The Haverford School, he garnered fifteen varsity letters (football, squash, basketball Captain, track, baseball, and tennis).

The Service Club sponsors foreign exchange students for the first time and Dr. Severinghaus institutes the Annual Fund.

1951

Van Pelt Hall, the new Lower School, opens.

1955 The Oaks is torn down and building begins on Crosman Hall, the new Middle School.

SPECIAL HONOR:

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Hughes had six sons attend Haverford. All six boys were enrolled in 1954. Their youngest son graduated in 1964. Dr. and Mrs. Hughes paid a total of seventy years of tuition fees.

22

1959

1965

Memorial Gymnasium is completed and Ken Kingham serves as interim Headmaster.

Notable Alumnus: Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr In 1969, Pete Conrad landed on the moon with Alan Bean. He was the third man to walk on the moon. He served on Gemini 5 and 11, Apollo 12, and Skylab 2 missions. Conrad attended The Haverford School for eleven years.

Davis R. Parker becomes Headmaster.

1966 Notable Alumnus: Britton Chance ’31

The wrestling team wins its twenty-third consecutive Inter-Academic Championship.

1968 The lacrosse team wins State Championship.

Dr. Chance received the Franklin Medal for his many contributions to medical science. Chance’s father and grandfather had also won Franklin Medals in 1925 and 1912, respectively.

23

1973

FUN FACT: Bench Ball

Bench Ball is an original sport invented by Haverford students in the 1980s and played seated on benches with a tennis ball. Bench Ball games originated in the courtyard behind Wilson Hall, but were suspended in 2007 due to construction. Thankfully, the Bench Ball court has been restored behind the new Upper School.

W. Boulton Dixon ’61 is the first graduate to become Headmaster.

1983

1986

The Haverford School celebrates its 100th anniversary. Centennial Hall is built to commemorate the occasion.

Alumni Athlete: Michael Francis Mayock ’76

Coach Neil Buckley celebrates his 500th wrestling win, making him the high school coach with the most wins in a single sport in the nation.

Mike Mayock played for the New York Giants from 1982 to 1984 before going into broadcasting.

Mayock is currently a college football analyst and draft analyst for NFL network.

24

1987

Notable Alumnus: Stuart Ambrose ’96

For the first time, the School broke with tradition and hired women faculty for the Middle and Upper School, and appointed a woman as Head of the Lower School.

1988

Joseph P. Healy becomes Headmaster.

1992

Ambrose has achieved critical acclaim on stage, screen and in the studio. In addition to his success in musical theater, he has had multiple appearances on Guiding Light and As the World Turns.

He also released his debut album “Making it Through,” which received rave reviews.

1996

Haverford’s soccer team achieves its 700th win and takes the Inter-Academic Championship.

Fun Fact: Headmaster Healy established “On Behalf of Boys,” a research project aimed at understanding the unique aspects of education in an all-male environment. He hired the School’s first psychologist and created its first student learning center.

25

Dr. Joseph T. Cox becomes Headmaster.

1998

Haverford’s water polo team is formed.

1999

2000

The Haverford School celebrates its fifth alumnus to become a Rhodes Scholar, Jeff Manns.

Alumni Athlete: Jeremiah White ’00

White, a professional soccer player in California has been on two U.S. National teams.

White’s first pro team was in Belgrade, Serbia.

2001

New Athletic Facility opens

Fun Fact:

In the Army, elite units have coins, symbols of pride that serve as a tangible emblem of a special commitment. Headmaster Cox brought that tradition to The Haverford School in 1999.

These coins are given to students in special recognition of their dedication to the School and each other. On one side is the School crest with our founding date of 1884, as a reminder that our boys are part of a long and distinguished tradition. On the back of the coin are three words: Respect, Honesty, and Courage, the pillars of the Honor Code.

26

FUN FACT:

In 2001, The Haverford School began its Service Learning Program. Prior to that, the School had taken part in community service, but adding Service Learning to the curriculum was the beginning of an organized and sustained effort to help the community and to teach students the value of charity.

The new Lower School, designed for how boys learn, is completed.

2002

2005

The students vote to have an Honor Code and in 2003, they elect the Honor Council to enforce this code.

27

2006 The Haverford School wins the highly coveted Inter-Academic League Heyward Cup, which is awarded to the school whose athletic teams have the combined best record for the year.

FUN FACT:

In 1955, The Big Room in Wilson Hall was converted to classrooms. In 2008, the Big Room was restored to its rightful purpose as a place where boys can gather to relax, study, or play games.

FUN FACT:

In November 2008, The Haverford School and Episcopal Academy participated in their 99th Haverford/EA Day competition. In 2009, the two rival schools will celebrate the 100th anniversary of their quest for the split sweater.

2008 New Upper SChool Opens and Haverford celebrates 125 years ...for the boys.

28

29

Intuitive to Intentional

Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D. “Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” ~William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

C

der. Because they lack specific

Teaching boys

knowledge about the world, it is

At the heart of education is the acquisition of lan-

tempting to see them as vessels

guage, both spoken and written. Boys’ brains de-

to fill with facts, and much of

velop language fluency somewhat later than girls.’

education is framed just so. This curricular model is

This difference is greatest at the earliest ages, and

necessarily teacher-centered and student-static for

consequently some little boys find that they are

boys who learn best when they are an active part of

ill-equipped for the verbal requirements of educa-

the learning process, and it often tamps down the

tion. If school is about filling a bucket with words,

fire of intellectual hunger. When teachers kindle a

boys often lose their excitement and interest as they

passionate interest, boys learn with joy and excite-

struggle to remember facts that seem to them to be

ment.

irrelevant and unrelated. A school for boys, how-

hildren enter school full of enthusiasm, curiosity, and won-

ever, encourages active participation as a way to During the past twenty years, educators have be-

frame the world so that boys will perceive the con-

gun to realize the problems that boys are having in

nections between words and meaning.

school. They recognize that many boys are not excited about their daily classes and that they are doing

In 2007, The Haverford School invited me to ex-

just enough to complete the minimum level. Many

plore every part of their program – visiting each

of today’s schools for boys, on the other hand, offer

classroom, talking with all of the teachers, and ex-

a very different picture. Boys are the focus of these

amining how the School puts into practice the art

special environments where every part of the school

and science of teaching boys. Having extensively

is intentionally designed to respond to the way boys

researched gender learning differences, I was asked

learn best. These communities produce boys who

to identify and articulate those strategies I observed

love school and who love to learn.

that were most clearly effective in teaching boys.

31

The following presents short descriptions of the

to ear infections, which muffle sound and interfere

neuro-cognitive and educational research about

with hearing. One theory about why boys have a

gender-based learning, matched with examples

particularly hard time with spelling is that they

from my observation of teaching and learning at

don’t hear words precisely.

The Haverford School. The teaching practices in each division at Haverford are marked by “H.”

In the Kindergarten and first grade, a computerbased program helps the boys learn to recognize

Physical differences

the sounds of words. Students listen through

At the most basic level, boys and girls differ in their

headphones and respond appropriately.

ability to manage sensory information. The following teaching methods target a specific sense and

The Kodály music program used in the Lower

help boys develop strategies to compensate where

School begins with singing and moving rhyth-

they might not have strengths.

mically so that the boys can train their ears to hear music and learn music phrasing.

Hearing: Due to a structural difference in the cochlea or the part of the ear that turns sound waves

To help boys start to hear words with simple

into neural impulses, girls can hear sounds that are

consonant patterns and those with complex

higher and softer than sounds boys can hear. Fac-

patterns, the second grade manipulates a stack

ing the listeners and speaking with a supported

of 3x5 cards with different words on them. As

tone are basic methods that heighten hearing. Even

they read, pronounce, and sort each word with

with such strategies, boys often still need training

patterns such as “dge” and “tch,” they associ-

in listening to help them distinguish the sounds of

ate the way the word looks with the way that

language. Additionally, boys are more susceptible

it sounds.

One Lower School science teacher uses humor to help the boys learn to pay attention to verbal directions. The teacher said that they could leave when he said “go.” Then he said, “One, two … gopher!” Several boys jumped up, realized their mistake, laughed, and sat down. Then he said, “One, two … ghost!” No one moved. Finally,

32

when he said, “One, two … go!” they all rose.

In Middle School music, the boys sing by solfeggio – fa, la, re, do, and so forth. They have to listen closely to make sure they intone the right notes. Next the boys match actions, such as marching or moving their hand up and down, with a specific note or rhythm, thereby reinforcing their auditory knowledge.

In an Upper School Spanish class, the teacher shows part of a Harry Potter movie dubbed in

lessons designed to help the boys understand

Spanish. The boys know the scene in English

the complex nature of the three-dimensional

and hearing it in Spanish as they watch sharp-

world.

ens their attention to the sounds of Spanish.

In Lower School physical education, the boys Another Spanish teacher has students listen

are divided into two teams designated by two

to Spanish radio or TV and keep a journal in

colors. Eight balls of the same two colors are

Spanish recording key phrases and reactions

on the floor. They play a version of dodge ball

to the news. Writing down what they hear as-

with the added detail of having to use the ap-

sists the boys in both distinguishing and re-

propriate color ball when they throw. Among

membering the sounds of the language.

other things, this exercise uses movement to sharpen their attention.

Vision: From birth, boys’ eyes react to movement while girls tend to fix on faces. Boys who do not ap-

One Middle School English teacher introduces

pear to be paying attention may be following some

the boys to a graphic version of The Masque

movement in the classroom. Incorporating move-

of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe. They

ment into a lesson plan is an effective strategy to

use the pictures to grasp the basic narrative.

focus the student on the intended message.

Some of the vocabulary, even in this abridged version, is a bit ambitious for the boys, but

A Lower School art teacher shows the boys

associating pictures with verbal descriptions

how to construct a “17-box guy.” Drawing a

provides a helpful frame that leads to the

series of rectangles, boys are able to create a

boys’ reading the text with more confidence, accuracy, and appreciation.

credible human figure. This is one of many art

33

In Upper School introductory physics class, boys interpret a schematic diagram in building a circuit which can create a distorted “fuzz” tone when a musical instrument, such as a guitar, is plugged into it. The boys must use their understanding of electronics and theory, as well as the diagram, to troubleshoot and achieve the desired outcome. Translating a diagram into a real device challenges boys to look closely at detail and visualize it in a different form.

In an art class, the instructor prepares students for drawing the human face by working through a series of projects that build the The sixth-grade science students plant bulbs in

necessary skills. Projects focused on seeing

the gardens on the school campus. Before they

light and shade develop boys’ observational

put the bulbs in the ground, the boys make a

abilities and knowledge of three-dimensional

map of the bulbs, which they refer to in the

form. Then drawings analyzing the structure of

spring when the flowers come up and other

eyes, mouths, and noses give boys experience

planting commences. This exercise teaches vi-

really seeing human facial features. Working

sual organization and planning as well as the

with mirrors, boys then draw larger than life

benefits of mapping.

self-portrait heads using their newly acquired observational skills and drawing techniques.

One project in Middle School art is to design

In this way, breaking down a complex project

and make a mythology platter. Each student

into manageable components, boys are pre-

sculpts a large dish to represent the head of

pared on multiple levels, and “set up for suc-

the legendary figure they have studied. The

cess” for the challenge of drawing their own

assignment is to create a visual design that re-

face.

flects characteristics of this figure. It requires research and develops understanding of symbolism.

An Upper School English teacher shows clips

34

from three different film versions of Hamlet.

After the boys view different versions of the same

as well as its appealing shape helps the stu-

scene, they analyze the production, setting, and act-

dents to focus on a particular word or number.

ing. This lesson teaches boys that the same material

In the teacher’s hand this utensil is a sound

can be expressed in radically different ways and re-

cue, a visual cue, and a motion cue; moreover,

quires that they look for nuance.

when the boys point with it in the final activity, it is a touch cue.

Touch: Boys learn best when they can touch materials. Hands-on activities help boys pay attention

In a unit on ancient Egypt, students make de-

and provide additional information as they manipu-

cade strips to determine their lifespan and to

late things. In many schools, boys are disciplined

construct a timeline. They begin by counting

for handling classroom materials; consequently,

out ten decade strips to make one hundred.

they are denied an instinctive means of learning.

One group glues the strips together into a long

In a school for boys, lessons are designed so that

line, and another group glues the centuries to-

boys interact with materials as they learn about the

gether. Gluing together these very long time-

abstract.

lines gives the boys a physical sense of how long a decade, a century, and even two mil-

In Kindergarten, containers labeled with a let-

lennia are.

ter are filled with little things that begin with the assigned letter. The teacher dumps three

In a second-grade math lesson about poly-

containers and mixes the items and the boys

gons, the teacher reads the story The Greedy

sort them by the letter that begins their name.

Triangle which tells of a triangle who is not

For instance, they place the little lizard and

satisfied with only three sides and consequent-

light bulb in the “L” container and the little

ly seeks out a “shape-shifter.” The students

umbrella and unicorn in the “U” container.

use bendable straws to create various shapes

When watching this lesson, I noticed that each

into which the triangle could metamorphose

boy handled the object as if holding it helped

and finally name their creations: hexagon, oc-

him identify the sound of the letter more de-

tagon, pentagon, etc.

finitively.

Science has an unfair advantage over other disciOne first-grade teacher uses a pointer with

plines because performing experiments is an ap-

a miniature wooden car fastened to the end.

pealing way for boys to learn about the subject. In

When she touches it to the board, the small tap

many schools, experiments are limited or are only

35

demonstrated because teachers do not know how to

As a fifth-grade social studies class learns about

use the energy of boys effectively.

the Mayan people of South America, they play Pok-A-Tok, a traditional Mayan game, which

At The Haverford School, science classes at ev-

historically ended with the losers being sacri-

ery level contain many activities and exercises.

ficed. In this twenty-first century version the

Rarely do the boys sit and take notes for the entire

winners are awarded chocolate instead, none-

class period. Instead, they are often working on

theless still providing the boys with an active

long-term projects or short activities that allow

way to understand Mayan customs.

them to experience concepts within a concrete framework. Their final assessments synthesize

In Middle and Upper School, a rotating sched-

the skills and content of the courses through

ule provides movement throughout the school

such creative projects as building bridges from

day. Classes are student-centered, and it is

popsicle sticks and testing their integrity with a

common to observe a student leading discus-

pneumatic device. The students who won built a

sions or presenting individual research.

bridge that withstood 152 pounds of pressure.

Little boys develop their large muscle groups The common belief is that little boys are very ac-

early, and they enjoy practicing their targeting

tive and cannot sit still. If one observes a coed

skills (directing objects toward targets). At all

classroom, the boys generally look more restless

levels, math and science classes use manipu-

or bored than the girls. In Lower School, the boys

lative exercises that require aiming and read-

are very active and kinesthetic learning reigns. In

justing. For instance, fifth-graders delight in

Middle and Upper School, students are encouraged

building and racing dragster cars as VI Form-

to learn collaboratively. Accordingly, there is a cre-

ers (seniors) revel in building and testing tre-

ative buzz emanating from classrooms throughout

buchets. It is generally the fine motor skills,

Haverford.

however, that need more attention as these develop later. Handwriting, for example, is often

In Junior Kindergarten, all lessons have a

a challenge for boys.

physical component. During the unit on trees, the boys walk around the school campus iden-

In Junior Kindergarten, students use sticks and

tifying different types of conifers. They collect

other objects to shape letters. Cutting out let-

small samples of the different types of trees to

ters with scissors both trains the hand muscle

compare and take back with them to class.

and reinforces the figure of the letter. The final

36

favorite activity is forming letters with their bodies.

One Lower School science teacher, as part of a health unit on coordination, teaches the boys to juggle using water-filled tennis balls. Learning to juggle requires concentrated hand-eye coordination, and the earlier boys start acquiring this skill the better their handwriting will be – as well as their ability to hit a baseball. however some generalizations can be made about In Lower School, students practice handwrit-

their cognitive abilities. The right side of the brain,

ing on individual white boards and on the

where spatial skills are centered, usually develops

classroom board. These different exercises

first in boys; whereas the left side of the brain, where

employ larger muscle groups rather than the

verbal skills are centered, develops first in girls. The

fine ones required for the conventional writing

twenty-month-old girl is likely to have twice the vo-

with pen and paper.

cabulary of a twenty-month-old boy, but the young boy can throw a ball with greater accuracy than can

Throughout the curriculum, art class projects

the young girl. In the primary grades at recess, it is

naturally strengthen boys’ fine and gross mo-

the girls who are chattering and whispering while

tor skills. Projects focus on developing specific

the boys are running, exploring, and shouting terse

manual skills, such as working on the potter’s

exclamations. School is all about verbal skills that

wheel in ceramics; at times projects such as still-

are used to convey ideas and to judge how much a

life drawings from observation are focused on

child has learned. In schools where evaluations are

developing eye-hand coordination. The oppor-

based solely on language skills, boys often struggle

tunities for boys to be physically engaged and

to express their knowledge. In a school for boys,

challenged to develop multiple fine and gross

students are given both nonverbal and verbal assess-

motor skills in their class work is why the visual

ments allowing them a variety of ways to convey

arts classes are so popular in boys’ schools.

their knowledge. At the same time, reading is emphasized so that the boys practice using and read-

Cognitive differences All children develop differently and individually;

ing words in different ways throughout their school day.

37

Verbal strategies: At Haverford in every division,

section in the middle allowing the words to

teachers devote most effort in helping boys develop

be seen through as though the words had been

verbal fluency. If you visit the Dining Hall at lunch,

highlighted.

you will witness the results. Every boy is talking and engaged, and in the Lower School, they are all

In fourth grade, the boys play “vivid verbs,”

talking at once.

a game in which they replace “telling” verbs with “showing” verbs, such as “yell” versus

Every class has time for silent, sustained read-

“tell.”

ing and the boys do not have to sit at their desks for this activity. The boys are allowed to

In library, fourth-grade boys select an author,

lie on the floor, drape themselves across their

research that author, devise three questions

desks, or find any position in which they are

to ask, draft a letter asking the questions, and

comfortable. In some Lower School rooms,

thank the author for reading their letter. After

teachers have developed reading nooks com-

sending the letters, they are often delighted

plete with beanbag chairs or soft pillows. Al-

with the replies.

lowing boys freedom of movement during this reading time respects their individual learning

A Middle School English teacher has the boys

style, improves their focus, and encourages

write a short narrative using the first-person

their pleasure of reading.

singular pronoun only. Then the boys rewrite the same piece using the second-person pro-

In Lower School, teachers disregard the twen-

nouns and once again using only third-per-

tieth-century admonition “Don’t move your

son pronouns. This exercise reveals how the

lips when you read.” In developing language

change in person alters the story.

fluency, many little boys achieve success in subvocalizing the written words. As they be-

In a Middle School English class, each boy in-

come more confident with their reading skills,

vents the first sentence of a story. The teacher

the subvocalization disappears.

writes the sentences on cards and deals them out randomly to the students who continue

In third grade, the class engages in a read-to-

the story with someone else’s sentence or

gether unit in which the boys use special rul-

idea. This creative exercise again exposes the

ers to train their eyes to stay on a single line of

students to different verbal expressions and

print. These rulers have a transparent yellow

viewpoints.

38

One Upper School English teacher gives each

In first grade, each morning begins by add-

pair of boys the same text, which has been

ing a straw to a container. When ten straws

separated into chunks of lines or paragraphs.

accumulate, a bundle of ten straws is placed

They have to reassemble the text. This exercise

in a container to the left of the first. When ten

teaches boys to read carefully and to pay atten-

bundles of ten straws accumulate, a very large

tion to the flow or transitions of the passage.

bundle representing one hundred straws is

One of the hardest verbal tasks boys have is

placed in a container to the left of the second

learning to proofread. This lesson helps boys

one. The boys experience the place value of

discover cues in what is written as they put the

numbers before the teacher formally presents

passage together, and strengthens their ability

the concept.

to identify incoherencies in their own writing.

In second grade, students are given both cenUpper School English classes are primarily

timeter and inch rulers, and they measure all

seminars, and students engage in large and

sorts of objects with both to find length and

small group discussions.

area, investigating various oblong objects, such as playing cards, pattern blocks, and

Spatial strategies: Because boys generally have

small pieces of paper as tiles. Accordingly,

good spatial skills, it works well to begin a les-

the boys have a mental picture of length and

son with some strategy involving pictures, graphs,

area before the teacher begins to teach these

or tables. Using the visual framework to organize

concepts.

the material before moving on to the verbal content helps many boys remember the information.

In Lower School art, students learn to make mono prints of a drawing of the human face by

The Junior Kindergarten cuts out shapes to

creating grooves in a foam plate. The students

make a Santa Claus. They use a triangle for

ink the plate and use a press to make a print

Santa’s hat and another triangle for his face.

of their drawing. Because the plates are dis-

They use a long rectangle for Santa’s belt and

posable, boys can practice with several plates

cotton balls to make a beard. They reinforce

before they get the print they want. The draw-

their knowledge of shapes as they create the

ing on the plate will be backward on the print,

familiar figure and see the individual parts in

and this exercise helps boys practice mentally

a different way.

reversing the orientation of the drawing.

39

A Lower School science teacher has boys

same information two-dimensionally, three-

build robotic hands using a cutout of their

dimensionally, and four-dimensionally (time

hand, straws, string, and vinyl caulk. This task

is included in the living version as the elec-

requires a great deal of troubleshooting; how-

trons move around the nucleus).

ever, the teacher does not provide answers but encourages the student to solve their problem

Middle School math determines the relation-

with the device. Here again, the boys practice

ship between size and diameter of the circle

translating objects into other forms of expres-

using different sized circles that students draw

sions.

with a compass. They cut a piece of yarn the length of a diameter of each circle and then

In Middle School, the boys construct atoms

see how many pieces of yarn can be glued to

three different ways. They draw an atom, they

make the circumference of that circle. Finally,

build one using a marble board, and they work

each group of six boys is given a real pie and

with classmates to act out how an atom looks

must figure out how to divide it evenly before

and functions. Therefore, they express the

eating the pie.

40

An Upper School English teacher projects a

A lesson on the United States Constitution in

sonnet on the board and asks boys to find the

a fourth-grade class has the boys divided into

pattern of the rhyming words. Then they high-

four hypothetical states. Each “state” has to

light groups of words that rhyme with each

produce its own laws, symbols, and industries.

other using different colors, delineating the

Then the “states” meet to form a country, and

quatrains and final couplet. This visual pars-

they discover the need for a federal system.

ing helps students appreciate poetic form and

The boys elect representatives to head various

structure.

federal committees composed of four boys, one from each “state.” These committees then

Learning styles

examine parts of the Constitution to see how

Verbal skills involve material that is read, auditory

this document affects them personally. The

skills involve material that is heard, kinesthetic skills

boys actually experience the formation of a

involve material that is manipulated, and iconic

governmental system.

skills involve material that is presented as pictures, charts, or graphics. In general, boys learn best when

In fifth-grade social studies, students make a

a lesson requires kinesthetic or iconic skills. Edu-

timeline of the three empires that controlled

cation’s bias towards verbal and auditory skills cre-

Mesopotamia, and then they outline each of

ates problems for many boys, for they are still more

the empires on a map. They complete a chart

comfortable with moving and visualizing.

indicating reasons that living in a particular region was an advantage or a disadvantage. In

In introducing a research project, a third-grade

pairs, they list the achievements of the three

teacher has each boy write a report on a famous

empires. This exercise requires kinesthetic and

woman and on what makes their own mother

iconic skills to acquire verbal information.

famous. A poster outlines the research process, guiding the boys through the steps. One

In fifth grade, boys learn the art of parsing sen-

result is a “book” made of a number of 3 x 5

tences. They label all of the parts of speech and

index cards clipped together with “O” rings,

identify clauses and phrases, as well as types of

which asserts four facts that make their mother

sentences. This exercise examines the “mechan-

famous. Other products are an oral report on

ics” of the sentence in a more logical and struc-

their chosen famous woman and a drawing of

tured way than diagramming. It has the chal-

their mother. This project combines kinesthetic

lenge and lure of a puzzle but at the same time

activities to produce a verbal product.

helps them to read and write more precisely.

41

In Upper School history, students have a number

ments, cross-examinations by both the panel

of experiential activities that also serve as assess-

of judges and the other teams, and a closing

ments:

argument. The boys compete intensely for the ruling by the judges of being deemed the

For the III Form (freshmen) Archeological

country least guilty of causing the war.

Project, the boys work in two-man teams to research and identify a real artifact from a re-

The capstone activity of the study of V Form

gion of the world. They compete to produce

(juniors) American history is the Madison

the most accurate presentation of what the

Meetings. The boys are divided into pro and

artifact is, who used it and for what purpose,

con teams for researching and debating im-

when it was made, and where it is from. An

portant United States government polices.

archeologist from the University of Pennsyl-

They are structured to simulate what might

vania judges their findings.

have occurred during the Madison administration. Sample topics for 2008 were (1) The U.S.

The III Form (freshmen) also participates in the

government should end the subsidies for corn,

Jerusalem Trials. Building on what they have

(2) the U.S. government should withdraw all

learned about Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and

combat forces from Iraq within one year, and

the history of the region, boys work as teams

(3) the U.S. government should prohibit the

(consisting of Israel, Palestine, the United States,

use of torture on suspected terrorists. Follow-

and the United Nations) to debate who should

ing extended research, the teams spend one

rule Jerusalem today. The boys simulate an in-

day in debate as an alternate form of assess-

ternational forum where the interested parties

ment for their second-semester exam.

attempt to resolve a vital issue.

Emotional differences The major experiential activity in the IV

Recent research on the developing brain asserts the

Form (sophomores) is the World War I Trials.

likelihood that two parts of the brain involved with

Three-man teams represent the major Euro-

memory and emotion develop at different rates in

pean combatants in the Great War. The World

males and females. One of these is the hippocam-

Court has charged each country team with

pus, a component long understood to be responsible

having caused World War I. After extended re-

for turning short-term memories into long-term

search, the teams appear before the Court for

memories. Connected to the verbal center, it devel-

a week of trials, which include opening argu-

ops earlier in girls than in boys. The other part is

42

amygdala, which is now thought to play a role in the formation of emotions. This portion of the brain is not connected to the verbal center and develops earlier in boys. The realization of these two different developmental patterns explains why young girls are able to talk more readily about what excites or frightens them, and why young boys find verbalizing their emotions more difficult.

Through stories, modeling, and role play, Kindergarten teachers teach the boys to use the “I message” as a way to resolve conflict. Rather then blaming others, they learn to express their feelings by saying “I don’t like it when

allows the boys with white shirts to sit but insists

you cut in front of me” or “It makes me sad

that those with shirts of other colors must stand.

when you won’t let me play a game.”

The boys object throughout this exercise until the teacher points out that they have just taken

In first grade, boys gather on the rug first thing

part in a lesson on segregation. Finally, the boys

in the morning to talk about their day. The per-

talk about how it feels to be denied privileges

son of the week selects the method that the

just because of the color of one’s shirt.

class will use to greet each other, such as high fives, shaking hands, or creating a “wave.”

Fifth-grade computer science students study a

This exercise is designed to foster a sense of

book called The Courage Zone. The teacher

community and respect.

provides a graphic that shows the boys how to move from their comfort zone to the cour-

As part of a unit on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a

age zone. They write stories about their expe-

second-grade teacher tells her class going to re-

riences in reaching their own courage zone.

cess that the boys wearing white shirts will line

The boys create first drafts on the computer,

up first and boys wearing other colored shirts

and the teacher helps them revise to produce a

will line up behind the boys in white shirts. Af-

final version. Boys find it easier to write about

ter recess, the boys with white shirts are allowed

their emotions before they read their stories to the class.

to get drinks of water first. In class, the teacher

43

In Lower School, boys often work in groups

masculine identity. Haverford has a good number of

to strengthen their social and verbal skills as

male teachers, and they serve as healthy models for

they learn to express themselves in many dif-

the boys. Both male and female teachers appropri-

ferent ways.

ately use the curriculum to encourage the boys to think about what it means to be a man.

A Middle School English teacher asks her students to read a short narrative and distinguish

In an Upper School lesson on Hamlet, the

the difference between the narrator and the

teacher asks the boys to see the main charac-

author. The boys must decide who owns the

ter from different perspectives. Is he a pirate

emotions – the narrator or the author. If the

or a commando? How is Hamlet different if

character is scared, the narrator has the emo-

played by Russell Crowe or Johnny Depp?

tions; if the passage describes a scary situaIn a close reading of The Autobiography of-

tion, the author has the emotions.

Benjamin Franklin, the boys compare Franklin A Middle School English class studying The

to modern politicians and examine Franklin’s

Masque of the Red Death considers the power

morals and ethics. The boys are fascinated to

of masks and the perils of Halloween for very

learn that one of our country’s founding fa-

little children. Why are masks so scary? This

thers was not always a shining example of eth-

discussion about emotions encourages the

ics and morality, but at the same time, a man

boys to talk easily about feelings they often do

of amazing creativity, energy, and purpose.

not articulate.

In Middle and Upper School, teachers use peer review as a way to help boys learn to edit and review their work. This technique requires

Many boys find it difficult to learn historical details but have no trouble learning a vast number of facts about favorite sports figures. Haverford teachers engage their students through humor and interesting material.

good communication skills from both the re-

A fifth-grade science class studies volcanoes,

viewer and the student being reviewed. The

and their explosive properties raise interest

collaborative strategy helps the boys share

immediately. The boys are asked to name ten

ideas and emotions.

volcanoes that can be presently active or long dead, then they are directed to double-check

One essential difference between a coed school and

their answers on a Web site that happily in-

a school for boys is the emphasis on developing a

cludes clips of erupting volcanoes.

44

A Middle School Latin teacher shows boys

The resulting precipitates were very colorful

the chariot race scene from Ben Hur. The boys

and delighted the boys.

use their Latin to identify objects and events in the scene that they have studied. The boys

In an Upper School history class, after dis-

have no trouble naming the parts of the fight-

cussing Martin Luther’s nailing his ninety-five

er’s armor.

theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, the teacher gives the students an article

In a Middle School English class, the teacher

from an e-zine reporting on a man who had

introduces personal pronouns by playing the

nailed ninety-five comment cards to the door

comic routine “Who’s on First?” The boys

of a chain restaurant in protest of what he saw

have copies of the script so they can pay close

as the falling standards of the food at the res-

attention to what is said. After much amuse-

taurant.

ment, the teacher draws a diagram of a baseball field and the boys label the positions with

Discipline: Another factor in sexual differences in

the appropriate pronouns.

emotional development is the recent finding that males and females do not always respond to fear

The Middle School drama teacher teaches the

and excitement in the same way. It has long been

boys about lazzis – comic bits that are usually

known that when stressed, males respond with “fight

sight gags. She has them view a scene from

or flight.” Their blood floods into their muscles and

the movie The Princess Bride and asks them

brain, their heart and breathing rates increase, their

to identify as many lazzis as they can.

pupils dilate, their blood sugar level rises – all in an attempt to prepare to fight the perceived threat or

In Upper School English, students read and

run from it. Some girls, on the other hand, do not

comment on their writing and lead discussion

produce this response to stress, but go into what has

on assigned parts of the text. This active learn-

been termed “tend and befriend.” This physical re-

ing encourages the boys to take ownership and

sponse is the opposite of the male response and the

increases their interest.

female’s blood goes to the center of her body, her heart rate slows down, and she is unable to move

An Upper School science teacher asks stu-

quickly. For boys, stress can help the educational

dents to predict whether or not a reaction will

process; whereas for girls, stress can make learning

occur if two solutions are mixed together. Will

more difficult.

a precipitate form after mixing the chemicals?

45

In fifth-grade math, boys work standing at the

the blocks – he counts five. She asks the boy

board, a public forum that may cause a little

how many people are allowed to play with the

bit of stress. They each have their own spot at

blocks at one time. He responds “four” and she

the board and know exactly where to go. They

nods saying he will have to play with some-

do the practice problem, circle their answer,

thing else until someone leaves the blocks.

and step aside. If it is correct, they erase their

The boy participated in invoking the rule and

work and receive a star. If they have trouble,

understood clearly what he should do.

the teacher works with the student. When a boy accumulates three stars, he may sit down.

In several Lower School classes, the boys

The boys who finish early help their neigh-

work with their teacher to develop rules for

bor who may be having more trouble with the

the class. In one class, the list has a closing

problem.

statement: “The goals and expectations were thought of, written by, and approved by the

In a Middle School Spanish class, boys stand

students in this homeroom.” All of the boys

up to deliver their report on a Spanish-speak-

and the teacher signed the list in contractual

ing country. They prepared posters of their in-

agreement. There can be no excuse in this

formation and the class is encouraged to ask

class that a student did not know the rules.

questions of the student. Only one report is given per day to avoid monotony.

In 2003, after several years of character education and discussion, the Upper School stu-

In their attempt not to frighten young children,

dents wrote their own Honor Code – one based

teachers may not be very direct or straightforward

on respect, honesty, and courage – which they

when administering disciplinary correction. While

reaffirm every year by a whole school signing.

this approach works well with girls, boys may not

The Honor Council, an elected student group,

believe that a teacher is serious if the disciplinary

interprets and enforces the code. In particular,

approach is not firm and sticks to the rules.

they educate the Lower, Middle, and Upper School student body about issues of charac-

In a Junior Kindergarten class, one boy fights

ter and honor, adjudicate cases of honor in-

with others for the use of building blocks. The

fractions, and make recommendations to the

teacher moves to his side and asks the boy to

Headmaster.

count out how many boys are playing with

46

At every level in the School, teachers discipline

Throughout the school, teachers are very pa-

as if the boy simply needs to be reminded of

tient with boys who blurt out answers. In Up-

expected behavior. The assumption is that he

per School, one teacher said to an impulsive

is not bad, just making bad decisions. Since

student, “Thank you for volunteering, but the

2004, Haverford has partnered with the Deci-

question was for Mr. Smith.�

sion Education Foundation in order to teach good decision-making skills to faculty, staff,

An Upper School Latin teacher uses computer

and students. A central component of the pro-

software for his grade book and allows the boys

gram is to help students understand power and

access to their grades. Many boys will look at

responsibility as they exercise decision skills.

their last grade in a class as an indication of how they are doing rather than at all the grades together. Using the computer grade book helps

New research has indicated that there is a reason that

the boys to see the total picture and figure out

boys are impulsive. The part of the brain respon-

what they need to do to improve. They can see

sible for making reasoned decisions and controlling

clearly and quickly the effect that effort has on

impulses is contained in the prefrontal lobes. That

their total grade in the class.

part of the brain is the last to develop and research is indicating that in boys, that portion of the brain develops late; in some individuals, not until the person is twenty-five years old or older.

In a Kindergarten class, the last boy to answer selects the next boy to be questioned. The boys are very respectful of that process and as a consequence, learn to control their impulse to blurt out the answer.

A Middle School history teacher gives openbook, open-note quizzes as a binder check.

This tactic provides short-term reinforcement of homework and notetaking.

47

Competition

These are just snapshots of what happens in Haver-

It is well-known that males are very competitive and

ford School classrooms. Teachers and students

in a single-sex school that competitive spirit can be

judge everything that happens in the classrooms for

used to motivate the students.

effectiveness. The experienced teachers are constantly finding new and different ways to present

At Haverford, the boys are divided into two

their lessons, and the boys are clearly excited to be

teams, the maroons and the golds, and those

in the classroom.

teams are used in intramural competitions throughout the school. This competition is

Teaching boys well requires understanding how

always good-natured and on Haverford/EA

boys develop and discovering what matters to them.

Day, they unite, coming together to face the

A good school will foster the excitement a first-

common foe.

grade boy has at discovering how something works, and the same boy will be just as excited as a VI For-

Most of the history teachers use war and con-

mer (senior) even if the subject under study is how

flicts as a way to focus the boys on the par-

a sentence works. Boys love to learn and they know

ticular time period being studied. One teacher

how powerful knowledge can be. Boys need school

assigns groups to report on a different war

environments, such as Haverford, in which they can

during Louis IV’s reign. The boys clearly en-

thrive and become lifelong learners.

joy exploring these conflicts and compete with each other to discover the most skilled at research and rhetorical argument.

Math teachers at all levels use games and competitions as part of their curricula and as rewards for work well done.

An Upper School science teacher gives each team a complicated question to work on together before a test. That question will be on the test and figuring out the answer gives that team an advantage on that question.

48

Lower School Lessons

49

“I can say with confidence that we continue to head in the right direction as a beacon of leadership in boys’ education.”

- Todd Wolov ’88

50

LOWER SCHOOL LESSONS Todd Wolov ’88 In the winter of 1978, I visited The Haverford School for the first time. I was a scared secondgrader, overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of the stone and brick buildings of Wilson and Van Pelt Halls. What awaited me inside Van Pelt was both terrifying and wondrous. The place was teeming with energy and boys. Even in those days, when teachers were considered more strict, the students exuded confidence, a passion for learning, and a kinetic energy that had been foreign to me up to this point. As I sat in Mr. Boyer’s science class (a male teacher, unheard of in elementary school) and did hands-on experiments with magnets in a “real” lab, I knew I was hooked. Alas, later that same day

room that had once belonged to a teaching titan of

in math class I was called upon to answer a multi-

the Lower School, Mr. Charles Boning. As I went

plication problem. Unfortunately, I had never seen

about learning my craft as a new teacher, I felt like

multiplication before, so predictably I answered in-

an imposter in Mr. Boning’s room. How dare I try to

correctly, which led to a round of laughter and my

fill the shoes of this venerable master and influence

shedding tears. However, despite this ignoble be-

young hearts and minds like he did? There were

ginning I instinctively knew that as a boy who loved

moments of psychic dissonance, as I flashed back

both sports and reading, Haverford was the place

to times when I was the twelve-year-old sitting in

for me. So began my more than two-decade-long

class.

relationship with Haverford as a student, teacher, coach, and parent.

Mr. Boning was a sixth-grade math teacher, a World War II Navy veteran, and a firm discipli-

Upon coming back to Haverford to teach fifth-grade

narian. Needless to say, every Lower School boy

social studies in the fall of 1996, I was assigned the

was intimidated by him. However, we also all held

51

a healthy respect for Mr. Boning and his teaching prowess, and we viewed him as a rite of passage into the Middle School. Despite our trepidation about his iron grip, which he used to focus our attention, we were secretly thrilled to have Mr. Boning – the world’s toughest teacher. Whenever my friends and I discuss the Lower School, Mr. Boning is always the first name that comes up. He is fondly remembered as a demanding teacher who helped to mold the minds and character of twelve-year-old boys. Many of us laugh at the iron grip, a technique that would now be considered taboo – and rightfully so. However, each and every one of us agrees that

The first years of teaching are akin to trying to fol-

we were better kids, math students, and now adults

low a path through a dark forest with just a match to

because of Charles Boning’s influence.

light the way. The attrition rate of beginning teachers everywhere is astronomical, and during my first

I remember how my classmates and I would try to

two years there were times I felt I made a mistake

distract Mr. Boning from the math lesson by ask-

by not attending law school. However, Haverford

ing him questions about his war experiences. Many

has a wonderful support system of colleagues, and

times he would comply by launching into long sto-

as an alumnus there were still many of my former

ries about his experiences in the Navy. At the time

teachers who could mentor me as I began my teach-

it served as a diversion, but interestingly, years later

ing career. The first person I sought out for help and

it is these war stories and his personal experiences

guidance was Mr. Michael Cunningham.

that I remember, and not the math that he taught.

Mr. Boning knew that his life stories could serve as

Mr. Cunningham was the center of my universe for

a catalyst in the classroom for his charges. He was

two of the most difficult years in any adolescent

one of my first teachers to really share of himself on

boys’ life, seventh and eighth grade. For two years

a personal level. He knew he was making important

he taught me English and coached me in Middle

connections, and to this day I thank him for giving

School football and basketball. He made such a

so freely of what was sacred and personal. It is also

huge impact on me because of his good-natured

a lesson that I try to remember and take to heart as

personality. He was the type of teacher who made

a teacher of boys.

me feel comfortable and secure. I remember him as

52

a teacher who students could joke around with, but no one would take it too far or disrespect him. It was not out of fear, but rather because we did not want to disappoint him. This situation is rarely the case in Middle School. Mr. Cunningham was also one of my first teachers whom I considered both a scholar and an athlete. Having played football at Princeton, he could easily talk both sports and literature. I vividly recall him teaching the finer points of a Wing T sweep and sharing his opinions of American hero Atticus Finch, with the same amount of passion.

What a valuable role model for early teenage boys!

Mr. Cunningham went out of his way to get to know each of his students personally, and to make them feel valued, loved, and respected. He knew that boys were crying out to connect on an emotional level, and whether it be through sports or books, he was able to foster that much needed connection.

In the beginning of my career Mike and I had

The list of Haverford teachers who touched me and

many conversations about the art of teaching. Just

shaped my future is exhaustive. When I reflect on

like when I was a student, he asked me to work

those who inspired me as a student and now as a

hard and to trust myself. Yet again, I found my-

teacher, many great Haverford teachers come to

self inspired by his ability to connect on a personal

mind. Mr. Tom Worth taught the art of storytell-

level. Many years later I have learned the lesson of

ing, and mesmerized his sixth-graders while study-

connecting with boys personally and emotionally.

ing The Trojan War and Treasure Island. He had

Making them feel valued, loved, and respected is

an ever-present smile and larger-than-life persona,

essential to the art of teaching boys. I was lucky to

which were both always on display in his classroom.

have such a role model as a student and a mentor

Another influential teacher was Mr. Donald Brown-

as a young teacher. As I continue my work here,

low, who personified living history. VI Formers (se-

I hope that I am living up to Mr. Cunningham’s

niors) who were lucky enough to have Mr. Brown-

standards and legacy.

low quickly realized his passion and dedication to

53

They knew, by both instinct and experience, that being great went beyond knowing their subjects. To these teachers, and fortunately for their students, being great in the classroom meant knowing their kids. It meant knowing how to motivate, cajole, and comfort when necessary. The common thread that links every one of these sage masters was their ability to connect intimately with the educational, soscholarship and the material that he taught. My trip

cial, and emotional lives of boys.

to Europe with “Brownie” after my senior year was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and motivated me

As a teacher and current parent, I am reminded dai-

to become a history major in college. Mr. Brownlow

ly of the challenges that face our boys today. How-

was always gracious enough to come down to my

ever, watching my colleagues and friends work here

fourth-grade class once a year and share some of

has heartened and inspired me.

his time and treasures. Finally, there is Mr. Edward Hallowell, who tried in vain to teach me to write a

My three young sons have all had remarkable teach-

thesis statement and an expository essay. His les-

ers who have overseen their emotional and academ-

sons during III Form (freshman) English about the

ic growth. Despite the dramatic differences in my

“loss of innocence” are etched into my memory. I

boys’ personalities, all three have thrived due to

fondly recall them as I am teaching versions of this

the diligence and care of their teachers. They have

theme in many of the books in my own curriculum.

been treated and respected as individuals, and their

I am very lucky to have been taught by these masters, and I try to emulate many of the characteristics that forged their teaching.

It is apparent that these men all understood the art of teaching boys. Every one of these dedicated professionals made it their life’s calling to educate boys.

Charismatic figures in the classroom, they had an intimate knowledge of their subject matter. More importantly, though, each and every one of these men built personal relationships with their students.

54

and added many wonderful programs. However, one of the biggest and most important changes has been our dedication to the science of boys’ education.

Even as the experts decry the nationwide crises in boys’ education, there has been a decade’s worth of research into the best methods of educating boys.

At Haverford, we have embraced these methods and incorporated them into all aspects of our curriculum. We are a leaders in the education of boys not only because we understand and incorporate the art of our mission, but also the science behind it.

The 125th anniversary of The Haverford School is a perfect opportunity to take stock of where we have come from and where we are going. I can say with confidence that we continue to head in the right direction as a beacon of leadership in boys’ educateachers have gone to great lengths to foster an in-

tion. Now not only are we guided by inspiration and

tellectual spark and a social consciousness. Despite

intuition, but by intention as well. As you read the

changes in curriculum and methodologies over the

following lesson plans, you will be struck by how

years, one thing that remains constant is that these

often our teachers have built both aspects into their

teachers understand the art of connecting to and

teaching. While reading about the different modali-

teaching boys.

ties and techniques used in teaching boys, you will see the personal and meaningful connections that

The Haverford School has made many improve-

teachers make with their students. On our 125th

ments throughout my tenure here. The physical

birthday, we impart these lessons as a gift to inspire,

transformation and revitalization of the campus has

entertain, and teach anyone who holds a stake in the

been nothing short of miraculous. As I gaze out my

future of boys.

window from the Lower School, I see the new stateof-the-art Upper School. The students here are truly blessed to be able to take advantage of our facilities.

We have made important changes in the curriculum

55

King of the Mountain Lower School Music

mic elements that they are currently studying in their curriculum. The students are also given a card with their ranking in our “kingdom.” The boys sit

Objective: This lesson reviews

in a circle, ranked from King all the way down the

the rhythmic elements we are

societal ladder to the Royal Guard in charge of the

studying in class. The students

Royal Prisoner, who holds the Royal Bucket, which

will aurally recognize four-

is filled with the last and least in the kingdom, the

beat rhythms and play them on

Royal Pond Scum. Throughout the year each boy

rhythm sticks.

will be given an opportunity to be the King.

Valerie Case

The King always starts the game. First the King

Narrative: King of the Mountain is a game used

plays his rhythm on his rhythm sticks. Immediately

to review rhythmic elements for the boys in first

following his rhythm, he plays, without missing a

through third grade. Each student is given rhythm

beat, someone else’s rhythm in the circle. The per-

sticks and a four-beat measure made up of rhyth-

son whose rhythm was performed then plays their

56

own rhythm and someone else’s rhythm until a mis-

down. Some boys are so accomplished that they can

take is made. A boy is out when he either plays a

look at one boy while playing another’s rhythm.

rhythm incorrectly or does not realize his rhythm

King of the Mountain gets to the heart of our boys’

was performed. The boys may not play a rhythm of

competitive spirits, while being tempered by an

a student seated next to him. Also, a student may

ever-present focus on good sportsmanship. The

not choose the same classmate’s rhythm and repeat

playful nature of “royal assignments” even makes

them to the same people over and over. We call this

getting “out” fun for the boys. Everyone experienc-

last error “ping-ponging.” If a student makes one

es failure and success in a comfortable, supportive

of these errors, they instantly become “Royal Pond

environment.

Scum.” They must take their rhythm sticks to the card and rhythm of “Royal Pond Scum,” and the

Valerie Case has been teaching for sixteen years.

other students can then move up in their rankings in

She joined The Haverford School faculty in 2000.

the kingdom.

Reflection: The boys’ imaginations are sparked by this rhythm game. They enjoy determining who has a particular “role” such as that of the Royal Chihuahua or the role of the Royal Food Taster. During the game, one can hear a pin drop, except, of course, for the rhythm being played. Each student is actively engaged in order to determine if their rhythm has been played. The boys also want to figure out whose rhythm has been played because they have a vested interest in another’s error. One mistake can affect everyone’s rank in the kingdom.

Since the students are seated in a circle, and their rhythm is facing each individual boy, they literally are reading rhythms backward, forward, and upside

57

Making Snow in Junior Kindergarten Lower School Science

Objective: The purpose of this lesson is to teach students how snow is formed in the atmosphere. The students will discover how a model can replicate

Bill Palmer

the entity we are studying.

Narrative: As soon as the weather turns colder (and the classroom teachers are studying the letter “S”), I buy dry ice and use it in my Water Cycle Model to teach about the water cycle and how snow is made.

Asking specifically directed questions, I discuss with the boys their concept of snow and the water

cycle. I inform them that they are going to discover how water gets into the clouds and how it changes to snow. If all goes well, we’ll make it snow in my room, (even on their heads).

I take the boys over to the Water Cycle Model and load in some dry ice to make my cloud very cold like “real clouds.” This also gives me the opportunity to talk about models. Then I pour hot water over the model and put on the cover. I ask the boys to go to their seats to discover what happens to water when it warms up. I place a few drops of water in front of each boy on their desks, and I tell them to rub the water with their hands as fast as they can. Soon

58

the water is gone from the table, (which brings up

the water. They then go back to the experiment table

more questions), and I get explanations such as “It

where they see, feel, touch, and taste the snow. Af-

disappeared” or “I rubbed it into the table.” After

terward, we go to the rug for reflections. This con-

explaining the process of evaporation, we go back

stant movement seems to keep the boys engaged,

to the model, uncover it, and expose the ice crystals

as if pumping the blood back up to the brain keeps

on the underside of the cloud chamber. While hold-

it stimulated and focused. I have also discovered

ing it above the boys’ heads, I scrape off the ice

during my twenty-six years teaching boys at The

crystals and let the “snow” fall on their hands, heads

Haverford School that the more senses I involve in

and tongues.

my teaching, the more sense it makes to the boys.

More often than not, these pathways to the boys’

Reflection: This lesson works well with boys for

brains seem to be more developed than the auditory

many reasons. Boys like the adventure of discover-

ones. Using an abundance of movement, multiple

ing as well as physical movements of any kind. This

senses, and the boys’ own search for adventure,

lesson is full of both. The boys report to my rug to

keeps the boys stimulated and focused until the very

gather, move to the experiment table, and relocate

end.

to their own tables. At their tables they rub “as hard as they can” to create enough friction to evaporate

Bill Palmer has been teaching for twenty-six years.

He joined The Haverford School faculty in 1982.

59

Integrating Math and Service Learning

cally bring their cereal to the classroom. Our class covers a large cardboard box with paper and the

Kindergarten

boys decorate the box with seasonal artwork. The boys then estimate the total number of cereal boxes collected.

Objective: Students will be able to look at a classroom graph and

Pat Renehan

“read” it. The students will be able

There are five brands of cereal: Cheerios, Corn

to identify how many boxes we

Flakes, Life, Rice Krispies, and “other.” The class

collect and, which type of cereal

sorts the cereals into groups according to brand.

had the most and least amounts.

When they finish sorting, they count the number of

The students will be aware that

boxes in each brand. The totals of the five brands

graphs tell “stories.”

are added to reach the final tally.

Narrative: As part of the December service learn-

The boys transition to their tables to work on a

ing project, three classes of kindergarten students

classroom graph. A large graph is used as a visual

buy (preferably with money they earned or saved)

aid to record the number of cereal boxes. Before

large boxes of cereal for the Chosen 300 Shelter.

recording data, the boys review the numbers on the

For a period of two weeks, the children enthusiasti-

left hand side of the graph. We then identify the

60

Reflection: Boys do well in Kindergarten when the core of the lesson mimics their life experience. This particular lesson is contingent upon the boys collecting cereal. Differentiation is incorporated into this lesson by asking higher level questions to boys who need a challenge. For example, when we count sixteen boxes of cereal, students are asked how many tens and ones are in the number sixteen. This lesson is multisensory – it is visual, tactile, auditory, verbal, and kinesthetic. Boys need to move, and accommodations for movement are made by transitioning within the lesson. This lesson incorporates connectedness with the greater community, and it gives young boys a sense of purpose. It reinforces The Haverford School’s strong emphasis on service learning. brands at the top of the graph. As a class we input the data on the graph. We count each type again and

Pat Renehan has been teaching for

fill in the appropriate boxes on the large graph.

twenty years. She joined The Haverford School faculty in 1997.

Each child then fills in his own individual graph.

We regroup on the floor around the large classroom graph. Students analyze the data on the graph and tell a “story” about our cereal collection. Students survey their peers on their favorite brand of cereal and fill in the data. To culminate their December project, the boys view a slideshow given by the Director of the Chosen 300 Shelter.

61

Postcards

ries in postcard format. I introduce the book about two friends, one of whom decides to go off and see

First Grade

Jane Manns

the world. He then shares his adventures with his

Objective: After listening to the

friend at home, who enjoys his less adventurous

book Toot and Puddle by Hol-

life, but misses the companionship of his friend.

lie Hobbie, and participating in

Postcards provide the means of communication. I

class discussions, the students

bring in some postcards of my own and discuss the

will be able to visualize a past

travels of my friends, and the enjoyment I derive

vacation and write a facsimile of

from hearing of their adventures.

a postcard about their vacation to a friend or family member.

Each boy is anxious to share a travel story of his own. Since first-grade boys love to talk to each oth-

Narrative: Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie pro-

er, I divide them into small discussion groups with

vides us with an excellent tool for a lesson, which

clear guidelines as to how they can discuss their

focuses on reflecting and sharing vacation memo-

personal experiences. After their initial dialogue, I

62

provide each group with a 3’x 3’ piece of paper. I direct them to make a group plan to use words and illustrations to share their travel experiences with their classmates. Each group works to develop their poster. We reconvene as a class, so that each group can share the results and present their group poster.

The following day, we review the story and the boys are given opportunities to discuss their favorite parts of the story. Once again, we talk about the fun of writing and receiving postcards. I give each boy a white manila card, with a line drawn down

As we share the final product, we discuss the limit-

the middle. The boys initially visualize their favor-

less possibilities of writing real postcards and send-

ite vacation and some of the activities they enjoy.

ing them during vacation to friends and family.

They then illustrate the front of their postcards. Af-

Reflection: This lesson works well for the boys be-

ter flipping them over, I model on the whiteboard

cause it incorporates a variety of activities: listen-

the way an address is written on a postcard and the

ing to a “read aloud,” class discussion, group work,

boys proceed to address their card and write the

and individual work. Each boy has an opportunity

message. Each boy receives a square sticker resem-

to express himself verbally, as well as in writing and

bling a stamp to place on his card.

drawing. The boys are able to present their poster to the class and answer questions from their classmates. Boys like to assume a place in the “spotlight” and the opportunity to address the class as a leader is always a treat. The follow-up activity allows each boy to personalize the lesson through visualization and the creation of a real postcard. Hopefully, a “seed” is planted that encourages writing during the summer.

Jane Manns has been teaching for thirty-five years.

She joined The Haverford School faculty in 1984.

63

Making Words First Grade

Objective: This lesson increases the students’ phonemic awareness and letter sound recognition, which helps to increase the students’ word recognition and vocabulary.

Cheryl Saunders Narrative: Entering first grade is a huge transition for most boys. At this stage, students are eager to learn to read. Teachers are excited to work with their students to help them become good readers.

My objective is to create an environment where learning new ideas and concepts are enjoyable, fun, and exciting.

During this early stage of development, children don’t all learn the same way or at the same pace.

Recognizing this fact, it is vital to provide instruction that is multileveled and systematic. Therefore, I find the Four Blocks Literacy Model of reading and writing to be a balanced way of meeting my students’ needs.

Working with words is one of the components that my students enjoy the most. I engage the boys in an activity called “Making Words.” This multilevel, multisensory activity is an active, exciting, high-energy technique that provides hands-on learning for the students.

64

Each student receives five to eight letters, which in-

their ability to make new and challenging

clude one vowel. These letters can make eight to ten words. The final word in the activity uses all of

words. The boys readily welcome each challenge presented to them.

the letters to make one big word, which we call the secret word. As the students’ vocabulary increases,

Reflection: “Making Words� addresses the needs

the number of letters given to the students also in-

of all of the students wherever they are develop-

creases over time.

mentally in their learning. Students love this activity because it is hands-on, and they look forward to

Since research has shown the brain to be a pattern

manipulating the various letters to form new words.

detector, it is no surprise that students readily look

For the boys, it is like playing a game because it is

for patterns in words. They quickly recognize how

so interactive. At the same time, making words al-

changing one letter can change the entire word in

lows everyone to experience success!

this activity.

The students participate in this activity for fifteen to

Cheryl Saunders has been teaching for thirty years.

twenty minutes each week. They are excited about

She joined The Haverford School faculty in 1999.

65

Story Sticks: Lessons from Zimbabwe A Collaborative Second-Grade Project

Narrative: This cross-curricular project’s inspiration comes from a wood carver in Zimbabwe, Rainos Towanameso, and the story-telling walking sticks that he creates. His most famous work, the Nyaminyami stick, portrays beautifully carved images related to the struggle of a culture tragically impacted by an erected dam. Initially the lesson focuses on the effects of the construction of the Kariba Dam – loss of life and livelihood of the Batonga people and the destruction of the ecosystem surrounding the site of the dam.

Lower School Computers Mondo Murage

Lower School Art Jenny Waring

An authentic Nyaminyami stick is shared with the boys after reading the historic tale. The boys relish listening to the tale and inspecting the impressive

Objective: To create and reinforce writing skills

walking stick, but they are usually anxious to begin

and to engage students directly in the African art of

writing their own stories. The boys then embark on

carving story sticks.

a six-week creative writing journey.

66

Students construct walking sticks in art class. Using their stories as inspiration, the young artists make newspaper/masking tape forms that represent main characters and objects of importance within their stories. They mount these representations on a wooden stick and then embellish with papier-mâché. After completing their sticks, the boys share both their colorful walking sticks and their written stories.

Students take pride in the stories that they conjure, and their walking sticks function as representations of objects and characters contained within the tales.

Current research on boys and writing suggests that “boys write to give information; they like to write

Reflection: There are several reasons why this les-

stories that have meaning, humor, and intention”

son works so well with boys. It requires their fo-

(Ralph Fletcher).

cused presence, openness to sharing and receiving experiences, and a willingness to invest in an in-

All of the students’ learning styles are challenged

tentional, creative community. According to Parker

throughout the writing and creative process. Each

Palmer, just as learning has the most impact when

imaginative step is self-initiated – though the idea

the above qualities are present, teaching is most

comes from outside, the product and the sense of

purposeful when “it comes from the identity and

discovery come from within.

integrity of the teacher.”

Mondo Murage has been teaching for sixteen years.

She joined The Haverford School faculty in 2000.

Jenny Waring has been teaching for nineteen years.

She joined The Haverford School faculty in 1996.

67

Decision Education: Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims Third Grade Objective:

Combine

What is a good decision? We consistently review the words “stop,” “think,” and “decide,” in both academic and social areas of the school day.

Deci-

sion Education, comprehension skills, and an understanding of the words prejudice, stereotyping, and equality while reading Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims.

Kate Thorburn

What is a decision? How do we make a decision?

I want to help give the boys the tools necessary to make mean-

ingful decisions both academically and socially.

Narrative: What constitutes a good decision? Boys often make impulsive decisions that have a direct impact on their social behavior and academic abilities. My goal is to educate each third-grade boy on

We study the vocabulary words prejudice, equality, and stereotyping, and we discuss the boys’ prior knowledge of these words. Then, we transition to the book The Other Side, stopping as the boys recognize situations that connect to their new vocabulary. Our class discussions reflect on The Other Side. I pose the question: Did the judgmental characters in the book make a good decision?

When I introduce the book Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims, we examine the book’s front and back covers, table of contents, and pictures. We read chapter one aloud as a class. I explain how to identify the

decision making. I feel decision making must be woven into daily classroom conversations and highlighted in literature by understanding characters’ traits, in mathematics by problem solving, and in history where decision making has determined the survival of civilizations for centuries.

Studying decision making at this stage of a boy’s development is unique. By educating boys at The Haverford School early in life, my goal is for them to form a solid foundation for better decision making that will be essential as they grow older and the decisions become more complicated.

68

most meaningful decision made in the chapter and

Reflection: There is ongoing assessment each day. I

how to identify which character makes the decision.

evaluate group behavior, group discussions, choice

Next, on a traced leaf, we write the chapter number

of decision, sentence structure on their leaves, and

followed by the most important decision. Then, the

their oral presentations.

students explain in writing why this decision was chosen, and if they agree or disagree with the char-

The boys learn two very important life skills

acter’s decision. Once the leaf is finished, the boys

throughout this project, decision making and com-

present their decision findings to the class. Finally,

prehension skills. My goal is to have the boys

their leaf is added to the de-

apply the concept of “stop, think, and de-

cision tree growing in the

cide” to their reading

classroom.

of

Squanto,

Friend of the The boys

Pilgrims

complete

and then

the Squan-

transfer

to Decision

the same

Tree in book buddy groups. After each

concept

chapter, the book buddy group converses

into their daily

about the most meaningful decision. Each

life decisions. It is fas-

boy has a job as a tracer, cutter, writer, or

cinating to hear the boys use

oral presenter (on occasion, groups have

decision making language in book discussions,

felt more than one meaningful decision

in their daily conversations, and in their writ-

requires attention; therefore the group

ing. Decision making is an important com-

will construct more than one leaf). When

ponent in boys’ education. Equipping my

all groups finish, the entire class meets to hear each

third-graders with the vocabulary and skills to make

group read their leaf, which is followed by questions

good choices is extremely rewarding.

or comments. All leaves are added to the Squanto Decision Tree. As the boys progress through the book, they improve on many skills – comprehension, discussion, decision making, writing, oral presentation, and artistic – as they watch their decision

Kate Thorburn has been teaching for thirteen years.

tree bloom.

She joined The Haverford School faculty in 1996.

69

Alternatives to Bullying Fourth Grade

Objective: The objective of this lesson is to provide a forum for the students to discuss bullying honestly in a safe environment.

Narrative: Two major themes

Todd Wolov

that we discuss during the students’ academic and social lives

in Lower School are friendship and bullying. I have found that by the time the boys reach fourth grade, many of the challenges that they will struggle with throughout the rest of their school years begin to arise in earnest. In fourth grade, the boys have started to become aware of a fictional “social status” often based upon athletic ability, size, grades, or sadly enough, their families’ economics. This newly found awareness often leads to the establishment of a pecking order, which can then ultimately lead to various forms of bullying behavior. Therefore, my plan to help boys is an interactive lesson that identifies these issues and addresses them directly through a variety of means.

I begin by having three of my former students (cur-

The second skit involves two friends who have identified a target and bully a third student. The final skit involves two friends who are about to take their teasing of a third student too far, when they are told to stop by their intended victim. They then work to seek a solution instead. After each skit we stop and have brief class conversations about what we have witnessed. It is important that everyone recognizes the differences in these scenarios. We also discuss the ramifications of the decisions that these characters have made. My next step in the lesson is reading two picture books, Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig and Say Something by Peggy Moss.

rent fifth-graders) come in and present a series of three short skits, which I have previously written.

I use these books as a springboard for further class

The first skit involves two friends who are able to

conversations, in order to understand our issues and

tease each other without crossing the line and caus-

recognize some of the roles we are playing through

ing any repercussions.

the characters’ actions. The conversations around

70

these books also emphasize the potential solutions

this segment of the lesson. Finally, after these larger

that lay within them. Then, the class is divided into

group debates, we come back together as a class for

six groups. Each group is presented with a specific

closure.

question such as, “Do you and your friends tease each other? If you do tease each other please ex-

Reflection: This lesson is important for boys for

plain why.” “How can you tell if your friends like

many reasons. It encompasses many learning mo-

it when you tease them? How can you tell if you

dalities, helping to reach boys of varying learning

are hurting them?” After the groups discuss their

styles. It also provides boys with a safe atmosphere

specific question, we come back together as a class.

to express themselves openly and honestly about

I then divide the class into three groups consisting

difficult subjects. In this lesson, each student is giv-

of one member of each of the original six groups.

en the opportunity to become a leader and facilitate

Each person acts as “the expert” for their previously

part of the conversation. The ability to give boys a

discussed question, as they present to their larger

voice and a forum is one of the aspects that makes

groups. These presentations serve as a catalyst for

this lesson so powerful.

further debate and discussion. I move around the room and help facilitate ideas. It is also helpful to

Todd Wolov ’88 has been teaching for thirteen years.

have another teacher or counselor in the room for

He joined The Haverford School faculty in 1996.

71

The Need for Speed (CO2 Dragster)* Fourth-Grade Science

Objective: The students will work collaboratively in small groups to build dragsters in order to explore and demonstrate prin-

why this lesson works so well for boys. This is a

ciples of physics and motion.

hands-on, minds-on, scientific inquiry where the boys learn to reason, think creatively, make decisions, and

Cheryl Joloza

Narrative: This lesson comes

problem solve.

from a fifth-grade physical sci-

ence unit. The boys spend about three weeks wrap-

Reflection: The hands-on, minds-on scientific par-

ping their minds around Newton’s laws of motion

adigm gets the boys both physically and intellec-

and other principles of physics through the lens of

tually involved in learning. The physical nature of

sports and toys. The boys explore these science con-

the task is a welcomed challenge. They are working

cepts and apply them to a sporting event or toy dur-

in various spaces in the room, using an assortment

ing class time. The culminating lesson is one where

of tools, and can be seen and heard collaborating

the students apply all of the principles investigated

with other boys. The boys are constantly moving

throughout the unit and use the information to create,

throughout the science room during the various

design, build, and test a high performance, carbon di-

phases of the project. The intellectual involvement

oxide powered vehicle. The boys are given a block

is almost immediate. It takes on many forms, but it

of balsa wood and some tools. They also receive the

is definitely a powerful experience for the students.

challenge to create a high performance CO drag 2

racer that must meet certain specifications (weight,

The boys who are naturally drawn to science and

aerodynamics, and rolling friction). The excitement

math tend to rely exclusively on their knowledge

begins!

base to create their vehicles (usually top speed cars). The students that are attracted to the arts and

I first came across this lesson during an enrichment

language tend to produce the most visually appeal-

course in a coed setting. Twenty participants regis-

ing vehicles (not necessarily the fastest). Regardless

tered and all but one was male. I immediately knew

of the end product, the boys are fully engaged in

I was on to something. There are numerous reasons

this endeavor.

72

Another alluring aspect of this lesson for boys is the

begin to question their surroundings. Is it an intel-

open-ended charge of scientific inquiry. The boys

lectual think tank, or perhaps an advanced physics

are always interested in a mission, adventure, ex-

class? No! It is a class of fully engaged fifth-grade

ploration, or fantasy. This project brings all of these

boys!

concepts to life. As soon as the students enter the building, they instinctively want to start working on

*Lesson adapted from: The Science of Speed, Pits-

their cars. The boys are fully engaged during class

co Inc., Pittsburg, Kan.

time and any other available moment.

Cheryl Joloza has been teaching for fourteen years.

The nature of scientific inquiry provides the space

She joined The Haverford School faculty in 2000.

that boys need to be interactive with a project over a period of time. Throughout the lesson, the boys assume the various roles of scientist, engineer, computer technologist, artist, and so on. The only role that sometimes disappoints them is when they return to reality (fifth-graders) and the project ends.

The boys love working on long-term tangible projects.

The lessons learned are not all science based, but they concern themes that the boys encounter in other dimensions of their lives. Reasoning, creativity, decision making, and problem solving are a few of these themes. Boys need concrete ways to apply these otherwise abstract concepts. Building cars is one of a myriad of ways to tackle this. Their voices can be heard building cases as to why various designs may or may not perform well. Compliments and constructive criticism fill the room. Troubleshooting takes place in the corners of the classroom.

In the back of the science room students discuss proper sawing techniques. After a while, one may

73

Hit-Miss-Close Fifth-Grade Math

Subsequently, ask the class to begin to guess the number. If a student’s guess comes within two digits above or below each place value unit, each place

Objective: Students will be able

value unit is considered Close. If a student guesses

to use mathematical reasoning to

more than two-digits above or below each place val-

make conjectures based on logi-

ue unit, each place value unit is considered a Miss.

cal reasoning and test conjec-

If a student guesses the exact number for each place

tures by using counter-examples.

value unit, it is considered a Hit.

Students will be able to develop a plan to analyze a problem,

Carol Ann Luongo, Ph.D. identify the information needed

The class has the option for one student to guess the number or to involve everyone in guessing the num-

to solve the problem, carry out

ber. Each student in the class has the opportunity

the plan, check whether an answer makes sense, and

to lead a session. As the game proceeds, the class

explain how the problem was solved. The goal is to

has an option to change the number to a three-digit

improve/strengthen number sense skills and critical

number or higher.

thinking ability in mathematics problem solving.

Students will be able to recognize, describe, extend,

Reflection: There are several reasons why the dy-

create, and replicate a variety of patterns including

namics of this game intrigues boys so much that

attribute, activity, and number.

they never tire of playing it and investigating alternative game rules.

Narrative: This is a mathematics mini-lesson with the intention of having students use their acquired problem-solving skills. The lesson requires the students to communicate with each other and with an adult to solve a problem. While the students ask questions of each other, they solve the problem and think critically. Throughout the years that I have used this simple game with students of all grade levels, they are repeatedly intrigued at how they can manipulate numbers to outsmart their classmates.

Game Rules: Mentally select a two-digit number.

• The game gets the boys out of their chairs.

• For boys, developing problem-solving skills is effective when the problems are both genuine and interesting. In order to create this atmosphere, the problem is one boy’s decision.

• This game provides an avenue for the competitive nature of boys and a positive and creative approach to mental math. The boys consistently try to choose numbers that will stump their classmates.

• Boys acquire information easily though visual methods.

74

Therefore, providing the opportunity to enter the

This game incorporates an alternate perspective to un-

numbers and codes on the board gives the boys

derstanding place value, mental math, logical reason-

enough visual and physical stimulation to keep

ing, and making choices. It involves cooperative and

them attentive, but not so much as to interfere with

collaborative learning experiences in the classroom.

the learning process.

All of which appeal to the learning style of boys.

Usually, mathematics does not pose a problem for

Effective teaching is about offering the male develop-

boys. However, many times boys need to learn how

ing brain high-quality information based on real expe-

to look back over their work, which is the final step

riences. This is the great challenge for all educators.

in famous mathematician George Poyla’s method of problem solving. By looking back, students will

Carol Ann Luongo has been teaching for twenty-

examine the solution, check the result, and check if

eight years. She joined The Haverford School fac-

they can use the result for another problem.

ulty in 2007.

75

Freeze-A-Mania

Lower School Physical Education

one is in maroon. If they cannot decide mutually,

they

can do Rock-PaObjective: To allow the boys to

per-Scissors

work together during a variety

decide who gets

of interactive games in order to

to choose their color.

develop and practice the skills

Before the game be-

involved in fitness, movement,

gins, eight colored

and sportsmanship.

balls are spread out

Bob Castell

to

in the playing area – an equal number of ma-

Narrative: The boys warm up with “Blob-Tag”

roon and gold balls.

first. While the boys enter the classroom, teachers

The boys are only al-

observe which boys do the best job of coming in

lowed to use their feet

quietly and finding their spots in their designated

to direct the balls toward the players in opposite

class lines. We reward those boys (two from each

colored shirts. They may only kick the balls that

class) to be our first “blobs.” These boys start the

correspond to their shirt color. If an opposite col-

game by holding hands: they are the blobs. When

ored ball touches them, they must exit the playing

the game begins, all the other boys are free to move

area and run a lap around the cones in the adjoining

around the area while trying to avoid being tagged

gym before they can rejoin the game.

by the blobs. When they are tagged they join the blobs by holding hands with the existing blobs.

The main activity is Freeze-A-Mania. For this ac-

When the blobs get to be four boys, they split into

tivity we have the boys choose a new partner with

two smaller blobs and continue to tag more single

the opposite colored shirt. In this game the boys

students. The game ends when all of the students

work exclusively with their partner. One of the

have become part of a blob, or when the teachers

partners comes up to get a ball to begin. The part-

feel it is time to change activities.

ners are asked to demonstrate proper technique for overhand throwing and catching with their partners

Another warm-up game we play is “Kick-Tag.”

from about ten feet apart while music is playing.

To begin, we have the boys choose a partner. They

When the music stops, the student who has control

change their shirts so that one partner is in gold and

of the ball must chase after their partner and try to

76

tag him before the music begins again. If the music

without having to worry about being eliminated

starts before the partner has been tagged, they stop

from the games. We try to develop some of these

running and begin to throw and catch with one an-

skills, so the boys gain confidence in their abilities

other.

and don’t become intimidated when they are asked to participate in similar games outside of our class.

Once the activity has been completed, we collect the balls and bring the boys around the middle cir-

I have found this particular lesson to be one of the

cle to discuss which groups worked well together

best teaching plans to allow the boys to develop

and why. We also discuss with the boys what they

their skills, and improve their fitness, while having

liked about the activity. This discussion allows the

fun.

boys a chance to settle down before we bring them back to their classrooms.

Bob Castell has been teaching for twenty-two years.

He joined The Haverford School faculty in 1992.

Reflection: This lesson plan has always been a favorite for Lower School boys. The boys are in constant motion, which allows them to challenge themselves and their skills. The students cooperate with each other to find new partners, to decide which color shirt they will compete in, and to display how they work together with partners and with a larger group.

While the boys are having fun, they are becoming physically fit. Boys love to compete, and this lesson allows them to test their skills without having any winning or losing teams or players. The boys are encouraged and rewarded by competing fairly and displaying good sportsmanship during the activities.

The players like these activities because they enjoy the freedom to try new techniques and strategies,

77

Middle School Lessons

79

“As

educators we foster achievement and creativity; as coaches we make improvement possible. We serve as mentors who guide boys through a pivotal period in their mental, physical, and spiritual growth.”

- Andrew Grossman ’96

MIDDLE SCHOOL LESSONS Andrew Grossman ’96

to all teachers, particularly my college professors. He described education, experiences, and life as a journey;

The middle school years are the

he valued personal interac-

crossroads for boys. What hap-

tions as the ultimate learning

pens there and the decisions one

experience.

makes affects what happens later in high school, college, and life. The crossroads are the situations,

In this Middle School, we give our boys many op-

choices, and actions that define a boy as a jock,

tions. As educators we foster achievement and cre-

thespian, artist, scholar, slacker, leader, follower,

ativity; as coaches we make improvement possible.

none, some, or all of the above.

We serve as mentors who guide boys through a pivotal period in their mental, physical, and spiri-

As a “lifer” at The Haverford School, my middle

tual growth. We as faculty and staff thrive on our

school years were a crossroads for me. There, I found

experience. I am continuing my education, but my

my love of the guitar and musical performance. The

experience teaching, coaching, and traveling has

corridors of Crosman Hall served as my first public

been my most valuable tool. As an undergraduate

stage; Mrs. Grad’s music room as my first recording

at Saint Lawrence University, I lived in East Africa

studio. My friends and family could be a receptive

and taught health education in the refugee camp

and supportive audience, but they could also be the

in Kakuma, Kenya. In Dave Eggers’ book, What

harshest critics. I recall feeling the rush of sharing

is the What, he explains that to Kenyans, Kakuma

my talents, only to have them sneered at and dis-

translates to “nowhere,” but it is a crossroads for

missed by other Middle School students. Yet some-

many refugees from Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia,

how I still play guitar, I still perform, and I still love

Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and others. Af-

music. The adversity that I met, which I would have

filiated with the National Council of Churches of

experienced at any school, only fanned my creative

Kenya (NCCK), my teaching focused on sexually

embers. Knowing that the Haverford School faculty

transmitted diseases to refugees of the many Afri-

was there helped in supporting my decision to make

can nations in conflict. Some of my most rewarding

music a major part of my life. The support of the

work involved my experiences with the youth of the

faculty continued through my Upper School years

camp. The youth group that I observed was made

at Haverford, specifically from my friend and men-

up of people of several nationalities who produced

tor, the late, great Rafael Laserna. As a model of the

theatrical workshops and puppet shows aimed at

effective, mild-mannered teacher, he prepared me

educating fellow young refugees on the dangers of

to be a college student as he taught me how to relate

promiscuous lifestyles, HIV/AIDS, and other sexu-

81

ally transmitted diseases. During my stay, I assured

many years, Steve brought his sixth-grade students

these young people at their own crossroads that

to CIMI. Throughout the week he would share

despite any other messages they received from the

some appropriate and relevant information with our

western world, I cared, and I was not the only one.

instructors about certain students who were at their academic, social, and even emotional crossroads.

Although my experience in Africa was that of a stu-

During the final campfire Steve would highlight an

dent, an observer, and an intern, my journey to be-

accomplishment of each student during the week

come a teacher took form in the ocean. As a recent

and relate it to previous school experience. I was

college graduate I worked as an outdoor educator

amazed at his perceptiveness, but even more, I was

for the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) at

astounded that he recognized a child’s crossroads

Toyon Bay on Catalina Island, Calif. The major-

as such a vital part of the education process. I now

ity of my students were of typical middle-school

challenge myself to foster the developing talents of

age and ability. For many students, this trip was a

all my students and use it as a tool to push them in

crossroads. Some had never been away from home,

the right direction.

while others felt at ease in less comfortable accommodations as their dormitories contained bunk beds

I have the privilege of working with Middle School

and communal bathrooms, and lacked climate-con-

boys and observe them at their crossroads. Haver-

trolling and entertainment devices. Many students

ford’s Middle School boys and teachers have a

found their long awaited niche snorkeling among

wide range of height, weight, talent, personal back-

a dense kelp forest, de-

ground, background knowledge, global awareness;

spite their shortcomings

and some of them struggle to take advantage of

in the school yard or on

what is around them. The Middle School introduces

the playing field. The

many of the boys to their first experience with for-

experience gave many

eign language. With Spanish and Latin available,

students an opportunity

the boys may experience learning a language that is

to form a bond with

either practical for the day and age, or fundamental

new

teach-

in understanding the roots of many other languages.

ers, parents, and other

In all three grades of science, boys are challenged to

people from their local

create projects and presentations based on their in-

community. I worked

dependent research. The math courses of the Middle

on two occasions with

School use the boys’ already attained skills as well

Steve Keithly, an edu-

as their application to “real world” situations for fu-

cator from a southern

ture success. Our history teachers guide the boys to-

friends,

California school. For

ward a better global perspective; the Middle School’s

82

English teachers use poetry, prose, and literature to hone the boys’ command of their language. Our art program offers the boys’ opportunities to express the thoughts, feelings, and talents in many varieties of two-dimensional and three-dimensional media.

Middle School drama and music allow our boys to express their penchant for the thespian and melodic arts in a safe but exciting environment. In addition to challenging curricula, the boys participate in an inter-grade community program called “house” and faculty sponsored elective activities.

portunity. Our athletic philosophy in the Middle School, whether or not it is mentioned in any hand-

For some boys, the athletic field is the ultimate

book, is that of working in the interests of our boys

crossroads. Our physical education program teach-

at their athletic crossroads.

es the boys fair play, healthy intra-class competition, and the need for appropriate attire and gear.

I speak of students at their crossroads so frequently

The boys have the opportunity to use the skills

because it is such a crucial part of the education ex-

instilled in them from their instructors in the real

perience. I have seen the products of both success-

athletic setting, interscholastic competitive sports.

ful and failed decision making. I am thankful for

Our Middle School teachers are expected to lead an

Haverford’s role in shaping my decision making as

exciting double life of teacher-coaches, this expec-

I was once at my crossroads here, and I am thankful

tation has unquestionable value. We have the ability

for the opportunity to positively influence the boys.

to observe our learners on a different plane than the

Many of their needs are neglected; as a culture, we

classroom setting. Although our teams are competi-

sometimes assume that boys will live through these

tive with other schools and stacked with talent, they

years regardless of our guidance. I am a believer

offer the boys a chance to experience new sports as

that our focus on them and their needs, in a setting

the seasons come and go. Like many other activities,

that is as challenging as it is nurturing is critical in

sports gain and lose popularity; we encourage our

boys’ education. The Middle School faculty pro-

boys to try new sports when there is available space

vides lessons that serve boys needs while focusing

on the various squads. As enrollment has increased,

on the importance of this vulnerable stage of their

certain teams have been forced to cut players. In

progress and success. Among our diverse styles of

many cases, the boys endure the disappointment of

guidance and instruction, we share the common

the event and are counseled and mentored by their

goal of helping boys make the appropriate choices

teacher-coaches into making the best of their op-

at their crossroads.

83

Sir Francis Drake Sixth-Grade History

ly, they learn about Elizabeth’s support of pirates and privateers, and hear her speech to the people.

Economically, the story of Sir Frances Drake ad-

Objective: The boys learn and

dresses trade routes and sea power giving the ability

practice a variety of study skills

to build colonies.

and note-taking skills. The Cornell note-taking system, de-

The film Sea Hawk starring Errol Flynn, class and

veloped by Walter Pauk, is the

online notes, class readings of original documents,

foundation for class notes. This

and class discussion are used to tell the story in a

system facilitates organization,

variety of modalities, which the boys listen to and

summarization, and student re-

talk about with excitement. This is the story of Eng-

sponsibility for learning. One of the best lessons for

land’s entry as a world power at a time when naval

boys to practice these skills in context is by study-

power was closely connected with national wealth.

ing Sir Francis Drake.

Drake’s achievements include redesigning the Eng-

John Suter

lish navy and circumnavigating the globe. This lesNarrative: Every sixth-grade student at The Haver-

son also shows how history is connected through

ford School takes Early American History. The

the ages. Ships in England’s Navy still have pieces

course broadens students’ understanding of our

of ship connecting them to Drake.

nation’s past and teaches students the tools needed for future success in reaching their academic poten-

Notes from primary sources and history books are

tial within the college preparatory curriculum. This

projected onto a team board. During this lesson,

classroom is a place where students find challenge,

students summarize to review the previous day’s

a safe place in which to be risk takers, and where

notes, and scan the current notes to preview the cur-

every student has the opportunity for success.

rent topic. The boys then watch Sea Hawk. After going through the notes and watching the movie,

The story of Sir Frances Drake is a memorable les-

the boys are guided through the process of analyz-

son of one man’s important impact on history. This

ing the material in relation to the overarching his-

lesson is a microcosm of the whole course, touching

torical themes: economic, social, political, and re-

on each of the historic themes covered throughout

ligious. The students must consider the nine causes

the year. Politically, students study marriage pro-

of warfare, the three parts of communication, and

posals for Elizabeth and the King of Spain. Social-

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

84

Reflection: The boys are challenged to look at his-

ownership in their learning. As they tackle con-

tory with a critical eye, thinking as historians. The

cepts, they are encouraged to practice the note-tak-

notes in this course are a richer, more detailed narra-

ing and study skills modeled in class. This lesson is

tive than what is offered in textbooks the boys have

good for the boys because they are practicing new

used in the past. The boys are not simply working

skills in an environment where they are given the

with facts. They learn about the concept of story,

support necessary to be successful. Upper School

reflecting on our country’s history, and their own

boys often comment that they continue use the

stories. In the process, the boys develop a sense of

note-taking, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills they learned in sixth-grade history, and that the course provided scaffolding for future academic success (even if they did not realize it in sixth grade). These student tools will help the boys throughout their academic careers and in the future as they measure and consider new information and predict outcomes to make sound decisions about history and their world.

John Suter has been teaching for twelve years. He joined The Haverford School faculty in 2002.

85

Illustrated History I Form (seventh-grade) History Objective: The purpose of this lesson is to educate the students about child labor during the industrial revolution by challenging them to use their back-

William Strong

write a short poem that captures the mood and feelings of the children in the picture. After the groups have completed their analysis, we show each picture on the wall screen and each group presents its analysis of the picture and reads its poem. The class gets an opportunity to make comments afterward in case the group seems to have missed an important element of the picture.

ground knowledge of the subject

Reflection: This activity generally works well with

creatively.

the boys for a number of reasons: 1) They enjoy working in groups. Each boy has an opportunity

Narrative: One of the themes we cover in the study

to participate in the analysis and share the group’s

of the early 1900s is the issue of child labor. For the

work to the class. As boys learn best by doing, this

lesson, I divide the class into nine groups (usually

hands-on activity engages them well. 2) They seem

two or three to a group) and give each group an au-

to enjoy the “detective work” involved in figur-

thentic picture of children (ages eight to eighteen)

ing out what is going on in their picture. As boys

involved in some type of work activity from that era.

are naturally competitive, most are motivated and

Each group has its own picture so there are nine dif-

challenged to accurately decipher the picture. This

ferent pictures. Some of the jobs are relatively me-

tests their conceptual thinking, which fuels active

nial and innocuous, but others involve real dangers

engagement in the task. 3) Although there is a com-

and very unpleasant, unhealthy working conditions.

mon assumption that boys do not have a “sensitive

Along with the picture comes a question sheet that

side,” this project taps into their ability to feel empa-

directs each group in its analysis of the picture. The

thy for the boys/girls who performed those difficult

boys must determine what job is being performed,

and dangerous jobs. This has “real world” relevance

which isn’t always obvious.

in increasing their awareness that they are very well off by comparison. 4) The activity provides struc-

They then identify possible hazards and unhealthful

ture in that the boys know what they need to do and

work conditions, and observe whether the children

when/how they need to do it. 5) They seem to enjoy

seem to be enjoying their work. They speculate

the creative and social aspect of working as a team,

about whether those children would be willing to

reporting their findings, and sharing their poems

trade lives with the average boy or girl today and

with the class.

86

I have observed the boys engaged in this project

doing those hard jobs.” “It really made me realize

during the past few years, and, invariably, there

how good we have it when I compare my life to

is a positive, energetic buzz as the boys analyze

how those kids lived.” “It is difficult for boys to be

their pictures. They also listen attentively as the

sympathetic sometimes, but those pictures made it

other groups present their pictures/analysis, and

possible. Girls probably have a much easier time

additional observations are typically offered by the

with this.”

class. When asked about the value of this project, a few boys have commented: “This was a new and fun activity. It was much easier to understand the

Bill Strong has been teaching for 31 years. He

concept of child labor when we could see real kids

joined The Haverford School faculty in 1979.

87

Cultural Stereotypes: An Introduction to Japanese Culture

II Form (eighth-grade) History Objective: The intent of this lesson is to introduce students to the culture of Japan while juxtaposing the stereotypes and preconceived notions they have.

Chris Avery

Narrative: I begin the class by asking what word or phrase comes to mind when you think

of Japan. As usual, students start with sushi, samurais, Nintendo, Sony, and other superficial descriptions of a complex culture. Fortunately, for some sections, students heard their peers from Far East Asian nations, other than Japan, describe their parents, dislike and sometimes hatred for Japan. This sparks intense discussion about some of the core themes of my class: American and other biases and perspective. Also, as often when II Form (eighthgrade) boys engage in group think, individuals in the room feel more comfortable “pushing the envelope” as the discussion continues. Thus, various students state stereotypes, like “play the violin,” “really smart,” and “great at math.”

describe my wife’s life dealing with the expectation and pressure of living up to the “Asian stereotype,” which may or may not naturally be who she is. I then share my 5’7” daughter’s frustration with other players or parents stating that because of her height she must be good at basketball. After recognizing that she is taller than the majority of students in the room at age twelve, they realize how this “positive” stereotype negates her hard work during practice and the off-season. The tall students in the class immediately begin to recount stories of being expected to be good at basketball and the feelings of not always living up to the expectations that other people have for them.

We cover the impact of stereotypes and that “positive” stereotypes do not actually exist. From there, I use the Smartboard to take notes. I have the students read from the textbook and place notes on the board.

Each student has the opportunity to place what they feel is important on the board, which prompts a conversation about note taking and distinguishing the relevant material. Many students express that they still struggle to find the most relevant material and either put too much or too little information.

This leads to a reintroduction of note taking and the critical information that should be placed in their notes.

At the end of the class and the reading, we have a

Most students feel that the stereotypes of being smart

brief conversation about the portions of the read-

and talented at math are “positive” stereotypes. I

ing that most surprised them. The majority of the

88

conversation revolves around their disbelief that Ja-

discussion sparks a discourse about positive versus

pan is actually considerably behind most of the Far

negative stereotypes.

East, in terms of government structure, economy, and technology. They describe how their stereo-

Chris Avery has been teaching for eight years. He

types of Japan are not always true, which in turn,

joined The Haverford School faculty in 2000.

makes them question whether stereotypes ever are!

Reflection: It takes time for boys to feel safe to share their true feelings on subjects, especially when they feel they are inappropriate. This deeper

89

Fantasy Football Middle School Math

rushing and receiving yards, and touchdowns; they lose points for throwing interceptions and losing fumbles. Once the season is over, they analyze the

Objective: This project incor-

data they collect to determine which players were

porates multiple skills including

good values and which were fantasy busts.

using formulas, reading and un-

Nick Romero

derstanding box scores, opera-

After a few weeks of manually computing the scores,

tions with decimals (although the

the students are allowed to use the calculator to find

formula can be adjusted for use

them. Many boys are used to computing operations

with whole numbers, integers,

one at a time on a calculator and are surprised that it

fractions, etc), using the order of

can compute multiple operations in one line.

operations, and creating and analyzing graphs with Excel. I also use this project as a

Reflection: This project is successful because it in-

way to introduce students to the TI-84 calculator.

volves something many boys are excited about anyway – football and fantasy sports. Choosing a team

Narrative: My most successful lesson with stu-

becomes very serious business for many of them.

dents has been Fantasy Football Math. I read about

They spend a lot of time evaluating a player’s statis-

using fantasy sports in math classes in the Septem-

tics and cost while trying to assemble the strongest

ber 2006 issue of NCTM’s publication Teaching

team and remain under the salary cap. Boys have

Mathematics in the Middle School.

also spent ample time coming up with just the right team name. Naming their team allows them to show

I have adapted some of these lessons into an eight-

where their allegiances lie, and also taps into their

week project. Within a salary cap, each student

sense of humor. One of my favorite names was “The

drafts a fantasy team. He keeps track of his players’

Jake Mullin (’13) Fantasy Football Team For Math

statistics, and computes each player’s fantasy points

Class That Resembles The Pittsburgh Steelers.”

over a period of six weeks of head-to-head competition with his classmates. The salary cap helps

The competitive aspect of this project also engages

level the playing field, so that even boys who are

many students who like to see how they fare against

not too familiar with football have a chance to do

their classmates. There is a healthy amount of dis-

well. Also, players can be selected for more than

course among students as they compute scores to

one team so that even a football novice has access to

figure out who won. Once the weekly scores are

all the best players. Players gain points for passing,

turned in, students are anxious for the results. Of-

90

ten, they stop me in the hall or visit my classroom

Many told me they wish it was longer, some said

to check if the scores are updated.

they wanted me to make the formula we use to calculate points more challenging, and others enjoyed

I enjoy hearing the boys’ comments and seeing how

it so much they asked that we do other fantasy sports

invested they are in the project. Monday mornings

like basketball or baseball.

are generally full of boasts about how well their team played or groans because of sub-par performance by the players. Another part of this project that I enjoy is listening to and incorporating stu-

Nick Romero has been teaching for nine years. He-

dents’ ideas of how the project could be improved.

joined The Haverford School faculty in 2007.

91

Casino Mathematics

I Form and II Form (seventh- and eighth-grade) Mathematics Objective: This lesson is designed to provide “real world” examples of probability.

Narrative: There are few topics that stir the interest of boys and

Andrew Franz

afford the opportunity to gain hands-on experience than one

dealing with probability. Give a teenager a pair of dice, a handful of coins, or a multi-spaced spinner, and soon the classroom is transformed into a mini casino.

– five, fifty, or five hundred? The investigations take off and the discovery is endless. When the students are challenged to invent their own casino game, the issue of fairness is discussed and dissected. Is “How

it important that each player has an equal chance

much do you want to

of winning and losing? What could make the game

bet that I can toss these three coins in the air and

more fun or more attractive to players? The prob-

get three heads?” When they discover that their

ability that an event will occur is soon discovered

chances are one-in-eight that that result will occur,

to be only a theoretical representation. The students

the challenge is on! “I wonder what number comes

quickly find out through experimentation that the

out most often when two dice are rolled.” Give it a

toss of a coin or the selection of a playing card does

shot – and report back to the class. How many times

not always follow the laws put forth by the prob-

do you have to roll the dice to get a proper sample

ability gods.

92

For the superstitious of the group, discussion shifts

animated discussions take place that incorporate

to good or bad luck. For the practical participants,

math skills and understanding with personal beliefs

they might explore the shuffle of the cards or coin-

and attitudes. The enthusiasm of fourteen-year-old

flip techniques. Either way, a valuable dialogue can

boys is harnessed and directed toward a concept

take place that allows the students to reveal some

with which they can identify. And the fascinating

understanding of the mathematical concept of prob-

thing about all of this is that the obvious link be-

ability and how it is linked to experiences in each

tween the fun and the math does not turn them off

of their lives. When I challenge the boys to figure

completely – much to my pleasure.

out the probability of drawing two cards that have the same value in succession from a standard playing deck, their experience with watching the World

Andrew Franz has been teaching for seventeen

Series of Poker clouds their minds, and they express

years. He joined The Haverford School faculty in

very high probabilities. I suggest that ESPN edits

2007.

the program to eliminate all of the unexciting hands from the telecast, showing all of the hands where pocket aces were dealt to players. The students begin to realize that not everything is as it seems. In actuality, drawing like-valued cards in succession from a standard deck of fifty-two cards is one out of seventeen, and back-to-back aces are one out of 221.

Reflection: It is no surprise that Middle School boys thrive on competition, and this is one lesson where competition can be incorporated into the scheme of the classroom in a healthy, fun way. By allowing the boys to explore, extend, discover, and invent, this lesson combines theoretical learning with experiential discovery. Each student participates in the learning process and is afforded the opportunity to take center stage in explaining the reasons why a particular event did not occur as expected. Positive,

93

Narrative Poetry

I Form (seventh-grade) English

songs. Music is an important part of the unit, and the boys usually become excited about poetry when they discover that many of the songs they listen to

Objective: The purpose of this

on a daily basis are narrative poems in disguise. The

lesson is to teach narrative and

boys do a lot of teacher-directed peer editing, and

peer-editing skills through the

they also decorate the final draft of their narrative

mechanics of poetry.

poems for display.

Narrative: I have the boys write

I allow them a great deal of freedom in terms of the

a personal narrative to begin the

topic, and they do a lot of brainstorming to select

unit. They have been studying

the correct moment from their lives. Some of the

and writing short stories since the

boys write about serious events, like the death of a

beginning of the year, and the students use a story

family member or pet; many of them write about an

map and other brainstorming devices to construct

illness or injury; others write about an amusing or

personal narratives. We also study poetic devices,

frightening incident.

Pat Gately

poetic structure, rhythm, and rhyme by reviewing dozens of student-submitted narrative poems and

It is impossible to simply ask I Form (seventhgrade) boys to write a narrative poem, even about themselves. They need to have the story firmly in place before they can begin to add poetic devices and structure. They don’t feel as pressured to write a poem right away. They feel safer within the known structure of the short story. They begin to realize, through our study of other narrative poems and songs, that they can write a poem once the narrative is in place. It is the best way I have found to help the boys write poetry. They follow a carefully constructed peer-editing handout through which they are able to offer each other constructive, positive feedback. It’s not enough to ask them to read each others’ poems; they have to work through a set of

94

questions and answers about their classmates’ work.

way to get the boys to raise the bar with their writ-

The boys cannot just say, “This is a good poem or

ing. If the boys know that a classmate is going to

story.” They have to pick the stories and poems

read their work, they actually spend more time pre-

apart for elements of fiction, narrative structure, po-

paring something of which they can be proud. Peer

etic devices, poetic structure, and readability.

pressure can have a positive impact on I Form (seventh-grade) boys too!

Reflection: Boys are somewhat self-centered – they love to tell stories about themselves. They like this

Pat Gately has been teaching for fourteen years. He

assignment because it combines poetry and story-

joined The Haverford School faculty in 2002.

telling within the context of their own lives. The final decoration of the poems also becomes an opportunity for them to share photographs or illustrations of the moment from their lives. These decorated poems, which hang in a section of my classroom for the remainder of the year, are by turns touching, funny, heartbreaking, and impressive.

I Form (seventh-grade) boys are very interested in listening to and sharing music, and they enjoy being able to share their favorite narrative songs with their classmates. I have dozens of CDs that students have burned for me throughout the years. For the I Form (seventh-grade) boys, there is something liberating about being able to share a favorite song or artist.

Every day during the unit, the boys are allowed to listen to music in class, which is another different and exciting part of the lesson. The fact that the boys already have a story (the personal narrative) makes writing the poem a lot easier. Their topic and narrative structure are already in place when they begin writing their poems. Peer editing is a great

95

The Market-fresh Squid Dissection

I Form (seventh-grade) Science Objective: The intent of this lesson is to give students a multisensory experience while exploring marine invertebrate morphology. The students also gain an appreciation for marine fisheries and the prepara-

Andrew Grossman ’96

tion of a popular seafood item.

Narrative: This activity is meant to be the epitome

Some background information … Loligo opalescens

of hands-on learning. It begins with a combination of

is a small squid in the family Loliginidae, order

background information, a short video clip, and dis-

Octopoda, Class Cephalopoda, Phylum Mollusca,

cussion on topics such as commercial fishing, marine

Kingdom Animalia, also commonly known as the

habitats, and environmental conservation. I may ask

restaurant or market squid. This species lives in the

some probing questions, allow the boys to engage in

Eastern Pacific Ocean from Baja, Mexico, to Alas-

discussion, and share some relevant experience with

ka. They tend to live within two hundred miles of

squid. The boys are given a lot of time to touch, smell,

shore. The life cycle of L. opalescens has four stag-

and look at their squid with the only guideline of not

es: eggs, hatchlings (called para-larvae), juveniles,

mutilating the squid or letting it leave the students’

and adults. These squid live for four to nine months:

workspace. The squid are market-fresh, not frozen,

they are born, they breed, they die, thus they are

nor are they preserved in any chemical agents. The

known as terminal reproducers.

boys are encouraged to leave their comfort zone, but are given the option to step back from some of the

The squid’s external features … The students are

more invasive techniques. All aspects of this lab, from

asked which features are the most noticeable. In-

the acquisition of their animals to the cleaning of the

evitably, I guide them in the exploration of the arms

squids and workplaces, are done in an extremely orga-

and tentacles, beak, eyes, siphon, mantle, finlets,

nized fashion to avoid any contamination of the stu-

and chromatophores. The beak and eyes should

dents or the classroom. The boys are instructed how

be removed by hand and examined, and the finlets

to properly sauté a raw seafood product at the end of

should be removed and set aside for subsequent

this lesson.

cooking.

96

“You may now cut your squid …” With scissors

Over medium heat in canola oil, the sliced and ten-

the students make one cut the length of the squid’s

derized slices of mantle, finlets, arms, and tentacles

mantle, siphon side up. When finished, the students

are sautéed until the pieces curl and are a solid

place the scissors on the newspaper to be collected

white color.

by the instructor. I ask these questions: Which or-

Were they paying attention … While the boys are

gan seems to be the most prominent? What do you

enjoying a treat that they may never have tried be-

think it is for? The gills, hearts, sex organs, pen,

fore, I ask the following questions:

and ink sac are to be identified. Using the pen and broken ink sac, the boys draw temporary tattoos on

•Where are you most likely to find these squid other

their hands and arms.

than on a menu at Red Lobster?

•Describe how squid move.

**These directions are written and verbal as

•How do squid defend themselves?

they are the most hazardous.

•Was your squid male or female? How could you tell?

Cleanup … Once I have the edible portions of the students’ squids, the boys roll their newspapers into a tight ball and dispose of them in the waste basket. They wipe down their tables with disinfectant towels and dispose of them as well. I value the pro-

•How was my cooking?

•Could your recreate this activity with your family?

Reflection: Many boys have little to no experience with ocean invertebrates or much of the foods that they eat in the raw/recently killed form; this activity covers both. Boys also benefit from seeing

cess of the boys cleaning up after their own

these processes in their entirety, as it

mess. They may now rinse their hands

will challenge them to see the big

in the appropriate basin and await their

picture in future experiences.

snack.

Cooking … Although breading and/or

Andrew Grossman ’96 has

flouring the squid pieces produces a

been teaching for six years. He

classic calamari, I like to be creative

joined The Haverford School

with soy and oyster sauces, garlic,

white pepper, and other exotic ingredients to create a marinade that might be reminiscent of the Far East.

97

faculty in 2002.

The Human Calculator Middle School Spanish

Objective: The purpose of this lesson is to increase the students’ aptitude in the expression of quantities in Spanish. The boys are challenged not only to speak, but to think in Spanish.

Gerhard Reich, Ph.D.

Narrative: This is an exercise we do at the beginning of the I

Form (seventh-grade) Spanish class. The boys have just learned the numbers one to twenty. They are able to count in Spanish, and they know the simple task of basic mathematic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in their new language.

First, the students count in consecutive order from one to however many there are in the class. Each student has to remember his number and represents that number for the game. Then I ask them simple math questions: What is five plus seven? The boys who represent number five and seven have to stand up. The solution to that problem, number twelve, has to stand up as well, restate and solve the problem: “five plus seven is twelve.” This is much more difficult than it sounds. It requires the memorization of all the numbers and the vocabulary for basic mathematical manipulation. It also requires the ability to hear fine nuances in language. For example: “dos mas doce” (two plus twelve) are very hard to distinguish, since they sound almost identical. This makes the boys pay close attention, and it trains their ears in a way that a regular exercise would never accomplish.

98

Reflection: There are several reasons why this exer-

novices. The Human Calculator lets the boys ex-

cise works. Each and every boy has to pay attention.

perience the sequence of numbers with a physical

Since it requires the “numbers” to stand up, each

response and creates a spatial memory. They will

boy is on alert. They have to hear and recognize the

never forget the difference between “dos” (two) and

numbers in the problem and know the mathematical

“doce” (twelve) since these numbers are situated on

manipulation, since any one of them could be the

totally different spots in the classroom. The boys

solution. This creates funny situations in the class-

also learn teamwork and develop a strategy to solve

room: you might have four or five boys standing up

a problem together.

because some might have misunderstood the math part and others the numbers. The boys then correct one another until they come up with the right trio, restating the problem and solving it. This exercise

Dr. Gerhard Reich has been teaching for sixteen

evolved in one of the classes and the process was

years. He joined The Haverford School faculty in

perfected by several Forms of Haverford Spanish

1999.

99

Liechtenstein Project

The students work in teams of two or three to create

Middle School Art II Form (eighth-grade)

one large comic book frame. They work in teams so that they can collaborate and combine their skills with other students. The students base their comic

Objective: The boys explore

still on a faculty member. They use digital camer-

technical aspects of Liechten-

as to capture a photograph of them “caught in ac-

stein’s work, such as primary

tion” and work from the photo for their final piece.

color use, optical mixture, and

The photo should reference the style of the stills in

illustrative/simplified

Liechtenstein’s art and more general comic book art,

contour

where the character is engaged in their activity, and

lines.

not posing for the camera. They learn a grid tech-

Joyce Chan

nique to enlarge and render the fundamental contour

Narrative: In one of my most dynamic projects, the

lines of their subject. After the subject is rendered,

boys study the work of Roy Liechtenstein and cre-

they create a setting for it. Here they can reference

ate large format comic-book style frames depicting

other Lichtenstein and comic-style elements, such

faculty members. The project works particularly

as text/thought bubbles, action symbols, onomato-

well with my II Form (eighth-grade) students. They

poeia, and background simplification.

experiment with optical mixture in an exercise using primary color strips of paper that are arranged

Reflection: The project works well with boys for

and “mixed” on a page to create new colors when

several reasons. It allows them to interact and be in-

viewed at a distance.

volved with faculty, their peers, and the contemporary art world in new ways. The students are excited about the opportunity to select a faculty member for their subject and get them involved in the project.

The project becomes a vehicle for them to use art as a way to show their appreciation and also connect with their teachers outside of the classes that these teachers teach. Unlike more traditional projects, this one also allows the students to work together on a single piece since the grid technique allows different students to be working on different areas of the large piece simultaneously. The scale of the project

100

also engages the boys. It is a lot larger than what

In addition to new media, it is important for boys

they are used to working with, and this brings them

to interact and be exposed to modern art through

a new challenge. Working in teams, along with the

contemporary and controversial artists. They are

large scale, results in a final piece that looks im-

able to engage with Liechtenstein’s work quickly

pressive and more sophisticated than a lot of them

since many are familiar with comic books. More-

thought they could complete. They take pride in

over, their familiarity with the style as a commer-

the finished work. Because the faculty is already

cial art form allows them to begin asking pertinent

involved, positive feedback is generated across the

questions regarding what defines “art.” Beyond the

school community, which reinforces the boys’ con-

art world, they learn to promote their intellect and

fidence and excitement in their work.

think critically by learning to question and analyze what is in front of them.

Getting to use digital cameras in the beginning is another selling point for the boys who jump at the opportunity to use gadgets. But more importantly, and beyond a digital photography assignment, this

Joyce Chan has been teaching for three years. She

project shows the boys a way to use technology as a

joined The Haverford School faculty in 2006. She

useful tool in art but not a replacement for it.

is currently on sabbatical at La Sorbonne.

101

Fortune Cookie Playwriting Middle School Drama

ing from plot and action. After they complete the written plot outline, they can eat their fortune cookie – a quick reward. They then perform their idea

Objective: The intent of this

on stage under the stage lights. The special lights

lesson is to introduce the boys to

are also a motivating reward for them. The lesson

the playwriting process and its

continues through the next class period where I

mechanics. The lesson employs

have them create their own list of beliefs that they

challenging concepts, the use of

feel are important. For example, a boy may state, “I

contemporary samples, healthy

believe no one has the right to bully others.� It is a

competition, and quick, tangible

timed, silent writing exercise. The boys that give a

rewards. These methods inspire

strong effort are rewarded with the opportunity to

the boys to incorporate new and difficult ideas into

share their main belief with the class. As a group

their work.

they begin to brainstorm about how they would in-

Lori Reed

corporate their main belief into a play. They include Narrative: An early part of the playwriting process

a character and a situation.

is to create a theme or a central idea. The I Form (seventh-grade) playwriting class lesson begins

Reflection: This lesson works because we use con-

when the boys are reminded that every individual

temporary samples that the boys are interested in,

has a unique voice. They each have something that

quick rewards, and light competition. They are able

only they can get across to an audience. They are

to write, perform, and speak their ideas and that

given our working definition of theme: the central

helps the boys discover their own voices. It gives

idea that emerges from the dramatic action of the

them confidence to reach the yearlong goal of writ-

play. The first theme-based exercise is to have them

ing an original one-act play.

create a sketch with improvised dialogue and a written plot outline based on the fortune from a fortune cookie. In small groups, the boys work to spin the fortune of their cookies into a theme for their sketch. They must have the theme emerge from the dramatic action and not be simply stated in the dialogue. We talk about movies they know and plays they may have seen that have their core idea emerg-

102

This lesson is best pitched to boys because it takes a

moods and hopes in dialogue that he may have never

difficult, challenging concept and breaks it down so

felt comfortable to express in a group. The other boys

every boy can understand it. I believe boys are more

responded with appreciation and acted it out on stage

apt to commit to a lesson when they know it is a

quite convincingly. I really saw that boy begin to open

challenge; however, it needs to be a challenge where

up as he directed the others, and the other young ac-

every boy has a chance to be successful. I have no-

tors commented on how they also could relate to the

ticed that boys need a creative way to engage them

protagonist’s need for a deeper connection with fam-

in deeper conversation. Nevertheless, once involved

ily and friends. They feel especially safe when it is

in the activity of sharing they feel proud of what

a single-sex environment. Once the stage lights go

they have to say to the class.

on, they become free to create. This lesson allows everyone to have a chance to be in the limelight and

This year a reserved boy shared with the class his

it gives the boys a lot of room to be successful, cre-

belief statements. He took a risk and pronounced that

ative, and to have their voices heard.

every boy has the right to have a true friend. He went on to create a play based on that theme and was voted

Lori Reed has been teaching for sixteen years. She

by his peers to act out his work in class. He expressed

joined The Haverford School faculty in 2002.

103

Upper School Lessons

105

“Haverford’s teachers remain focused on what is best for boys, and they continue to light the fires of intellectual passion in their students.”

- Tom Stambaugh ’90

UPPER SCHOOL LESSONS Tom Stambaugh ’90

to cling to – something that might provide structure

“A Sturdy Spar to Cling to …”

All is not golden in the misty hues of my memory.

and meaning to one losing his way. Members of the Haverford faculty provided that stability.

Many of the darker corners of an all-male commuThe first sentence in my yearbook

nity existed then – verbal harassment, bullying, ho-

paragraph reads, “I cried when my mommy dropped

mophobia, misogyny, and intolerance in its many

me off in front of Van Pelt Hall.” On the opening

forms. But the brighter spots of my memory are

day of the 1980-81 school year, this eight-year-old

filled with teachers who made an effort to introduce

watched his mother drive away and abandon him

me to the world of ideas.

to what seemed a cruel fate. As I started to climb the stone steps moments later, I was greeted with

Steve Dall widened for me the world of classical

an exceptionably warm smile by Mrs. Liddell, my

mythology that had been opened by Tom Worth

new third-grade teacher. She welcomed me heartily,

years before, Jeff Erskine exposed me to the won-

helped me brush back the tears, and led me to my new home.

With the exception of seven years of study and teaching elsewhere, I haven’t left that home. Teaching at Haverford is, of course, much more than a job to me. My work here is deeply personal. I am compelled to work with young men joined by the spirit of camaraderie and in pursuit of intellectual, artistic, athletic, and moral growth.

Recollections of my experience as an Upper School student largely center around confusion. Not yet focused on academic success and lost in the sea of adolescent uncertainty about self, friends, love, family, and the future, I was searching for a sturdy spar

107

ders of Shakespeare in our study of Macbeth – a text I currently teach to our IV Form (tenth grade). Sam Heed and Steve Reilly offered the complexities of American and European history. Edward Hallowell and Bob Peck sealed the deal by showing me that reading literature closely and reflecting on its lessons could enliven and sustain a rich life.

These teachers lived their subjects. All indulged in the art of digression, leaping from the topic at hand to analogies in other literary forms or from their own personal experience. They offered themselves to their charges, and we paid attention to what mattered most. They also knew how to run a tight ship.

Classroom discipline with the best of Haverford’s teachers was rarely a problem – they gave us enough structure to work toward success. As a teacher now working on his second decade in the classroom, I have the pleasure of being a colleague of some of these exceptional teachers. Our faculty has grown

community has happily grown much more tolerant

to include a much more diverse group of educators

of difference; there are now many ways to be a suc-

who endeavor to keep the best of the school’s tradi-

cessful man here at Haverford.

tions and to strive ever onward in refining, revisiting, and redefining what it means to be a Haverford

I am honored to serve as a member of this faculty.

School graduate.

I am enriched by the experience of working with young men whose confusion is, perhaps, equal to

Students often ask me what has changed since

my own at their age. They, too, are looking for the

my student days. While the physical world of the

sturdy spar to cling to, awash in the sea of adoles-

School has altered considerably, the essence of the

cence, threatened by the storms of an uncertain

place has not. Haverford’s teachers remain focused

world. While no Upper School student cries on the

on what is best for boys, and they continue to light

first day of school as his parent drives away, he is

the fires of intellectual passion in their students. The

still afraid of his place in our community and in the

108

world. The job of The Haverford School teacher is

to reflect on their development as scientists. Latin

to help him brush back that uncertainty and mount

teacher Sarah Adkins helps the young men summon

the steps with confidence to find a lively, engaging

their muse in rewriting the ending of Jason and the

home at school.

Argonauts. Gerry Rooney has his engineering students design an “ideal car” that requires them to ap-

The following sampling of Upper School “best les-

ply their understanding of the subject to perhaps the

sons” provides diverse snapshots of the innovative

most important possession in their lives. Andrew

teaching firing the minds of the current generation of

Poolman makes grammar study more palatable by

Haverford students. Mark Fifer’s approach to Chi-

changing scenery and employing a Spanish-only

nese history makes use of debate – a frequent choice

approach to verb forms.

for teachers eager to use low-level competition to bring out a hunger for excellence on the part of our

Veteran music teacher Michael Stairs delves past

boys. Ben Rein’s study of practical economics is a

the notes to help students see how the psychology

“life-changing lesson” – one that our VI Form and

of Beethoven in his later years is reflected in his

alums comment upon as an eye-opening experience

famous “Symphony No. 9.” Edward Hallowell’s

about the challenge of managing personal finances.

comparison of two characters from the III Form

Rob Upton takes his boys to the field to measure

(ninth-grade) English curriculum displays his wide-

ideal trajectories of the shotput, wedding math and

ranging intellect and an approach finely honed in

sport in ways sure to engage his students.

the classroom during the past several decades.

Brett Boham’s unique presentation on the Weird

Each of these lessons provides a window into

Sisters of Macbeth helps his students understand

Haverford classrooms in which professional educa-

that canonical work in new and interesting ways.

tors craft their lessons toward what they know will

Rebecca Smedley’s creative take on major charac-

work best for boys. Many of these lessons are now

ters from American literature helps the young men

keystones in the curriculum, the kinds of lessons

take ideas out of their original context for lively

students remember clearly because they were cre-

comparisons.

ative and effective.

The theremin project of Jamison Maley allows students to share practical application of electronics.

Carol O’Brien’s revisiting of the egg drop project

Tom Stambaugh ’90 has taught for fourteen years.

for VI Form (twelfth-grade) students allows boys

He joined The Haverford School faculty in 1997.

109

Era of One Hundred Schools: The Debate

in a society, and the role of military in a society.

Each group has the opportunity to present their views (based on their assigned philosophy) on the

Upper School History

selected debate topics. In addition, for each debate

Objective: The unit mainly focuses on Taoism, Confucianism, and Legalism, three of the most prominent philosophies that emerge during the Chou dynasty also known as “The Era of

Mark Fifer

One Hundred Schools.� In order to get my students more famil-

iar with the basic concepts of these philosophies, I have them engage in a debate.

topic there is a rebuttal period in which groups have the opportunity to refute and/or challenge the statements of other groups.

After the central debate topics, students are exposed to a variety of modern-day images (projected on the whiteboard) and must comment on them in accordance with their assigned philosophy. The images are representative of significant issues facing our modern world: global warming, welfare, current military conflicts, economic policy, social program-

Narrative: During a III Form (ninth-grade) survey of Ancient China, I present a unit on the various philosophical developments that emerge during the latter part of this period. I split the class up into

ming, as well as many others. This portion of the lesson allows students to apply the core ideologies of their philosophy to modern issues. The debate ends with concluding remarks.

three groups and assign each group a philosophy.

Students are then expected to research the central belief system of their philosophy. Students must argue that the belief system is the most productive way to organize a society.

The opening statement requires students to provide a broad overview of the core concepts of their philosophy and present main arguments as to why their philosophy is the best way to manage a society. Students then debate on three topics: the role of government in a society, the role of education

110

Reflection: Structured, yet creative This lesson works because it presents clear parameters with the predetermined debate topics, while also allowing for innovative and improvisational commentary during the rebuttal period. Not only does this combination accommodate different learning styles, but it also fuels the competitive nature of the activity.

Coercive engagement I have found that if boys feel as though they are not playing a primary role in an activity then they are prone to disengage. This lesson does not allow students to be passive; active participation by all team

day issues. This activity traditionally elicits some

members is required and rewarded.

great post-debate discussions on how some of the concepts of each philosophy relate to our modern society.

Comparative Requiring the students to become “experts� on one philosophy provides them with a foundation

Competition

of knowledge that they can use to identify how the

The competitive nature of this lesson is undoubt-

other two philosophies differ. This technique is es-

edly the driving force behind its success. Boys are

pecially effective with boys who often need a clear

energized by the possibility of finding flaws in the

point of reference in order to comprehend complex

analysis of other group members. Witnessing a

subject matter.

group of students enthusiastically debating the relative advantages of adopting a Taoist belief system

Relevance

as opposed to a Confucian belief system proves the

Boys especially need to feel as if the informa-

benefit of integrating competition into this activity.

tion that they are learning is relevant to their lives.

Asking students to provide commentary from the perspective of their own philosophy after viewing modern-day images allows them to apply the ab-

Mark Fifer has been teaching for six years. He

stract qualities of their school of thought to present-

joined The Haverford School faculty in 2004.

111

Personal Finance Project Upper School Economics

Personal

Objective: Students should learn

Finance

to use basic Excel spreadsheet

Project is an

skills, develop an understanding

offshoot of this

of the basic “cost of living” on

student’s ques-

their own as an adult, and write a

tion.

reaction to the “content thought”

Ben Rein

for the project in light of their work and research. In other words,

they must learn a practical skill with a real computer application, put meaning behind the money we are discussing, and then reflect on this work in order to think more critically about the life they currently live and think they will live in the future.

The lesson starts with the following content thought written on the board and on the assignment sheet: “Money should be an important consideration as you make your life/career choices.” The content thought is intentionally written to not project a certain answer/outcome for the boys.

There is no “right” answer, only a conclusion that each individual must draw based on their work and

Narrative: One of my best students did “A” work all year, yet it was the question he asked on the last

reflection. Next, the purpose of the project is explained to the boys.

day of class that made me rethink how and what I teach in the course. Smart, articulate, and thought-

They are to imagine that they are twenty-seven

ful, in many ways he was the model of what we

years old and single. They must look forward and

hope to produce at Haverford. After covering all

choose a career, a place to live, and then analyze

of the nuance and detail of micro and macro eco-

and project their monthly and annual costs of liv-

nomics for two semesters, on the last day I asked

ing and organize these on an Excel spreadsheet. All

the boys if there was anything else they wanted to

of the calculation formulas on the spreadsheet must

know. This student raised his hand and said, “How

work, the inputs and outputs on the spreadsheet

do you write a check?”

must be based on sound research. Once they have researched and completed their initial spreadsheet

Here was a successful eighteen-year-old Haverford

model, the young men are instructed to add new as-

student, and he did not know how to write a check.

sumptions and “life events” to observe the impact.

It made me wonder what other “practical” econom-

The boys work as a class and individually to de-

ic realities were escaping the boys in our care. The

termine monthly inputs and monthly outputs for a

112

twenty-seven-year-old single male with a career of

They live on the Main Line of Philadelphia. Both of

their choice. The boys do this during a week of class

the children attend independent high schools (assume

time, and every day we project one student’s work

$23,000 a year each), they have a second car, a four-

on the board to serve as the basis for questions and

bedroom house with three-and-a-half bathrooms (us-

discussion. They justify their inputs/outputs with

ing realtor.com to search this price point). They take

independent sources, and they use them to calculate

one family vacation for at least ten days a year, and

the estimated cost of their lives at twenty-seven.

both of the children attend six weeks of summer programs/camps etc. They are members at a pool club

Then the students are asked to create two new spread-

or country club. They think about how much more

sheets. On the first, they make only a few changes.

they would have to spend on food, clothes, heat, etc.

The young men keep all outputs on the spreadsheet

and make the adjustments accordingly. They observe

the same, but go online and find the average income

what happens to their annual savings/debt.

for a family of four living in their “home” city in the United States. They put this amount into the salary

Reflection: The lesson is framed on what works

bar of the spreadsheet and zero out any investment

best for teaching boys. It is intentional, practical,

income, second jobs, gifts, etc., from the initial input

and involves tangible, hands-on, independent re-

box. They observe what happens to their annual sav-

search with clear guidelines for the work, expecta-

ings/debt. On the second update, the students keep

tions, and outcome. The purpose of this assignment

their original salary from page one, but add the fol-

is to give the young men a “real world” appreciation

lowing outputs. They now have two kids and a wife.

for the value of money and the cost of living. The final written evaluation of these three spreadsheets and the discussions in class about the cost of living, trade-offs with life choices, the sacrifices parents have made, and the world of privilege they already inhabit are invaluable and probably the best part of the entire class. This project gets the students fully involved not just in their education, but in their lives, and with its clear structure and tangible, hands-on activities, it promotes the best practices of how to be effective and intentional when educating boys.

Ben Rein has sixteen years of teaching experience.

He joined The Haverford School faculty in 1996.

113

Projectile Motion Lesson for PreCalculus Upper School Math

Objective: The point of this lesson is to show the students that we can gain a better understanding of how things work through math. They learn how to create a mathematical model for motion

Robert Upton

in two dimensions using parametric equations.

Narrative: Parametric equations are used to compute an x and y coordinate based on another variable, usually time. This allows us to model the mo-

After a short demonstration on proper shotput tech-

tion of something both horizontally and vertically

nique, each student is coached through some prac-

as a function of the time the particle has traveled.

tice with the shot, and then we film two attempts by

Parametric equations are frequently used to create

each student. A meter stick is placed vertically next

a graph for the motion of a thrown or fired object

to the shotput circle for scale. The distance of each

such as a ball or a rocket. In this lesson the projec-

throw is also measured for an additional data point.

tile we use is a high school shotput weighing twelve

The film is then downloaded to a computer and, by

pounds, and each student creates a mathematical

using the software program Videopoint, each stu-

model for the path of his throw.

dent creates a series of data points for his throw.

After we’ve introduced the concept of parametric

The Videopoint program displays the path of each

equations and worked through a few examples, we

throw, and the position of the shot in each frame of

then determine mathematically what should be the

the film is given an x and y coordinate. These points

“ideal” angle of release of the shot to achieve the

are then downloaded into the student’s calculator so

greatest distance. With this information in hand, we

they can do an analysis of the data to create a math-

head out to the shotput circle.

ematical model of the throw.

114

Once the model is created, we can analyze the throw

the “real world” situation is not what is “optimum”

to determine the angle of release, the initial velocity

from the mathematical perspective.

of the shot, and the distance of the throw. We then compare the angle of release and distance of the

Reflection: There are a number of things that boys

throw both from the predictions of our model and

love to do, simply because they are boys. They like

direct measurement from the video. Often the pre-

to compete, they like to throw things, and they like

dicted and observed values do not match perfectly.

to use technology. This lesson allows them to do

This usually leads to a

all of these things

good discussion of er-

while we learn to cre-

ror within mathemati-

ate a mathematical

cal models and how to

model for motion in

deal with discrepan-

two dimensions using

cies created.

parametric equations.

The young men enjoy

This is usually the

this project because

third or fourth model-

it brings mathematics

ing project we work

into a very real situa-

on, so the boys have

tion for them. It stokes

a good sense of where

their competitive fire

errors creep into a

during the data gath-

mathematical model.

ering, but they work

Because of the use of

cooperatively to help

the videotape, this project usually has very little er-

each other create their own mathematical model. It

ror due to the large number of data points.

gives them a chance to see that even in something as ancient as the shotput, mathematics may lead us to a

The final part of the project is to create a model from

better understanding of how things work.

the winning throw in the shotput for the most recent Olympic Games. In analyzing this model, the boys discover that even the best shotputters do not throw with the “ideal” angle of release. It is interesting

Rob Upton has thirty years of teaching experience.

for them to learn that often the best performance in

He joined The Haverford School faculty in 2001.

115

Witchcraft and Terrorism in Macbeth

“Witchcraft and Terrorism” begins with a student performance.

Upper School English

Three students perform

Objective: To teach the importance of cultural and historical context in the interpretation of Shakespearean drama, as well as to stress the continuing relevance of Shakespeare to contemporary

Brett Boham

audiences.

the first half of Act 1, Scene 3, in which Macbeth encounters the Witches for the first time. The students are encouraged to make decisions based on their reading of the scene (i.e. to portray the Witches in a way that reflects their understanding of the character) – and they are graded on the creativity and sincerity of their performance.

This is followed by a brief discussion of both the

Narrative: In order to maximize the potential of

scene itself and the students’ performance of the

Macbeth for a classroom of teenage boys, it is es-

scene, during which the young men are encour-

sential to plug them into the story through active

aged to speak to each other rather than solely to the

involvement, to challenge them with thought-pro-

teacher. The primary focus of the discussion is the

voking units that bridge the gap between Renais-

characterization of the Witches: How are they por-

sance London and post-Modern America, and, fi-

trayed? How do they act? What do you think they

nally, to balance the inevitable abstractness of the

look like? Are they comic? Fearsome? Dangerous?

classroom discourse with concrete instructions on

Pathetic? Powerful? Weak? In addition, the discus-

assignments and examinations that allow them to

sion focuses on Shakespeare’s use of wordplay,

structure their work time and measure their devel-

most notably his use of puns. Following the discus-

opment. The lesson of mine that best exemplifies

sion, five different students perform the remainder

these three principles is a two-day exploration of

of the scene during which Macbeth and Banquo

the complex relationship between witchcraft and

encounter the Witches for the first time. They are

terrorism in the early seventeenth century and its

graded according to the same rubric. A brief discus-

influence on Shakespeare’s portrayal of the three

sion follows according to the same structure men-

Witches in Macbeth. The lesson combines perfor-

tioned above, after which the students are asked to

mance, discussion, close reading, and secondary

write down five adjectives from their vocabulary list

source analysis.

that describe the Witches.

116

Homework

cerns, but are political terrorists devoutly devoted to

• Read News from Scotland by King James I. In

the overthrow of the government, at least according

this reading, James I, King of England in the early

to people in positions of power. I ask them to write

seventeenth century, argues that a recent outbreak

a brief response in their writing journals to the fol-

of witchcraft in England and Scotland is directly

lowing question: Are the Witches in Macbeth por-

tied to, and even responsible for, acts of political

trayed as terrorists? After the writing assignment,

anarchy and revolution, including numerous assas-

the class concludes with a group discussion sharing

sination attempts on the King himself.

their answers to this question.

• Write down five adjectives that James I would use

Reflection: This is a great lesson because it is di-

to describe witches.

verse without being confusing. The type of instruction changes several times throughout the course of

Next day, in class

the lesson, but never lacks clear directions or ob-

After the students have finished reading the text,

jectives. Second, it allows for physical expression

I ask if anyone wrote down “terrorist” as one his

within clearly-defined boundaries. The content is

five words. Then, I make a proposition: in Shake-

designed to be interesting, relevant, and provoca-

speare’s cultural context, “witches” are not creepy

tive. Macbeth is an ideal text for IV Formers (tenth-

forest creatures detached from “real world” con-

grade), holding their attention with its suspenseful, blood-drenched narrative long enough to allow thorough explorations of such complex concepts as gender, power, justice, mortality, and free will.

When I was a young man, Macbeth made a significant impact on my intellectual development, demonstrating the potential of an early modern text to feel vital, powerful, and engrossing. As a teacher, I now hear the same reactions from students, many of whom discover in Macbeth a dynamic magnetism that they had assumed nonexistent in Shakespeare.

Brett Boham has been teaching for three years. He joined The Haverford School faculty in 2006.

117

Literary Talk Show

have to come to class prepared to answer questions

Upper School English

“in character”; they have to know themselves well enough to respond in a convincing manner, consis-

Objective: To help the boys pre-

tent with all that they have said or done in their piece

pare fort their midterm exam,

of literature. They bring in a typed outline of their

by revisiting the texts we’ve

character traits, with supporting textual evidence

read and demonstrating an un-

outlined in detail. They also bring in one specific

derstanding of the characters in

question for every other guest on the show. David

those texts.

Letterman has to come to class with two questions

Rebecca Smedley

prepared for each guest. His questions can address the guest’s feelings toward another character in his/

Narrative: V Form (eleventh-grade) English at

her own novel or in another text; he can also so-

The Haverford School is a survey of American lit-

licit his guest’s views on contemporary American

erature. We read One

life (religion, politics,

Flew Over the Cuck-

war, health care, gov-

oo’s Nest, The Scar-

ernment,

let Letter, selections

freedom of speech,

from Emerson, Tho-

gay rights, etc.).

education,

reau, Whitman, and Douglass out of The

The boys have a week

Norton Anthology, A

to prepare for this ex-

Streetcar Named De-

ercise, and each stu-

sire, The Great Gats-

dent is graded on how

by, and The Adven-

truthfully and thor-

tures of Huckleberry

oughly he represents

Finn. For the mid-

his assigned character

term exam review, I

(Letterman is graded

assign each young man in the class a character from

on the thoughtfulness and appropriateness of his

one of our first semester texts. In addition, I assign

questions). Each student has a name placard and

one student to be David Letterman. The assignment

cup of water at his desk, to simulate a formal talk

is to prepare for The Late Show where David Let-

show environment. Many choose to come in cos-

terman interviews his literary guests. The “guests”

tume: Hester Prynne wore her scarlet, embroidered

118

“A” on her blazer lapel, and Arthur Dimmesdale

specific strengths and preferences. Boys like to be

had his “A” hidden on his undershirt. I sit as an

active and engaged in class; this talk show allows

“audience member,” taking notes on how well the

them to “act out” literally and be actively engaged

students represent their assigned character in their

“in character” throughout the class. Boys also enjoy

questions and answers. What ensues is a lively and

being irreverent and indulging their humor; this les-

entertaining discussion, with every member of the

son allows for the spontaneous, competitive, “one-

class involved. Because the students have to inter-

upmanship” of appropriate humor in the give and

act with other characters from the other texts, they

take of the discussion on our “show.” Boys need

are well prepared for the exam; they have to know

structure with some degree of latitude; this talk

their assigned text well enough to impersonate their

show provides that. They know the “rules” ahead

character and they have to know the other texts well

of time, they have to take the assignment seriously

enough to ask and answer questions from those oth-

because it is graded, yet there is room for the spon-

er characters.

taneous and the irreverent. Ultimately, the talk show offers a thorough, effective, and fun review of the

Reflection: The talk show works particularly well

exam material.

with boys because it is hands-on and allows them to be active participants in their learning process.

In addition, it showcases their spontaneous wit and

Rebecca Smedley has been teaching for thirteen

includes a certain level of competition in the ques

years. She joined The Haverford School faculty in

tion-and-answer format, playing to some gender-

2004.

119

The Theremin

Upper School Science Objective: To teach the boys the process of building circuits of greater and greater complexity until they arrive at the final project of constructing a working theremin

umph of electrical engineering and physics, and relies

– no easy task.

on several essential concepts of the sciences.

Narrative: When I was a boy of

Reflection: Boys, as kinesthetic learners, learn by

ten or eleven, electronics fascinat-

doing. As the young men build various types of cir-

ed me. Looking back on those early days spent build-

cuits to accomplish certain objectives in the course,

ing circuits, assembling and re-assembling radios,

“learning by doing” is at the very heart of what we

and causing general mischief, the memories of those

do. Through the act of building the theremin piece by

activities remain as distinct snapshots of true Ameri-

piece, section by section, the student can witness each

cana, a classic part of an American boy’s experiences

of the concepts coming to life on their circuit boards.

to which many young people today are tragically los-

While the notion of a “Colpitts oscillator” may be

ing access. A large part of the success of this course

challenging as an abstraction explained on the chalk-

and of the theremin project, is the fact that the very

board, there is no substitute for the satisfaction as well

nature of the subject keys directly into the marrow of

as the deeper understanding the boys garner as they

boys’ learning while the project relies on those skills

physically design and install their Colpitts oscillator

that resonate viscerally with boys.

through their mettle and newly acquired skills.

The theremin is the last circuit project of the year in

Boys like to feel that they have some input, some voice

electronics. It was invented by Léon Theremin and is

in the direction of the class. Electronics class operates

a musical instrument that can be played without actu-

by a fairly democratic process. Last year, after scour-

ally touching it – the pitch and volume are controlled

ing the Internet, two of my students opted to work on

by the distance of the operator’s hands from the two

a much more sophisticated theremin model than the

respective antennae. While once considered a legiti-

already challenging schematic I had given. This year,

mate addition to the classical realm, the theremin un-

two more students decided that they wanted more of

fortunately took a detour into the high camp of 1950s

a challenge as well. As musicians, they wanted to be

sci-fi films and that is where it resides in the minds of

able to take the instrument home with them to use in

most people. Regardless, the theremin remains a tri-

their own compositions! I felt that it would be quite

Jamison Maley

120

formidable to solder such a complicated circuit and was concerned that the boys would never finish it in

tary called Theremin – An Electronic Odyssey, which details the history of the theremin.

time. It was important to the boys that they were given the chance.

Boys need “real world” relevance, content that has an immediate application. This is a fact that is met with every circuit the students build during the course. In terms of the theremin, the concepts underpinning the instrument can be found everywhere in the lives of our young men. Whether it is the premise of a metal detector, the automatic changing of a traffic light, or literally anything involving radio transmissions, there is some facet or building block of the theremin at work.

Boys need structure and must be given manageable chunks. The introductory lecture systematically builds on the concepts in class until the greater picture of how the instrument works slowly begins to emerge.

Once the boys are presented with the content, they set to work on their circuits – a process that is also highly structured. Our building chronology epitomizes the notion of “manageable chunks” as students are encouraged with a high-lighter to build the circuit in sections each day using their own self-generated timeline.

Boys need to be challenged by content requiring higher order and conceptual thinking. The boys must not only digest sophisticated concepts in electrical engineering and physics, make unique forays into calculus, and recognize different types of oscillator designs, but they must also use their imaginations to put all of it together in such a way that a musical instrument can emerge.

Boys need to cultivate mutual respect with other students and learn social and cooperative skills. By the time the boys arrive at the Theremin project in December, they have already worked through challenging circuit projects. In that time, the boys have bonded with their lab mates and have learned to recognize and appreciate each other’s specific skills. I have never seen a better example of teamwork, cooperation, and gumption than when the boys prepare themselves to build their theremins. The collective pride, high-fiving, and loud declarations of affirmation that come from groups as they slowly bring a circuit to life is a wonderful thing to witness.

Jamison Maley has been teaching for eight years. He

Boys need to be given a range of teaching techniques.

joined The Haverford School faculty in 2005.

The building component of the theremin project aside, the lecture preceding the build draws on various approaches to guide the students through fairly challenging terrain. While most of the information is passed on through lecture, there are prop demonstrations, video demonstrations, and a riveting documen-

121

Egg Drop Revisited

data collection and analysis are much improved.

Upper School Science

They are more prepared to present their ideas in a cogent and cohesive fashion. Most significantly,

Objective: The challenge – de-

they are no less enthusiastic about the potential suc-

sign a vehicle to carry two eggs

cess of the vehicle they design and, perhaps, more

down a three-story drop to a con-

excited about the execution of the flight.

crete landing – intact. They are to justify design, collect data to

The boys build their vehicles at home on their own

predict outcome, and then ex-

and the vehicles are tested in class. This requires

ecute the drop. The purpose, as

cooperation and invites comparison. There is no

stated by a former student in his

“best” criteria, but the boys thrive on competition

final paper, “is to combine all of

and impose their own sense of contest. They strive

our understanding of previous physics topics that

to beat their “old” vehicle and each others’ new de-

were covered over the course of the semester and

sign. Paradoxically, they work together to collect

use that knowledge to transport two eggs within the

data that assures each boy has the ability to know

same vehicle safely from the third story of the gym

whether or not his vehicle is likely to succeed – and

to the ground in a single fall. In order to construct

they can’t help but offer each other advice for tweak-

Carol O’Brien

our vehicle, we are allowed to use forty straws, a reasonable quantity of adhesive, and the equivalent of two 8 ½ x 11 sheets of any paper product.”

Narrative: The VI Form (twlefth-grade) students may elect to take a second physics course. One of the highlights of the III Form (ninth-grade) course is an egg drop project, in which the boys must engineer sufficient protection for an egg to survive intact from a drop of thirty feet. Those boys who elect the second course are given the opportunity to approach the project again – this time armed with a significant math advantage. The physics concepts learned during III Form have been reinforced and enhanced with mathematic clarity. Their skills in

122

ing the final product to make it just a little bit better.

presentation of data is exquisite in its detail. Graphs

The individual project becomes a team activity as

are labeled and analyzed. Calculations are detailed.

they work to make sure everyone has data. The in-

Reasonable predictions are made. Honest reserva-

dividual undertaking becomes a class enterprise as

tions are stated.

they approach execution – they want to be the group with the largest number of successful vehicles rath-

Reflection: The outcome of the drop does not in-

er than just the guy with the one that didn’t break.

fluence the project grade; however this in no way

They compete not only with

lessens the significance of

themselves and their class-

the drop for the boys – they

mates but also with classes

want a successful landing.

past and future.

This project requires imagination, follow-through, and

The students must both exe-

analysis. The boys must de-

cute and present their design.

sign and build independently,

They are challenged to make

collect and manipulate data

choices – which adhesive,

cooperatively, predict using

which paper product. While

prior experience and recently

there is no grade for aesthetic

acquired knowledge, pres-

appearance, they struggle to

ent their findings in a paper,

produce an elegant machine.

and finally test the vehicle in

Hands-on learning keeps the

a public forum that has been

boy invested in the process. The boys are called on

nothing but supportive in my experience at The

to actively demonstrate not only what they know,

Haverford School. The boys at once stand on their

but how they know it and to explain it in a manner

own, with a lab group, with a class, and with all

that shows intellectual ownership. The papers they

those who have accepted the same academic chal-

produce are exemplary in content and design. They

lenge in years past. They are quite open and delight-

provide extensive background information detailing

fully competitive with their desire to have their ve-

the essential physics topics: gravity, inertia, impulse,

hicle occupy a space on the “Wall of Fame.”

momentum, acceleration, velocity, terminal velocity, air resistance, force, kinetic energy, potential energy,

Carol O’Brien has been teaching for twenty-three

the theory of conservation of energy, and work. They

years. She joined The Haverford School faculty in

detail their procedure, often diagrammatically. Their

1999.

123

Automotive Design

The VI Form (twelfth-grade) engineering class, in

Upper School Science

teams of two, is asked to design the perfect car for an eighteen-year-old male. Once the groups have

Gerry Rooney

Objective: Through this lesson

designed their car, the entire class agrees on six im-

the boys learn:

portant criteria to compare each team’s car. These

• Creativity and teamwork in the

criteria may be safety, performance, fuel economy,

design process

style, initial cost, “tricked out,” storage, comfort, etc.

• How to create and use a deci-

The class then divides one hundred points between

sion-making matrix

the chosen six criteria with more points assigned to

• To articulate their ideas to a

those attributes that are deemed more important. I

skeptical group.

do the same but, as a parent, obviously assign the points differently.

In this lesson, points are assigned by consensus process. When the boys see my attribute ratings and

Each team then presents their design to the class.

consider how different my ratings are from their

The rest of the class debates and assigns a number

own, they understand that success depends on the

of points to the car for each criterion. The class be-

features valued by consumers and that you must be

gins to see what customers might value and how

able to determine who your customer is.

their earlier design choices impacted their success.

Narrative: A truism for boys is “tell me and I will

Reflection: I could have constructed the same les-

forget it; show me and I will remember it; involve

son, only instead of a car, the boys would have to

me and I will understand it.” After a lifetime in the

design a washing machine – but that would fail.

engineering business, I learned that the essence of

This lesson works because it taps into a subject that

good engineering is teamwork and the ability to

most young men are interested in: cars. It allows

make good decisions. Therefore, this lesson is de-

them to use their creativity to design something that

signed to involve the students creatively in a group

is both important to them and about which they al-

process. It also introduces them to how a formal

ready have opinions. It also introduces an element

process may be applied to make complex decisions.

of competition. Here, the seemingly boring deci-

If they understand how their future customer may

sion-making process becomes the delivery mecha-

make their decisions, then they will make smarter

nism for this competition. It works at a final level

choices.

of the presentation and point assignment process

124

because the students have to work together to drive

this up with a paper where they describe how they

for consensus when assigning points to the team

designed their car, how well it faired in the deci-

presenting.

sion-making process, and, most importantly, what they learned from that process.

Once this lesson is up and running, my role is to provide structure and guidance. The body of the

After 30 years in industry, Gerry Rooney joined The

lesson is driven by the students. The boys follow

Haverford School faculty in 2004.

Description Possible Point Team 1 Team 2 Team 3

Safety 15 8.5 13 9

Economy 10 6 5 8

Tricked Out 28 25 28 19

125

Storage 9 6 6 8

Power 14 10 8 10

Comfort 24 20 20 22

Total 100 75.5 80 76

Rank 3 1 2

Sports and Spanish

ing yo lanzo (I throw). When the student throws the

Upper School Spanish

ball back to me, I say ĂŠl lanza (he throws). With the new vocabulary, I construct basic sentences and act

Objective: To encourage the re-

out the sentence, and after, the students repeat the

tention of new vocabulary and to

sentence while acting it out.

get the students to practice their

Andrew Poolman

verbal skills through a fast-paced

When the students are familiar with this format, I

exercise that is interesting and

encourage them to create their own sentences. They

fun.

are given time to play each sport and are encouraged to say aloud and in Spanish what they are do-

Narrative: I employ rapid rep-

ing while playing the sport. After more written and

etition, full and frequent class

oral practice with the vocabulary and verb conju-

participation, and theatrical definitions to teach vo-

gations, the final assessment for this unit involves

cabulary for the unit.Using props like a soccer ball

each student acting as the Spanish commentator

or a baseball bat, I try to conduct the class outside

for a sports game while it is shown without sound

or in the gymnasium. I explain in English what we

on the screen. They don’t know what will happen

are going to do. From that point forward, the whole

in their two-minute clip of sports coverage, so the

lesson is in Spanish. I give the students a sheet with

boys must be ready to think quickly in the target

the vocabulary and sentences made from the vocab-

language and express their Spanish thought process

ulary. If the word is mano (hand), I point to my hand

immediately without losing their place in the game.

and I say in Spanish mano twice without using the

I grade the students on their vocabulary variety, cor-

English. The students repeat this as a class. I then

rect verb conjugations, pronunciation, fluidity, and

rapidly point to at least six students to repeat what

enthusiasm.

I have said while holding up their hand so that they may associate the word in Spanish with their hand without translating. We do this for each vocabulary word that the students can visualize, including verbs.

When the time comes for the verbs, not only is a visual definition of the action emphasized but also the correct conjugation is highlighted according to different subjects. For instance, if the verb is lanzar (to throw), I act out a throwing of the ball while say-

126

word, the boy’s brain doesn’t have to translate from English, a step that sometimes serves as an unnecessary intermediary. The oral repetition while performing the action or watching the action also helps to make that association between language and image without translating.

When too much new information is presented to students at once, their minds can shut down and they don’t absorb new material. In this progression from basic vocabulary to full sentences, the new Reflection: As soon as I push the desks aside or I say

words and grammar are added gradually as build-

we are going to the gym, the students become ex-

ing blocks of the final product. By commenting in

cited because they can see that they will be on their

Spanish on their own play or the play of someone

feet, learning on the move. Some might not think of

else, the boys are encouraged to be creative. They

it as a class. Most boys enjoy learning about sports

understand that there is usually more than one cor-

because it is something that they constantly speak

rect answer in using the Spanish language. Consid-

about in English and is on their minds each day. It is

ering a sport in real time requires the students to

possible that the students make a subconscious as-

think and expound quickly in the target language

sociation to their time as a younger boy when they

– a difficult skill to acquire for a learner of a sec-

used to commentate as they played a sport in their

ond language. This lesson also brings the Spanish

backyard. The students also enjoy focusing on the

language to life and removes it from the context of

verbal part of the language and this lesson gives the

their textbook. I witnessed the success of this les-

boys a chance to use the language in an informal

son recently when I was giving an oral exam and

way, as they do in English. The sheet with the vo-

several students responded by pointing to a body

cabulary words gives some who don’t learn well

part as they identified the word in Spanish, show-

orally a chance to link the written words with the

ing the direct association between the object and the

actions and dramatic definitions. Each student can

language.

choose which way of learning the vocabulary works best for him. By visualizing what is happening and

Andrew Poolman has been teaching for six years.

associating the action or object with the Spanish

He joined The Haverford School faculty in 2007.

127

Jason and the Argonauts

boat falling upon the sleeping Jason’ somehow lacked the grandeur or at least imaginative quality of Jason’s previous exploits and adventures. The

Upper School Latin

task now falls to you, then, to rewrite, in the style

Objective: We begin the year in

of our translations of the Latin, the ‘boring’ demise

Latin III translating the legend of

of Jason. Using all your knowledge about Jason and

Jason and his compatriots, the Ar-

the full capacity of your creative genius, write a fit-

gonauts. The story enables us to

ting end to Jason and the story.”

review Latin grammar in context,

Sara Adkins

increase vocabulary, gain facility

Panic immediately ensues as the students, errone-

in translating, and follow the ter-

ously, assume that they are writing this conclusion

rific exploits of an ancient hero.

in Latin – deo nolente! Once they realize that they are writing in English and not Latin, they relax and

Narrative: The boys thoroughly enjoy the more

instantly have a million ideas on what Jason’s fate

“unbelievable” of Jason’s adventures and discuss

should be and how to tell it. Should it sound like

or, shall I say, argue about aspects of the adven-

their literal English translations of the previous Lat-

ture that they like and/or dislike. After almost two

in passages and therefore, actually, quite awkward?

months and approximately four hundred lines of

Or could it read with the flow and grandeur of a

Latin translated, the finale of the story includes

great classical epic? Some try to be as outlandish as

Jason’s wife, Medea, murdering their two sons and

possible, others gruesome, and others as true to the

then escaping in a chariot provided by the god of

basic story as possible. Before they actually begin

the sun. At this point the students are expecting

their own version, we review the stylistic elements

major fireworks from Jason and a gruesome end to

of the Latin stories. Armed with ideas and a frame-

either Jason or Medea or both. Oddly enough, the

work, they have two nights to write their story. In

story concludes with Jason being crushed to death

class each boy then reads his story with as much dra-

by his own boat.

matic flourish as he can muster. We conclude with a class vote on which were the best and worst stories;

The lesson requires the boys to rewrite the conclu-

each year the class determines what is meant by

sion to the adventures of Jason. The following in-

“best” and “worst.” (As might be expected of boys,

structions are given to them: “For several of you,

the title “worst” is almost more proudly carried!)

the ending to our story of Jason and his compatriots,

There is much pandering for votes and the winners

the Argonauts, was not very satisfying. A ‘beached

are awarded prizes – usually replica ancient coins or

128

miniature Roman soldiers, which are much coveted

death by his own boat,” they pursue humor to great

and add to the competitive atmosphere.

lengths with their own stories. There is a competitive component, actually two – write a better ending

Reflection: There is choice involved – boys re-

than our Roman author and the rest of the class, and

spond particularly well when they get to make the

then persuade the class to vote on it as the best or

decision about an assignment. There is creativity

worst as the case may be. And finally a reward is in-

involved – they can make the ending become what-

volved – it often doesn’t matter what the reward is,

ever they feel is appropriate and with as many twists

just that there is one, and you are the one getting it.

and turns as they can create. There is an opportunity to use humor. Inspired by the unintentional humor

Sara Adkins has been teaching for twenty-five years.

they find in the actual ending, “Jason is crushed to

She joined The Haverford School faculty in 1999.

129

Beethoven and the Heiligenstadt Testament

We then discuss the brotherhood of man that is set forth in the “Ode” as contrasted to the personal despair Beethoven noted in the famous Heiligenstadt

Upper School Music

Michael Stairs

Testament. Doctors had treated his deafness with all

Objective: To give the students

sorts of medicines, oils, and herbs. As a last resort,

meaningful insight into the life

he thought his hearing would improve if he left Vi-

of one of the world’s most cel-

enna for six months and went to the quiet village of

ebrated composers and to draw a

Heiligenstadt. But this did not help at all. The fol-

connection between themselves

lowing excerpts are then read from this letter, virtu-

and Beethoven.

ally a final will and testament:

Narrative: The lesson starts with a handout of

“All you who think I am hostile, peevish, or un-

Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9.

friendly, how greatly you wrong me. You do not know

The recorded music starts with the chaotic, dis-

the secret cause which makes me seem so to you …

sonant, ominous tones of the last movement. The

For six years now, I have had an incurable condi-

translation of the baritone soloist’s text states: “O

tion, made worse by incompetent doctors, from year

friends, not these tones! Rather let us sing more

to year deceived with hopes of getting better, finally

pleasant and more joyful ones.”

now forced to accept the prospect of a lasting infirmity … I soon had to withdraw myself, to spend my life

The students then sing the popular theme in German,

alone as an exile … It was impossible for me to say to

singing on scale degree numbers first, then the German

people ‘Speak louder, for I am deaf.’ Ah, how could

of Schiller’s poem: “Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himlische, dein Heiligthum!” Translation: “Joy, beautiful spark of the gods, daughter of Elysium: we are intoxicated with fire, heavenly being, as we enter your sanctuary! Be embraced, millions! This kiss to the entire world. Brothers, above the starry canopy, a loving father must dwell … Run, brothers, run your race; joyful, as a hero going to conquest. Above the starry canopy, a great God will reward you.”

130

I admit weakness of the one sense which should be

emphasis the “loving Father who dwells above the

better in me than others, a sense which I once pos-

stars?” 2. What reasons did Beethoven have for the

sessed in the greatest perfection, a perfection such

bitterness in his life? Is it not ironic that the end of

as few in my profession have ever had? Forgive me

Schiller’s poem states that “joy moves the wheels in

if you saw me draw back when I would gladly have

the universal time machine?”

mingled with you. What humiliation for me when someone standing by heard a flute in the distance

Reflection: Like Beethoven, teenage boys can often

and I heard nothing. A little more such despair and

be rough and gruff in their outward appearance and

I would have ended my life. But only my art held me

behavior to others, yet inside, they are caring and

back. Ah, it seemed impossible to leave the world un-

sensitive as the lonely Beethoven we see revealed in

til I had produced all that I felt was within me. With

the Heiligenstadt Testament. Music and drama tend

joy I hasten towards death. Would not death free me

to bring out the inner feelings of young men that

from an endless state of suffering? Farewell, and do

other disciplines fail to reach. Bad news from col-

not completely forget me when I am dead.”

lege admissions, a pimply complexion, a breakup with a girlfriend, or a divorce at home can spark a teen to exhibit gruffness and anger. Music, drama, and poetry provide emotional outlets for their troubled souls. They also provide some built-in friendships and soul mates who share the same passions.

It is important to have live performance presented by fellow classmates. After these presentations, respect and admiration for their friends’ hard work and talent often soars. They are all engaged in the music in a much deeper way than if the same thing

The lesson concludes with one student performing

is simply played on the stereo. Inspiration from this

a section of a Beethoven violin sonata and another

lesson can be life-changing for many lovers of the

student playing a movement of a Beethoven piano

performing arts.

sonata.

Michael Stairs has been teaching for thirty-eight Questions for the boys: 1. Why do you feel it was

years, He joined The Haverford School faculty in

important for Beethoven, in one of his last works to

1986.

131

A Favorite, Enduring Lesson

Edward Hallowell

text that their creators, John Knowles and William Golding, are their secret admirers. Attracted by risk

Upper School English

taking, by daredevil acrobats, and just as compelled

Nothing gives me greater pleasure

dict, boys are curious, then, to observe the intel-

than playing advocate for two of

lectual gymnastics they think must be required to

contemporary literature’s odd-

justify my claim that, in the most important sense

balls, Leper in John Knowles’s A

imaginable, Simon and Leper are the sharpest boys

Separate Peace and Simon in Wil-

in their books.

by an allegiance to fairness, to rendering a just ver-

liam Golding’s Lord of the Flies. To healthy-minded, optimistic, teenage boys, each of these charac-

In A Separate Peace John Knowles provides a pow-

ters, if not a candidate for the loony bin, is certainly

erful scene that justifies a related claim, one just as

the kind of odd-man-out adolescents dismiss as a

extravagant: the fool can be wise; what looks like the

“nerd” or “geek.” For one thing they are both lon-

mindless ravings of a lunatic can actually transcend

ers. Neither is varsity material. Leper spends his

normal human perception and gain access to deep

time collecting snails, drawing pictures of birds, and

truth, to a reality grasped only by seers, prophets,

cross country skiing in search of beaver dams when

and other heroes of the spirit. Having fled the army,

he should be working with his classmates shovel-

Leper invites Gene to meet with him at the family

ing snow to clear the tracks to help the war effort.

home in Vermont, where he has sought refuge after

Simon, another “nature freak,” an epileptic, has the

going AWOL. There, in the dining room, a place

odd habit of wandering off into the jungle, which

of safety because its purpose is stipulated (unlike

frightens everyone else, and going to a little hideout

that of the living room, the place where, Leper says,

where he sits and – of all things – thinks! Neither

people have “problems”) Leper shares with Gene

of these characters is the sort of boy other boys ad-

the nightmare of his experience in basic training,

mire. They are tolerated, but consistently viewed

one replete with hallucinations from the madhouse:

with barely concealed irritation and suspicion. They

the face of the corporal changing to those of friends

are what Thomas Mann called “wallflowers,” crea-

and neighbors, then to Leper’s own face, and then,

tures of the margin who “fall down” in the dance of

most disturbing of all, to a woman’s face. For teen-

life. What vigorous, sports-playing, outgoing, col-

age boys it is time to vote for conviction. Leper is a

lege-aspiring boys’ boy would want anything to do

nutcase; worse: he is unmanly, a coward who could

with them? I love playing defense lawyer for Simon

not make it in a man’s world. Guilty as charged.

and Leper, citing on their behalf evidence from the

Their English teacher, Leper’s lawyer, now invites

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them to take a really close look at Leper’s hallucina-

in which Simon, in his hermit’s forest cell, meets the

tions. The corporal, a trained killer whose job is to

“Lord of the Flies,” Beelzebub, Satan, the force of

train others to kill, suddenly becomes a friend and

evil in the universe. One central set of ideas emerg-

neighbor; then his face becomes Leper’s own; then

es, and it is the voice of the “Arch Interferer” that

that of a woman. All of a sudden Leper’s tortured

proposes it, a voice every teenage boy hears from

sight begins to look like insight: “my friends and

time to time, most of all when school and life be-

neighbors can become killers; I can be trained to

come difficult: “Run away … go back to the others.

kill; even a woman, the bringer of love, the bearer

It was a joke really – why should you bother? You

of life – she, too, can be taught to kill.” Leper may

were just wrong, that’s all. A little headache, some-

sound deranged, but he has discovered man’s terrible

thing you ate, perhaps. Go back, child …” And then

duality. First angel, then beast, we are always both.

a bit later: “You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you?

If Leper’s dark, tormenting visions almost cost him

Close, close, close! I’m the reason it’s no-go? Why

his sanity, they also reward him with a profound un-

things are what they are?” I can scarcely describe

derstanding of human nature, with rich insight into

the thrill I get as I read these sentences and then ex-

the relentless, inexorable aggression which throbs

plore them with my students, fifteen-year-olds who

like a pulse throughout human history.

have started, perhaps, occasionally to entertain dark thoughts about life, to doubt that the world is the

The most important scene in Golding’s novel is that

great, exciting, but ultimately safe playground the

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Novels like A Separate Peace and Lord of the Flies are sometimes called “old chestnuts,” a designation that is a kind of unwitting praise, really, suggesting as it does that these books share enduring truths and offer nourishment. Boys respond to them for a variety of reasons, but most of all, perhaps, because these works mirror the profound and unsettling conflict going on in every boy’s soul: the ancient struggle between aggressive, primary desires, what Freud called the “id,” and the reflective, self-conscious, restraining actions of the soul, Freud’s “suDisney people celebrate. For boys such doubts, such

perego.” In reading these novels with my students

misgivings about the shadow lands and dark places

I get the chance to achieve two invaluable things:

in one’s own inner being, such first stirrings of anxi-

to help boys become more critically sensitive read-

ety and pessimism, seem wrong at first, feel like a

ers and thinkers, and to accept the Lepers and Si-

failure of nerve. Part of them suspects, as Golding

mons – not only those in a school community, but in

knew it would, that learning to think, to reflect, is

themselves. Puberty and popular culture make them

a difficult, even dangerous thing. They sense, even

reluctant to do so at first, but reading both novels

if they can’t quite articulate their suspicion, that

gives them the precious opportunity to acknowledge

thinking means going off somewhere alone, en-

the drama enacted in their own natures and to learn

tertaining strange notions, exploring peculiar feel-

to honor and nurture that part of themselves, the re-

ings. Most of all, they worry it means risking being

flective, thoughtful, contemplative part, on whose

taken for an oddball, a nerd, someone like Simon or

integrity, vigor, and wise expansion their own suc-

Leper. At the same time, however, they also sense,

cessful journey to manhood depends.

and are then reminded, that to run away from the challenges of thought is to remain a “child,” to “go back,” to regress, stop growing. And so, once again, my students learn that the Simons and Lepers of the world have something to teach them. It is Simon, after all, who first grasps Leper’s understanding and

Edward Hallowell has been teaching for thirty-

Knowles’s truth: the only real enemy we have is our

nine years. He joined The Haverford School

own nature.

faculty in 1974.

134

From the Archives

135

Art class circa 1940

Lower School dramatic recreation 1949

136

Beloved teacher Rakie Cleaves with third-graders 1958-59

Students oversee construction of Van Pelt Hall 1958

137

Library 1969

Cardboard boat race, physics lesson circa 1990

Philip Bishop Day tug-of-war mid-1980s 138

The Barn, circa 1930

Wilbur House Junior School 1936 139

EA Day 1988

Middle School track, date unkown Football 1979

140

Junior School playground 1936

141

Students at Merion Cottage circa 1890

142

French Club 1957

Students, faculty, and staff in a production of Pirates of Penzance 1980 143

Mrs. Smedley’s second-grade class 1938

144

Van Pelt Hall classroom 1959

Mrs. Oram’s preschool class 1939

145

The Haverford School campus 1959

Science Fair 1965

146

The Big Room, date unknown

The Big Room 1955

Williamsburg field trip 1969 147

Davis Parker as Abraham Lincoln, date unknown

Student wrestler with kids circa 1950

148

Opening day 1960

Faculty Faces

Herman S. Shaw

Stephen B. Knowlton

Robert U. Jameson

Charles C. Stone 149

Samuel Newhall Rafael Laserna

Tom Worth 150

Ron Brown

Paul Austin

Bob Peck 151

Donald McBride Frank Ewing

Robert Rugg Neil Buckley 152

Craig Dripps Peter Chamberlain

Mike Cunningham

153

Todd Pearson

Donald Brownlow

Charles Boning

154

Edward Hallowell Cheryl Straub and Sue Denious

Dick Duffany Stephen Dall

155

Terry Ertel

Bill Palmer

Sandy Mercer 156

Don Miller Jane Manns

The Haverford School faculty and staff 2008 157

Annotated Bibliography Compiled and annotated by Brad Adams, Mondo Murage, and Lisa Snyder.

Adolescent Boys: Exploring Diverse Cultures of Boyhood. ed. Niobe Way, Judy Y. Chu, and Michael Kimmel.

New York, N.Y.: New York University, 2004.

Acknowledging that most of the research into boys’ lives is based primarily on middle class, caucasian boys, the editors Way (psychology, New York University) and Chu (lecturer, Stanford University) have drawn an excellent book on explorations into the lives of adolescent boys. The essays are rich in diversity – not only in the populations of boys studied – but also in their research methodology and theoretical perspective. It reflects some of the most important empirical research on the lives and behavior of boys from a variety of ethnic and class backgrounds. For an introduction into the research on boys’ experiences, this book provides an excellent resource. Teachers, parents, administrators, and others interested in boys, race, and class will be well-rewarded by reading it.

Beausay, Bill. Teenage Boys: Surviving and Enjoying These Extraordinary Years. New York, N.Y.: Waterbrook, 1998.

Beausay, a clinical psychologist and father of boys, writes a book for parents engaged in the never-dull business of bringing up teenage sons. His approach is friendly and informative, providing flexible (not prescriptive) guidelines for becoming involved in a boy’s life. And flexible is exactly the approach that Beausay takes; he believes that stringent and strict parenting techniques are not the answer to developing a deep and abiding relationship with sons.

Primarily for parents, but important for those involved in boys’ research.

Biddulph, Steve. The Secret Life of Men: A Practical Guide to Helping Men Discover Health, Happiness, and Deeper Personal Relationships. 1995. New York, N.Y.: Da Capo, 2003.

Australian psychologist and political activist Biddulph continues and enhances the work of Robert Bly and others who realized that men were struggling with finding meaning and happiness in their lives. Beginning with the words, “Most men don’t have a life ...” Biddulph offers the “seven steps to manhood.” Among these are: fixing the father-son relationship, becoming a real equal to women, finding a job with heart, friendship, and being an engaged, genuine father. For men seeking greater satisfaction from life and for the women who want to understand them, this book will provide much instruction. Originally published in Australia in 1995 under the title: Manhood: An Action Plan for Changing Men’s Lives.

Booth, David W. Even Hockey Players Read. Markham, Ontario.: Pembroke; dist. Stenhouse, 2002.

Booth (education, University of Toronto) is a passionate reader, experienced educator, and a father of boys. He presents results from years of research that have been transformed into a comprehensive collection of ideas for how boys can be encouraged to read and to write. He suggests that, while there may not seem to be any, boy readers abound – reading magazines, newspapers, and anything but their required reading. He includes many easily implemented classroom practices and much helpful advice on how to encourage reading and writing by the boys in our classrooms, homes, or libraries. For teachers, librarians, and parents, this book will be an essential guide.

Boyhood in America: An Encyclopedia. Ed. Priscilla Ferguson Clement and Jacqueline S. Reinier. 2 vols.

American Family Series. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2001.

Drawing from a range of scholars and sources, this reference work contains more than 150 articles on all matter of subjects pertaining to boys. Topics include historic and economic backgrounds, sports, and social development.

The articles “focus on adult attitudes toward boys,” while also reflecting “the experiences and perceptions of boys themselves, as they work, play, interact with friends and family, and try to make sense of the world around them.”

For the general reader, specialist, researcher, or practitioner, these articles are representative of the key issues in the history, development, and understanding of boys and young men, not just in America, but worldwide.

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Boys in Schools: Addressing the Real Issues – Behavior, Value and Relationships. ed. Rollo Browne and Richard Fletcher. Sydney, Australia: Finch, 1995.

The editors present a range of accounts from a variety of schools that address the challenging issues facing schools and teachers related to boys’ education. Some of these issues include: bullying, school violence, homophobia, identity and self-esteem. These accounts come from teachers in primary and secondary schools and comprise a thoughtful collection of innovative approaches that schools can take to help change the ways that boys view themselves.

For teachers, particularly those engaged in teaching boys, for parents, and for anyone interested in the area of boys’ education, this will provide an interesting addition to the growing literature on the subject.

Bribiescas, Richard G. Men: Evolutionary and Life History. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University, 2006.

Everyone is aware of the differences between men and women; much has been written to catalog those differences. Author and scholar, Bribiescas (Yale anthropologist) attempts to understand why such differences exist. By applying evolutionary theory, which explains the development of the species, along with life-history theory, which examines how organisms differentiate themselves in the face of limited resources and time, Bribiescas illuminates the discussion of sex differences with solid biological, social, and anthropological theory. Written in a lively and thoughtful manner, this book should appeal to teachers, parents, practitioners, and boys of all ages.

Brinley, Maryann Bucknum. Oh Boy! Mothers Tell the Truth About Raising Teen Sons. New York, N.Y.: Three Rivers, 2004.

Every parent, at one time or another, worries whether or not their children are within the norm. With so much interest in boys’ development and nurture, there is the possibility for even greater anxiety among mothers of sons. This collection of anecdotes from mothers of boys proves that boys’ behavior runs the gamut, discussing body odor, a messy room, or a dad’s untimely death. With insightful commentary from the author, this book will produce nods of recognition for parents, teachers, and boys themselves.

Brozo, William G. To Be a Boy, to Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys in Active Literacy. Newark, Del.: International Reading Association, 2002.

Brozo (language and literacy, University of Tennessee) offers a solution to help boys become – and stay – engaged readers. Suggesting the idea of using literature with positive male archetypes to motivate boys to read, Brozo defines several such archetypes and shares instructional ideas in which teachers across the curriculum develop innovative strategies and activities using young adult books with these archetypes. Including an appendix offering a book list of about 300 titles to help identify archetypal literature, this book will appeal to classroom teachers of any discipline, librarians, and parents.

Canada, Geoffrey. Reaching Up for Manhood: Transforming the Lives of Boys in America. Boston, Mass.: Beacon, 1998.

The president and CEO of the Theedlen Centers for Children and Families, an award-winning child advocacy agency, Canada grew up on tough South Bronx streets, where he witnessed his friends dying by the handful. Recounting his childhood at mid life, he depicts what children face in today’s world, especially the crippling problems of African American boys. Asserting that we are facing a crisis situation with our young males, he emphasizes the necessity of building strong father-son bonds. Recommended for teachers, librarians, parents, and school administrators.

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood. New York, N.Y.: Spiegel & Grau, 2008.

In searingly beautiful prose, Coates tells the story of growing up as the younger of two sons born to Paul Coates, Vietnam veteran, Black Panther member, old-school disciplinarian, and African American activist. It is a story of a father – with the help of family, teachers, and mothers – seeing his sons through the dangerous territory of inner-

160

city adolescence and into the safety of Howard University, where he worked. At its heart, this is a story about a father and his sons, living the African American experience of the 1960s and ’70s. For teachers, parents, and anyone interested in a story of determination and love, this book will not disappoint.

Conley, Dalton. Honky. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California, 2000.

Conley is a sociologist (NYU) who began his vocation early, as a young boy growing up in an otherwise Black and Hispanic housing project on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It is there that Conley began to understand the power of race and class. In his memoir, Conley conjures the worlds in which he moved; his parents were artists, living a bohemian lifestyle, presumably by choice. His neighbors, including his best friend, did not have the same choices available to them. This is a story of the boy who eventually grew up to study race and class and his memoir is filled with concerns about poverty and privilege. For teachers, parents, people of privilege, and the casual reader, this book takes an unflinching look at boyhood through the lens of someone who lived it and now analyzes it.

Connell, R. W. Masculinities. 1995. New York, N.Y.: Blackwell, 2005.

Connell (sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz) offers a reply to the “Iron John” notion of masculinity, suggesting that there are many more complexities to masculinity than Robert Bly or the men’s movement would have us believe. As one of the foremost voices in the new feminist scholarship by men, Connell provides a nuanced and incisive analysis of how our notions of masculinity have evolved in psychoanalysis, social science, and historically in the creation of the global economy. Offering portraits of dozens of men of different classes, Connell provides the first critical history of ideas and the most sophisticated theoretical analysis of masculinity to date. This is a book for everyone interested in the history of western masculinities and the sexual politics of the contemporary age.

Connell, R.W. The Men and the Boys. Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California, 2001.

Providing an analysis of what we already understand about masculinity, Connell continues the discussion by taking the next step in understanding the dynamics of contemporary masculinity – incorporating the international, crosscultural dimension. The book looks at masculinity and globalization and posits that changes in public policy must be made in order for men to create a more cooperative and peaceful world. Connell recounts cutting-edge research on masculinity and uses case studies to illustrate it. The case studies describe men coming to terms with their sexuality, childhoods, and experiences at school and work, revealing the price men and boys (across all cultures) pay for living in a patriarchal world.

Connolly, Paul. Boys and Schooling in the Early Years. London, England: Routledge Falmer, 2004.

With the spotlight on the gender gap in education, not only in the United States, but around the world, it is interesting to note that little attention has been given to how and when boys start to underachieve in the early years. Much attention, however, has been given to developing early intervention programs. In this work, Connolly presents the results of his own research examining the specific issues affecting boys and education in the first three years of schooling and the implications for teachers and other professionals working with young boys. For teachers and practitioners, this book offers a look at the “why” of boys’ underachievement and offers the “how” to overcome it.

Cortes, Carlos E. The Children are Watching: How the Media Teach About Diversity. Multicultural Education Series. New York, N.Y.: Teachers College Press, 2000.

Historian Cortes, one of the foremost voices in multicultural education today, argues that mainstream media has, unintentionally, created a diversity “curriculum” that is reaching our students in more powerful ways than we can imagine. Cortes argues that the media’s multicultural messages are not accurate depictions of multiculturalism and that, in order to understand those messages, rather than simply accepting them, we must become media literate.

Cortes develops implications of his research for the school curriculum, including how teachers can help students become critical viewers of the mass media by looking for patterns as well as stereotypes, and becoming aware of

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the difference. For teachers attempting to develop a multicultural environment in their classrooms and for anyone interested in understanding the effect that mainstream media has on diversity and multiculturalism, this book will provide much food for thought.

Cox, Adam J. Boys of Few Words: Raising Our Sons to Communicate and Connect. New York, N.Y.: Guilford, 2006.

Drawing on clinical work conducted over a decade with boys between the ages of four and late adolescence, Cox (psychologist, Lehigh University) probes the reasons for and consequences of boys’ difficulty in communicating their feelings. The first part of the book examines the “psychological realities of boyhood,” how boys communicate and develop socially and emotionally, and the physiology of boys’ brains and their verbal and social development.

Part two offers a look at the social pressures that discourage self-expression among boys, thus forcing them to turn to aggression and anger to express themselves. In the final section, Cox offers principles for developing child-centered families to foster boy’s self-awareness and communication skills. This book was written for parents, especially, but also for the professionals who work with boys.

Dobson, James S. Bringing up Boys. Cambridge, Mass.: Tyndale House, 2005.

Dobson, a psychologist, family counselor and noted Christian activist, has written a work primarily for parents that offers decidedly conservative advice for raising boys. Celebrating the natural differences between boys and girls, Dobson outlines biological differences, particular issues in disciplining boys, and the different roles of mothers and fathers. Celebrating the traditional family roles, Dobson is a heavy critic of feminists and offers a controversial view of homosexuality. Because of the book’s emphasis on conservative Christian values, this will appeal to a particular audience; other readers may take issue with some of the author’s observations.

Downey, Michael J. Digging Deep: Fostering the Spirituality of Young Men. Winona. Minn.: Saint Mary’s Press, 2003.

Written by a Catholic priest who works in schools, the book provides background and practical advice for developing gender-specific religious education programs. While emphasizing journaling and writing as a method for inner reflection, Downey also offers curriculum that provides effective guidance for adults working with boys in religious settings. Lesson plans include deep listening exercises, where boys are encouraged to listen to the stories of their peers. While primarily written for established religion programs in schools, this book may be useful for the secular boys’ school as well, by providing tools for boys to explore their inner lives.

Drexler, Peggy. Raising Boys Without Men: How Maverick Moms are Creating the Next Generation of Exceptional Men. Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale, 2005.

Assistant professor of psychology Drexler draws an optimistic portrait of nontraditional families headed by women, based on extensive research. She interviewed a variety of lesbian mothers, single mothers, sons of single moms and sons of two-mother families. Through a series of anecdotes, Drexler reveals that households headed by females are just as good for children as those run by males. Including descriptions of what these “maverick” moms do that makes them successful, this book is a necessity for mothers of sons in a single-parent or nontraditional household.

Educating African American Males: Voices From the Field. ed. Olatokunbo S. Fashola. New York, N.Y.: Corwin Press, 2005.

Fashola, the senior research scientist and research director of the Comprehensive School Reform Center at the American Institutes for Research, has collected and edited a series of papers that were originally presented at the Conference on African American Male Achievement. A departure from much of the existing literature on African American males in schools, this book does not focus solely on the dysfunction and failures of African American males in school. Acknowledging that this problem, while prominent in the media, is not as statistically significant

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as others might believe, the editors attempt to provide an honest look at African American male achievement in schools – both the successes and the challenges. Teachers, diversity leaders, and school administrators will find this informative.

Engebretson, Kath. Connecting: Teenage Boys, Spirituality and Religious Education. Strathfield, Australia: St. Paul’s, 2007.

Having spent four years researching the spirituality of Australian teenage boys (interviewing more than 1,200 boys, between fourteen and eighteen years old), Engebretson (religious education, Australian Catholic University) presents a solid examination of the spiritual lives of boys. The book includes a significant number of the boys’ responses to the questionnaires Engebretson used in gathering the data. The final chapter describes the seven characteristics of the types of spirituality: grounded in hope; inspired by others; challenging narrow definitions of masculinity; found and developed in friendships, existing in tension between individualism and social concern; seeking reflection and open to prayer; having the capacity to know and experience God. For parents and educators, a telling insight into boy’s spiritual lives.

Failing Boys? Issues in Gender and Achievement. ed. Debbie Epstein, et al. Florence, Ky.: Taylor & Francis, 1998.

Written at a time when the debate about boys’ underachievement in schools was based primarily on circumstantial evidence (however convincing), this book describes a detailed and nuanced case study of the issues surrounding boys’ achievement in schools in the United Kingdom. The book is divided into four parts: Boys’ Underachievement in Context; Different Constructions of the Debate and Its Undercurrents; Boys, Which Boys?; and Curriculum, Assessment, and the Debate. As one of the seminal case research studies conducted on boys’ underachievement, this book should be of interest to educators and parents.

Faludi, Susan. Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man. New York, N.Y.: Harper Perennial, 2000.

What is the genesis of the angry white male? Faludi explores the post-war “male realm” and finds ample reasons for anger and impotence in the twenty-first century man. Suggesting that the core of the problem can be traced to the restructuring of the economy during the post-Cold War period, the author believes that men have lost “a useful role in public life, a way of earning a decent and reliable living, appreciation in the home, respectful treatment in the culture.” The book offers an antidote to this malaise, suggesting that we start considering masculinity a part of a man’s humanity and not separate from it.

Feig, Paul. Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence. New York, N.Y.: Three Rivers, 2002.

In his essays of the torture of growing up male, a self-described geek, in the 1970s and ’80s, Feig allows us into the world of the adolescent boy. The author, who wrote the situation comedy, Freaks and Geeks, shares humiliations in the locker room after gym class, anxiety about his first kiss, and geeky weekend pastimes. While Feig tells his stories through the eyes of a humorist, his agonies and triumphs are utterly realistic. This book is for teachers, parents, and especially for students – so that they will know they are not alone.

Fletcher, Ralph. Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse, 2006.

Citing Newkirk’s seminal work, Misreading Masculinity (see under Newkirk), Fletcher, writing teacher, author, and educational consultant, has written a guide for teachers designed to improve boys’ writing. Some “big ideas” that teachers can take from this book include: acknowledge students’ efforts and think of ways to improve their writing without judging; allow students to draw during the writing process to solidify ideas or create pictures to accompany the text; realize that not every draft is publishable; instruct how humor can be used to tell a story or make a point; allow students to type their pieces or have parent volunteers type student work; confer with boys to provide concrete ways to improve writing as well as give specific praise about their piece.

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Frosh, Stephen, Ann Phoenix, and Rob Pattman. Young Masculinities. New York, N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001.

What does it mean to be a man? What is masculinity? How can a boy be both academically successful and cool at the same time? In a landmark study of London school boys (ages eleven to fourteen) Frosh and his colleagues attempt to understand the answers to these questions through a “boy centered approach” to research that derives its data from extensive interviews with boys in public and private schools. The book focuses on a number of paradoxes that lie at the heart of understanding masculinity, particularly those tensions between idealizing and denigrating women and girls, and between “acting cool” and being authentic. The study finds that schools and teachers can be complicit in creating and encouraging boys’ notions of masculinity, for example, in legitimizing homophobia, overemphasizing sports, and encouraging social homogeneity. Providing some sobering analysis of how boys understand masculinity, teachers, practitioners, and parents will ultimately find hope in this account, which challenges our socially held beliefs about the “problem with boys.”

Garbarino, James. Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them. New York, N.Y.: Anchor, 2001.

In attempting to understand the trend of school violence, Garbarino (psychologist and Cornell University professor) examines the difficulties that boys face as they become men. Drawing on his own work with young men who have been involved with lethal violence, the author traces the trend toward violence to class and race issues, and other risk factors, including neglect and abuse, as well as a culture that validates violence through popular media. Garbarino provides a well-documented look at violence among young males within the context of statistical and psychosocial research. Well-written and researched, this will be of interest to teachers, parents, and researchers wishing to understand the world boys face and the impact it may have on their development.

Gilbert, Rob, and Pam Gilbert. Masculinity Goes to School. New York, N.Y.: Routledge, 1998.

Noting media reports claiming that gender reform in schools has benefited girls at the expense of boys, the authors offer an overview of the issues surrounding gender reform in schools and what influence that has had on boys and education. Gilbert, an educator, argues that popular constructions of masculinity affect boys in all parts of their lives while offering insights into key issues affecting boys at school, including literacy, sports, bad behavior, sexuality, race, and popular culture. He provides an examination of programs and approaches that have been successful in schools. For teachers and administrators, this book provides a cogent discourse on the issues of boys and education.

Gurian, Michael, and Arlette C. Ballew. The Boys and Girls Learn Differently Action Guide for Teachers. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 2003.

Gurian outlines the brain-based educational theories and techniques that can be used to help boys learn better. The guide offers experiential learning techniques that teachers can use to create a learning environment and curriculum that takes into account the specific learning needs of boys. Based on the latest scientific scholarship on the differences between boys and girls’ brains, neurological development, hormonal effects, behavior, and learning needs, this book offers information on what all children need to be able to learn effectively. Primarily intended for the classroom teacher, this book will be of interest to parents as well.

Gurian, Michael, and Kathy Stevens. The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass, 2007.

Investigating the “male learning style” that is often at odds with current educational practices, which leave the mistaken impression that boys are difficult to manage and teach, Gurian and Stevens add clarity and practical advice on how to encourage achievement based on the particular strengths of boys. Included in this work are discussions of creating boy-friendly curricula in schools, appropriate discipline as boys grow older, and the phenomena of sudden bursts of attention and physical play. The authors emphasize that their strategies are aimed at boosting the learning

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and academic performance of boys. Parents and teachers concerned about teaching and disciplining boys will find this volume interesting and useful.

Gurian, Michael, Kathy Stevens, and Kelley King. Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls – Elementary Level: A Workbook for Educators. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey Bass, 2008.

Based on the work and research of the Gurian Institute, this workbook offers teachers a hands-on resource to build a solid foundation of learning and study habits that their students can use in the classroom and at home. It presents practical strategies, lessons, and activities that have been field-tested in real classrooms to harness boys’ and girls’ unique strengths. Recommended for teachers, parents, and others interested in gender differences as they relate to learning.

Gurian, Michael, Kathy Stevens, and Kelley King. Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls – Secondary Level: A Workbook for Educators. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey Bass, 2008.

With a focus on the upper grades, Gurian offers a work that builds a bridge between theory and practice. With solid classroom research results from the Gurian Institute, the authors present practical strategies, lessons, and activities that have been tested in real classrooms in order to appeal to the specific strengths of boys and girls. Like its companion volume for the elementary level, this workbook is an essential resource for all teachers.

Guys Write for Guys Read. ed. John Scieszka. New York, N.Y.: Viking, 2005.

Written to appeal to the young adolescent reader, Scieszka’s anthology of stories and illustrations about what it’s like to be a boy will appeal to any reader who is interested in the world of boys. With stories by authors including Lloyd Alexander, Stephen King, and Chris Van Allsburg, the overarching theme is one of encouraging reading in boys. It also contains a bibliography for each author in order to find more books. With wit, charm, and great fondness, the stories in this book comprise an excellent collection that celebrates the intellectual life of the common boy.

Hall, Horace R. Mentoring Young Men of Color: Meeting the Needs of African American and Latino Students.

Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2006.

What can be done to help young minority males become valuable members of their respective communities? Hall attempts to answer this question by reminding us that there is a cultural practice that can sustain minority males’ value in society, namely, the practice of mentoring. This work investigates the value of school-based mentoring in the lives of adolescent men of minorities, as well as providing alternative and more positive ways in which our society can experience and embrace this social group. It is, however, the mentoring relationships between teachers and students that provide minority males with the academic and social support needed to realize their potential and their dreams. As a resource for information about mentoring in general, and the effects of it on minority youth, this book will be of interest to teachers, coaches, and practitioners.

Hall, Stephen S. Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness, and Success of Boys – and the Men They Become. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

Science reporter Hall, writing from his own experience (he was shorter than 99 percent of the boys his age), presents a broad and deep range of information that suggests just how much size matters in society, particularly during adolescence. Hall includes data on developmental fetal growth, the science of the human growth hormone, as well as research on the contemporary ideals of the manly body. Examining sociological studies on bullying, Hall shows that a person’s height as a teenager can have far-reaching consequences on an adult’s life. Written for the lay reader, his interpretations of complicated science are readily accessible, but academics and practitioners will find much to consider as well.

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Handbook of Studies on Men and Masculinities. ed. Jeff R. Hearn, Robert W. Connell, and Michael S. Kimmel. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2004.

Acknowledging that gender studies, at one time, addressed primarily issues about women in society, the editors have produced an anthology of research and areas of inquiry in masculinity studies. A wide selection of articles and papers, written by the leading names in the discipline of men’s studies, examines the construction of masculinities in five separate sections: Theoretical Perspectives; Global and Regional Patterns; Structures, Institutions, and Processes; Bodies, Selves, Discourses; and Politics. For anyone interested in masculinity studies, this will provide an excellent introduction to the field.

Hartley-Brewer, Elizabeth. Raising Confident Boys: 100 Tips for Parents and Teachers. New York, N.Y.: Da Capo, 2001.

While much research is being done to determine what factors lie at the heart of social, academic, and emotional differences between boys and girls, statistics that suggest boys are more at risk than girls continue to mount. To combat boys’ behavioral problems, increased suicide rates, and alienation, Hartley-Brewer contends that adults (teachers, parents, counselors) can have an impact on how boys become self-confident and productive men. The book teaches readers what makes boys prone to low self-esteem and provides practical, effective tips for adult intervention as problems arise.

Hawkes, Tim. Boy Oh Boy: How to Raise and Educate Boys. New York, N.Y.: Longman, 2001.

With humor, affection, and years of experience working in and overseeing a boys’ school, Hawkes (head, The Kings School, Australia) provides a resource that explains the roles that our social, political, and educational institutions play in helping boys fulfill their promise and live lives that develop their values and talents. This book answers questions that those helping boys on their way to manhood will find elucidating. Issues include improving school performance, literacy, friendship and relationships, bullying and aggression, and developing strong relations with parents. For anyone wishing to understand the needs of boys, this is an entertaining and practical resource.

Hawley, Richard A. Boys Will Be Men: Masculinity in Troubled Times. Forest Dale, Vt.: Paul S. Eriksson, 1994.

Hawley (former head, University School, Ohio) offers an unconventional look at the male experience. Setting aside prevailing concepts that men must conform either to the “macho” man mold or to today’s sensitive “new” man, Hawley urges men to search their boyhoods for their masculine being. He illustrates the heroic and tragic aspects of maleness with the tales of Percival, David, Hamlet, and other figures from myth and history. Hawley’s stories of the boys he’s taught and their unique senses of masculinity are entertaining and touching. For teachers, parents, and men, this book will educate, entertain, and illuminate.

Hrabowski, Freeman A., Kenneth I. Maton, and Geoffrey L. Greif. Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males. New York, N.Y.: Oxford, 1998.

Hrabowski, with two of his University of Maryland colleagues, describes the institution’s science program to enhance the higher educational prospects of high school-age African American men. The cornerstone of success, for anyone of any race, is family stability and support. For the nuances of this in the African American context, the authors interviewed sons and parents, representing about fifty families, enrolled in an intensive college-prep curriculum in math and science. They extensively quote their subjects’ experiences in child raising, separating those of the fathers, mothers, and sons. Summarizing their anecdotes, the authors endorse such time-proven attitudes as valuing achievement, reading constantly and widely, and working hard. The authors’ main audience is educational professionals, but students will be able to identify with the individual testimony that forms the bulk of this work.

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Iggulden, Conn, and Hall Iggulden. The Dangerous Book for Boys. New York, N.Y.: Collins, 2007.

The Iggulden brothers have amassed a book of male “lore” – those things that are of particular interest to males (of any age), including knot-tying and instructions for coin tricks. Written in conversational prose, the book is intended for boys, but it is not without merit for parents, teachers, and anyone feeling nostalgic for their own childhood.

Improving Boys’ Literacy: A Survey of Effective Practice in Secondary Schools. London, England: Basic Skills, 1997.

Concern in England over boys’ underachievement led to the publication of this short report that indicates some ways to improve the performance of boys in literacy. The work focuses on case studies in secondary schools and is based on visits to fourteen mixed secondary schools in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Suggesting that there is no “magic bullet” to combat this problem, the editors make it clear that, by taking the proper measures to address the problem, these different schools were able to make a difference. With case studies and appendixes that provide further information, this volume should appeal to any teacher of reading.

James, Abigail N. Teaching the Male Brain: How Boys Think, Feel, and Learn in School. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2007.

James, educator and consultant, has written a book for teachers that provides the bridge between what we know about the science of boys’ learning and how to use that knowledge in the classroom to construct successful learning opportunities for boys. James draws from years of classroom experience to offer strategies that have been tested, refined, and used successfully in the field. This handbook provides helpful examples, case studies, and troubleshooting sections illustrating how to handle the concerns that can arise when teaching boys. For teachers, primarily, but parents of boys will find much of interest in James’ essential guide to teaching boys.

Johnson, Rick. Better Dads, Stronger Sons: How Fathers Can Guide Boys to Become Men of Character. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Revell, 2006.

Writing from a Christian perspective, Johnson, founder of a fathering skills program, offers insight into the special challenges and responsibilities of being a father to sons. Suggesting that, “being a good father isn’t so much what kind of parent you are as what kind of person you are,” the book provides fathers with the tools needed to create an intimate bond with their sons. There is also a section on how to avoid the top ten mistakes a father can make. For fathers of sons, Christians, and those interested in developing a healthy, nurturing, and satisfying relationship with a young man, this book can help in creating the conditions to achieve it.

The Jossey-Bass Reader on Gender in Education. ed. Jossey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, Calif.: JosseyBass, 2002.

Is biology destiny? Are schools shortchanging girls or boys? If so, what can educators do to ensure that both succeed? These are among the questions confronting teachers of students of all ages. This volume, a comprehensive anthology that brings together a variety of perspectives on gender in education, attempts to answer those questions.

Topics include the nature/nurture debate, gender achievement gaps, testing and teaching bias, the cultural context of gender, and sexual harassment. An excellent resource for educators and administrators, this volume provides a useful analytical framework for discussing gender issues in education.

Keddie, Amanda, and Martin Mills. Teaching Boys: Developing Classroom Practices That Work. Chicago, Ill.: Allen & Unwin, 2008.

Keddie and Mills (education, University of Queensland) have written a book devoted to describing best practices for teaching boys. Highlighting research in gender, masculinity, and pedagogy, the authors present successful and innovative strategies that demonstrate how and what teachers do in the classroom to encourage or constrain boys’ academic and social behaviors. The book includes detailed case studies from varied types of schools and age

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groups and is designed to help teachers support boys’ learning. For teachers and parents interested in their son’s classroom experience, this title offers a rich variety of techniques for helping boys find success.

Kerr, Barbara A. Smart Boys: Talent, Manhood, and the Search for Meaning. Scottsdale, Ariz.: Great Potential Press, 2001.

Kerr and Cohn (psychology, Arizona State University) continue their research into intellectual giftedness with this volume, which seeks to understand the conflicting ideals of masculinity that prize physical strength and ability over intellectual ability. In a follow-up study of an accelerated-learning class from St. Louis, Mo. in 1969, along with original research and literature review, Kerr and Cohn show how difficult it can be for gifted boys as they make their way through school. Findings reveal that intellectually gifted boys do not live up to their potential and suffer social isolation as a result. In addition to analyzing gifted minority boys, the book provides suggestions for guiding and parenting gifted boys in order to help them overcome their particular challenges. Teachers, parents, and mentors who work with bright boys will find this a useful and encouraging book.

Kidd, Kenneth B. Making American Boys: Boyology and the Feral Tale. Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota Press, 2005.

Beginning with historical overview of boy culture in America since the late nineteenth century, Kidd attempts to answer the question, “What are little boys made of?” From the “boy work” promoted by character-building organizations such as Scouting and 4-H to current therapeutic and pop psychological obsessions with children’s self-esteem, Kidd presents the variety of cultural influences on the changing notion of boyhood. With the eye of a sociologist, Kidd analyzes icons of boyhood and maleness, surveying literature, film, and parenting manuals, among others ,to provide a comprehensive history of what it means to be a boy in America. For teachers, parents, or counselors, Kidd’s study will shed historical light on the world of boys today.

Kimmel, Michael S. Manhood in America: A Cultural History. 1997. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Kimmell, a noted mens’ studies authority presents the first cultural history of men in America. He examines how the manhood experience has not only defined American males, but also shaped the culture and livelihood of its members. Kimmel suggests that the key driving force in man throughout history has been to prove their masculinity. He examines how this phenomenon has changed over time along with the masculine ideal. Kimmel describes the legend of the “self-made man” beginning with its origins prior to the Civil War and its continuing impact through the nineteenth century. Finally, Kimmel considers the contemporary crisis in masculinity. Scholarly, yet written in an accessible style, this book represents an important addition to the growing literature in mens’ studies.

Kivel, Paul. Boys Will Be Men: Raising Our Sons for Courage, Caring, and Community. Gabriola Island, British Columbia: New Society Publishers, 1999.

Drawing on twenty-seven years of experience as a social activist, Kivel offers a guide for parents and those who work with boys that will help them find the courage to reject the pressures to “act like a man” and learn to connect with each other and the wider world to promote a socially just, multicultural, and democratic society. The book begins with a discussion of what kind of boys do we want to raise and moves on to helping parents sort out the complex forces in our sons’ lives, including racism, homophobia, pornography, drugs, classism, and sex. The end result provides the reader a powerful vision of raising sons to become critically thinking, socially invested men.

Kivel, Paul. Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice. 1996. Gabriola Island, British Columbia: New Society Publishers, 2002.

Originally published in 1996, Kivel continues and updates the conversation he began with the first edition, in which he challenged fellow white people to learn to work together to fight racism. Offering stories, suggestions, advice,

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exercises, and approaches to combating racism, he discusses issues of affirmative action, immigration, institutional racism, humor, political correctness, and what it means to be white. At once gentle and provocative, Kivel helps readers strategically intervene against racism in schools, workplaces, and personal interactions. Teachers, administrators, and others interested in social justice and diversity will find this book useful and engaging.

Knobel, Michele, Colin Lankshear, and Leonie Rowan. Boys, Literacies and Schooling: The Dangerous Territories of Gender-Based Literacy Reform. New York, N.Y.: Open University Press, 2001.

Citing the growing evidence that boys are consistently underperforming in literacy, Knobel responds to the complexity of debates associated with boys, gender reform, literacy, and schooling by offering a comprehensive description of the issues and outlining practical classroom interventions designed for dealing with the boys and literacy crisis. For teachers, parents, and others interested in considering ways in which views of masculinity, gender reform, literacy, technology, and popular culture can influence what it means to be a boy, this book will provide insight into the question of why boys are at such risk.

Knowles, Elizabeth. Boys and Literacy: Practical Strategies for Librarians, Teachers, and Parents. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2005.

What accounts for boys reading less as they grow into adulthood? Librarians and educators Knowles and Smith explore this phenomenon and provide strategies to reverse the trend. With chapters on genres such as adventure, humor, and sports, Knowles and Smith offer brief introductions, followed by lists of questions designed to stimulate discussion among boy readers. At the end of each chapter, the authors provide a list of about twenty titles, with complete bibliographic information, and annotations. There are also chapters for individual authors that provide a complete list of works by the author, as well as contact information (including e-mail addresses and Web sites.)

The authors chosen are known to write back to students. For teachers, librarians, and parents, this is an excellent resource for improving literacy in boys.

Lashlie, Celia. He’ll Be OK: Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men. New York, N.Y.: Harper Collins, 2006.

How do you raise boys to men in a world where trouble beckons at every turn? How do you make sure they learn the “right” lessons, stay out of danger, and find a path to follow? How do you ensure they’ll be OK? After years working in the prison service, and as a member of the New Zealand Good Man Project, Lashlie knows what can happen when boys make the wrong choices. Her insight into what makes boys become “good men” is based on hundreds of interviews she did with boys throughout New Zealand. With clarity and insight, she offers parents – especially mothers – practical and reassuring advice on raising their boys to become good, loving, articulate men.

Leadership in Boys’ Education: 16 Case Studies from Public and Private, Rural and Urban, Primary and Secondary Schools. ed. Richard Fletcher, Deborah Hartman, and Rollo Browne. Callaghan, Australia: University of Newcastle, 1999.

Concern about boys’ education in Australia and New Zealand led to the Leadership in Boys’ Education Conference in 1999. Contained within this volume are the papers presented at the conference, offering a selection of case studies that cover such topics as: academic achievement, school structure, discipline and bullying, broadening boys’ options, and building support. With contributions from many authors, this book provides an excellent library of case study research into boys’ education. Administrators of boys’ schools should find this volume to be of great value.

Lesko, Nancy. Masculinities at School. Research on Men and Masculinities. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2000.

At the forefront of inquiry into gender and education, Lesko offers a collection of critical scholarship on the creation of masculinities in schools, relations among competing definitions of masculinity and femininity, and links between masculinity and school practices. With contributions from leading scholars in the field, the author presents

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results from her studies of schools in North America, Australia, and Great Britain, including all grade levels, and a variety of school settings from the computer lab to the football field. The study provides a thoughtful examination of how masculinities are constructed among teachers, students, and administrators, locating these analyses within broader social, economic, and ideological contexts. For its contributions to the understanding of masculinity in schools, this book is important reading for educators, and school administrators.

MacDonald, Barry. Boy Smarts: Mentoring Boys for Success at School. Surrey, British Columbia: Mentoring Press, 2007.

In response to mounting evidence about boys’ underachievement in school, MacDonald (educator, counselor) offers a compelling program for mentoring boys for school success. Acknowledging that boys and girls learn differently, MacDonald envisions an inclusive classroom, where none of the gains for girls diminish but where high male energy is recognized and accepted and rebelliousness becomes an opportunity for inquiry and exploration. An essential guide for parents of boys and for anyone who works with them.

Martino, Wayne, and Maria Pallota-Chiarolli. Being Normal Is the Only Way to Be: Adolescent Perspectives on Gender and School. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales, 2005.

This is a book for teachers and parents of adolescents. It is honest, colorful, absorbing, and illuminating, drawing on interviews and writings of teenage boys and girls that explore the perceptions of what it means to be an adolescent at school, what it means to be “cool” and “normal,” and the effects of these social constructs on learning and relationships.

Martino, Wayne, and Maria Pallota-Chiarolli. So What’s a Boy?: Addressing Issues of Masculinity and Schooling. Buckingham, United Kingdom: Open University, 2003.

Continuing his examination of boys at school, Martino focuses on the impact and effects of masculinities through interviews with boys from diverse backgrounds. Questions and issues addressed include: What does it mean to be a “normal” boy and who decides this? How do issues of masculinity impact boys from culturally diverse backgrounds? What issues of power impact these boys’ lives and relationships at school? For educators of boys, this title offers recommendations and indicates future directions for working with boys in school.

Martino, Wayne, and Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli. Boys’ Stuff: Boys Talking About What Matters. New York, N.Y.: Allen & Unwin, 2001.

Educator and researcher Martino, with colleague Pallotta-Chiarolli offers an honest and revealing look at the lives of teenage boys as they reflect, through interviews and their own writings, on their lives and confront some of the important and difficult issues they face today including sex, friends, sports, drugs, school, and family. They explain what the rules are – for there are spoken and unspoken rules everywhere – and confess how they break them. Their writing reflects the adolescent struggle with the mystery of what defines “cool.” For parents and educators of boys, this book will engage, interest, and delight.

Marx, Jeffrey. Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood. New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

When Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter Marx was a kid in the 1970s, he was a ball boy for the Baltimore Colts.

One of the team captains was Joe Ehrmann, a larger-than-life party guy and the star defensive lineman. After the death of his younger brother, Ehrmann changed his life, working in Baltimore’s inner city and eventually becoming an ordained minister. Years later, Marx became fascinated with Ehrmann’s ministry and his work as a volunteer football coach at a Baltimore private school. This account of Ehrmann’s career is both inviting and inspirational, particularly the stories of the team Ehrmann coaches – a team where life lessons are more important than tackling fundamentals. A wonderful book, fathers and sons should read this; coaches, mentors, teachers, and mothers, too.

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The Masculinity Studies Reader. ed. Rachel Adams and David Savran. New York, N.Y.: Wiley - Blackwell, 2002.

The Masculinity Studies Reader is a collection of previously published essays that have defined the interdisciplinary study of masculinity. Bringing together scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, this volume serves multiple functions as a teaching companion, introduction to the field, and scholarly resource. Showcasing key theorists, including Kimmel, Silverman, Halperin, Freud, Dyer, Boyarin, and Fanon, the book places the masculinity studies debate within the contexts of empire, borders, representations, the social sciences, and eroticism, as well as across such diverse fields as film, anthropology, women’s studies, and sociology. An introductory essay written by the editors frames widely read and cited work in a new context that is intended simultaneously to establish the contours of, and to raise questions about, masculinity as a field of academic inquiry. Intended primarily for students of gender studies, this volume will be of interest to educators, particularly those in boys’ schools.

Mason, Christopher P. Crossing into Manhood: A Men’s Studies Curriculum. Youngstown, N.Y.: Cambria, 2007.

Mason (principal, Oak Hill Academy, Va.), holds a doctorate in education and has worked in schools throughout his professional career. With a broad perspective on boys that includes the social, biological, and psychological conceptualizations of masculinity, he argues that in modern societies such as ours, we have lost the rituals surrounding rites of passage, leaving boys without a well-marked road to manhood. Mason offers an alternative guide to assist late-adolescent boys’ transition into mature masculinity, proposing a school-based curriculum and rite-of-passage paradigm that will facilitate the transition. While educators of boys will find this of particular use, parents and others will appreciate the broad-based approach to understanding masculinity.

Men and Masculinities: A Social, Cultural, and Historical Encyclopedia. ed. Michael Kimmel and Amy Aronson. 2 vols. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2003.

A specialized reference work of great quality, Men and Masculinities offers varying length articles on the current research into gender differences, the historical and cultural contexts of masculinity, and biographical essays of men and women who have had an influence on our understanding of masculinity. Included in the two-volume set are articles on James Bond, homophobia, bravado, and domestic violence. Each article contains a short bibliography for those interested in reading further. As a quick resource for all things masculine, or as a beginning for more in-depth study, this set will be of use to educators, practitioners, and parents.

Miedzian, Myriam. Boys Will Be Boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Lantern, 2002.

Originally published in 1994 and updated in 2002, this work seeks to answer why some boys become violent men.

While outlining the problems more than the solutions, Miedzian’s report cites the “masculine mystique” as contributing to domestic, criminal, and international violence. Her research also points to those cultural conditions that promote violence, including war toys, violent films and music, professional sports, and bigotry. Also included are descriptions of tested school programs for changing the “male mind-set.” Teachers, administrators, and those working with at-risk boys will find much of use in this work, both for its background information as for its possible solutions.

Newberger, Eli. The Men They Will Become: The Nature and Nurture of Male Character. New York, N.Y.: Da Capo, 2000.

Pediatrician Newberger offers a study of the development of character in boys that adds a significant perspective on the shaping of moral values. The book is not a how-to guide, although it can be used as such; rather it is a series of profiles, divided by developmental stages that provide anecdotes told from the perspectives of parent and child.

Topics include honesty, self-control, identity and friendship, and discipline and punishment; showing how each

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relates to every stage of a boy’s childhood. For parents or any adult involved in helping boys become “more caring and connected men,” this book offers a wealth of information.

Newkirk, Thomas. Misreading Masculinity: Boys, Literacy, and Popular Culture. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 2004.

Newkirk (English, University of New Hampshire) offers a refreshing, if not controversial, examination of popular culture and its effects on boys. He considers the ways in which we teach boys, particularly literacy. In a series of interviews, Newkirk comes to understand boys and their relationship to sports, movies, video games, and other venues of popular culture. He sees these media as resources for literacy – not the enemies of literacy. He learns from his interviews the ways in which young boys use visual narratives in their writing; rather than mimic violence, boys most often transform, recombine, and participate in story lines, and resist, mock, and discern the unreality of icons of popular culture. Newkirk encourages schools to ask questions about what counts as literacy and to allow diverse tastes, values, and learning styles in teaching boys literacy. For teachers and practitioners interested in understanding more deeply the connection between boys and pop culture.

Nieto, Sonia. Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education. Boston, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon, 2003.

Now in its fifth edition, this title continues to explore the meaning, necessity, and benefits of multicultural education all students. Nieto (language, literacy, and culture; University of Massachusetts) examines how personal, social, political, cultural, and educational factors affect the success or failure of students in today’s classroom. Case studies illustrate what it is like to be different and how the success of the students in the case studies is determined, in part, by the availability of multicultural education. New case studies with this edition include sexual identity and American Muslim experience in post-9/11 society. For everyone who works in schools or diverse populations of any kind, this work will be of interest.

Nikkah, John. Our Boys Speak: Adolescent Boys Write About Their Inner Lives. New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s, 2000.

Nikkah challenges the widely held belief that boys are not as sensitive or articulate as their female counterparts. A clinical psychology graduate student, the author contacted 5,000 schools across the United States, asking boys to write their thoughts and experiences in poems, stories, or autobiographical essays. The results, culled from more than 600 responses, are arranged thematically (peer pressure and cliques, family relationships, depression, violence, etc.) and constitute a revealing and often touching glimpse into the emotional lives of boys. While not a how-to guide for raising adolescent boys, this book provides a tool for understanding the mind-set of this population, thus offering insight for teachers, parents, and practitioners.

Noble, Colin. Getting it Right for Boys and Girls. London, England: Routledge, 2000.

Written at a time when conversations about boys’ underachievement in school was an increasingly alarming area for concern, this work offers educators practical strategies for encouraging boys to succeed in school. The author examines gender differences in learning styles and posits that, if boys’ achievement rises, girls will benefit also.

Sounding an early warning signal about the long-term problems that arise when boys become disengaged from their learning, Noble offers not only a source book for teachers, but describes the larger context of boys’ underachievement. Written primarily for teachers, the book will also be of interest to administrators, and education students.

Odean, Kathleen. Great Books for Boys: More than 600 Books for Boys, 2 to 14. New York, N.Y.: Ballantine, 1998.

Caldecott and Newbery Award committee member Odean provides parents, teachers, and librarians with an exten-

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sive bibliography and strategies designed to keep boys reading into manhood. Titles are organized by reader age and genre. The bibliography includes titles with strong protagonists of both sexes, and an extensive list of nonfiction titles. Odean urges adults to provide boys with literature that reflects the widest possible range of emotions and experiences, from adventures to peaceful daydreaming.

Ogbu, John U. Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic Disengagement. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erbaum, 2003.

Continuing and expanding Ogbu’s (anthropology, University of California, Berkeley) research on minority education, this volume offers an intriguing answer to questions of race, affluence, and achievement. Ogbu’s study examines why sons and daughters of wealthy Black professionals aren’t keeping pace academically with the children of wealthy White professionals in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The answer appears to be race – not economics. Eventually, Ogbu focuses in on the role of community forces in academic disengagement among this population at all social classes. Thought-provoking and informative, teachers, administrators, and anyone interested in diversity in boys’ schools, especially, will be fascinated.

Pollack, William S. Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood. New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt, 1999.

Harvard Medical School psychiatry professor Pollack dismantles what he terms the “Boy Code” – society’s image of boys as tough, cool, rambunctious, and obsessed with sports, cars, and sex. Yet the image does not jibe with the reality. Pollack tells us that boys are faring much less well; that many boys have remarkably fragile self-esteem. He points to the rising rates of depression and suicide in boys as evidence that what we imagine boys to be and who they are within are not terribly compatible. This is a thoughtful and interesting argument about what it really means to be a boy today. For parents, educators, and boys’ advocates, this book will challenge and illuminate.

Pollack, William S., and Todd Shuster. Real Boys’ Voices. New York, N.Y.: Penguin, 2001.

Drawing on interviews with young men across the country, Harvard clinical psychologist Pollack presents a candid, troubling, and occasionally humorous snapshot of contemporary American boyhood. In hearing boys speak about their loneliness, fear, anger, and their hopes and joys, placing it within the context of his ongoing research, Pollack draws a formidable case for what he sees as the straitjacket of the “Boy Code.” He outlines a fifteen-step program for mentoring boys and redefining boyhood. For parents, educators, practitioners, this is an engaging and thoughtful look at contemporary boyhood.

Raising Boys’ Achievement in Schools. ed. Kevin Bleach. Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom: Trentham, 1998.

Beach offers readers an insight into the range of strategies and good practices being used to raise boys’ achievement in schools. The contributors are educators with expertise in various aspects of boys’ education, including reading and literacy. Subjects explored include: reasons for underachievement (social, physiological, and economic); primary schools for boys; motivation and performance in school; different learning styles; and peer counseling.

Teachers, parents, and anyone interested in gaining a solid foundation in this area for research.

Ruhlman, Michael. Boys Themselves: A Return to Single-Sex Education. New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt, 1997.

Ruhlman investigates whether boys’ schools are an anachronism or, at worst, dangerous places for boys by looking at a year in the life of a boys’ school. Ruhlman, a 1981 graduate of University School in Cleveland, Ohio, spent the 1993-94 academic year at his alma mater following students and teachers. Backed by his own experiences as a student, his sharp observations, and an excellent grasp of the research into boys’ education, Ruhlman paints a picture of a complicated institution, where the majority of boys would rather have girls in their classes and where the headmaster, Richard Hawley, became an object of controversy with the publication of his book, Boys Will Be Men

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(Eriksson, 1994), a Jungian-feminist study on masculinity. Anyone involved in boys’ education, as well as parents, will find this account enlightening.

Salamone, Rosemary C. Same, Different, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2003.

Salamone, a law professor at St. John’s University, examines the history of single-sex education and makes a convincing argument: voluntary single-sex education is a legally acceptable option that ought to be widely available in the United States, especially for disadvantaged children. Providing case studies, an overview of the contemporary canon of thought about gender identity, legal implications of single-sex schools, and a digest of the results of experiments in single-sex education, Salamone presents an objective and thorough review of all aspects of the debate.

For its breadth and depth of coverage of the single-sex education debate, this book is an indispensable resource.

Sargent, Paul. Real Men or Real Teachers: Contradictions in the Lives of Men Elementary School Teachers.

Harriman, Tenn.: Men’s Studies Press, 2000.

Writing for the “many men who would be wonderful teachers, parents, or caregivers but have experienced negative sanctions whenever they have attempted to lead gender-atypical lives,” Sargent (sociology, San Diego State University) shares the stories of men who teach in elementary schools. In the world of boys’ schools, this is a particularly interesting book because, not only does it describe how it is to be a man teaching early grades, it also tells the broader story of what it is like for these educators who, in many ways, do not fit the traditional stereotype of masculinity. For researchers, teachers, and anyone interested in the experiences of men engaged in nontraditional work.

Sax, Leonard. Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. New York, N.Y.: Basic, 2007.

Family physician and research psychologist Sax, in his follow-up to Why Gender Matters, presents the complete picture of boys’ underachievement in schools. Citing statistics that suggest boys and young men are less resilient and less ambitious than they were twenty years ago, Sax presents what he believes are the causes for this phenomenon. Combing scientific literature and exploring his own clinical experience, Sax proposes an entirely original view of why boys and young men are failing in school. He argues that a combination of social, cultural, and biological factors is creating an environment that is literally toxic to boys. Educators of boys, both in single-sex or coed environments, will appreciate Sax’s work and solutions for stemming this tide.

Sax, Leonard. Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences. New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, 2005.

There was a time not so long ago when some gender theorists believed that children, for their own good, should be raised without gender stereotyping: girls could play with trucks; boys with dolls. Sax, pediatrician and researcher, suggests that gender types are not the construction of culture or society, but that boys and girls are, from the beginning, hardwired differently. Discussing these differences, Sax contends that understanding the inherent differences in gender can help teachers determine the most effective methods for teaching, disciplining, and understanding children and young adults. Sax is a well-known proponent of single-sex education and offers several compelling arguments in favor of it. This volume is an essential read for teachers, practitioners, and others working with children.

Shaffer, Susan Morris, and Linda Perlman Gordon. Why Boys Don’t Talk – and Why It Matters: A Parent’s Survival Guide to Connecting With Your Teen. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill, 2004.

Shaffer, an educator, and Gordon, a clinical social worker, explore the reticence of boys – both what it signifies and how to decipher the meaning behind the silence. Fearful of appearing weak or vulnerable, boys typically are unwilling to risk exposure of their feelings by talking and instead use competitiveness as an acceptable model for express-

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ing emotions. The authors provide strategies for enhancing opportunities to connect more deeply and emotionally with boys and explore the cultural conventions of masculinity. Parents and educators will find this work of great interest, both for its analysis and recommendations.

Skelton, Christine. Schooling the Boys: Masculinities and Primary Education. Buckingham, England: Open University Press, 2001.

Skelton responds to the charge that the one of the contributing factors to boys’ underachievement is the predominance of women teachers in primary schools, which has led to classroom management and teaching styles that ‘favour’ girls. She convincingly shows that primary schools produce a range of masculinities for pupils to draw on. The book aims to provide an understanding of the background literature on boys and schooling, an insight into “masculinity-making” in primary schools, and to offer strategies for developing gender-relevant programs. For primary educators, particularly those in boys’ schools, this book offers guidance in helping boys learn to become men.

Sommers, Christina Hoff. The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men. New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, 2001.

Well-documented, this book engages the feminist critics of education who suggest that girls are short-changed in the classroom and boys are simply emotionally repressed. Rather than patholigize boys, the author suggests that, “boys need discipline, respect, and moral guidance. [They] need love and tolerant understanding.” For teachers, parents, men, and women, this volume reframes the entire discussion of gender in education.

Strong, Susan. The Boldness of Boys: Famous Men Talk About Growing Up. Kansas City, Mo.: McMeel, 2003.

Following the publication of, The Greatness of Girls, Strong offers this work, the companion piece to her earlier title. In an effort to encourage and empower young men, the author solicited essays and anecdotes from famous men who share their personal insights about growing up. The list of contributors includes Colin Powell, Jay Leno, Lance Armstrong, and John McCain. Arranged thematically, chapter headings include school, parents, adversity, challenges, mentors, and perseverance. Because of its broad coverage and inspiring message, this book will appeal to educators, school administrators, parents, and boys.

Sullivan, Michael. Connecting Boys with Books: What Libraries Can Do. Chicago, Ill.: ALA, 2003.

Is reading just for girls? The answer is, resoundingly, no. But why then do statistics show that boys do not read as much as girls? Since reading is integral in developing vocabulary, self-expression, and higher-level thinking skills, it is essential that boys become engaged with books. Sullivan suggests that by developing boy-friendly library programming, such as including reading-related games, and providing an atmosphere in which boys are comfortable, teachers and librarians can encourage that engagement, particularly for preadolescent and adolescent boys.

Tatum, Alfred W. Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males: Closing the Achievement Gap. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse, 2005.

Eighth-grade English teacher Tatum suggests that we can tackle the dual challenge of how to teach students the academic skills they need and to invest them in learning at the same time by selecting relevant texts for boys to read. By doing so, he argues, the boys will be able to extract meaning from the texts and perhaps apply that meaning to their schooling, their lives, and their futures. With plenty of personal examples of how pertinent and empowering texts have transformed his students, as well as a comprehensive reading list, this will be of interest to English teachers, librarians, and school personnel charged with diversity/community responsibilities.

Thompson, Michael, and Dan Kindlon. Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. New York, N.Y.: Ballantine, 2000.

Kindlon and Thompson assert that boys suffer from a too-narrow definition of masculinity while they discuss the

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relationship between vulnerability and developing sexuality, the “culture of cruelty” boys live in, and the “tyranny of toughness,” among others. Their premise is that “boys will be better off if boys are better understood – and if they are encouraged to become more emotionally literate.” Kindlon and Thompson present, as a tool for change, “What Boys Need” – seven points to encourage healthy masculinity development. This is compelling and groundbreaking work. Anyone working with boys or parenting boys should read it.

Thompson, Michael, Ph.D. It’s a Boy! Understanding Your Son’s Development from Birth to Age 18. New York, N.Y.: Ballantine, 2008.

Addressing recent troubling studies about boys in the United States, psychologist Thompson underscores the developmental differences between girls and boys that often compel boys to underachieve in school and embrace destructive behavior. The author seeks to rectify this and suggests these steps: early unconditional love, strong maternal attachment, restraining of corporal punishment and sexist stereotyping, strong father participation, and safe places where boys can engage in undirected, outside play. Thompson visits each stage in a boy’s development, thus providing a very useful guide for parents.

Thompson, Michael, Ph.D., and Teresa Barker. Speaking of Boys: Answers to the Most-Asked Questions about Raising Sons. New York, N.Y.: Ballantine, 2000.

Psychologist Thompson encourages parents to help their sons develop the emotional intelligence necessary to succeed. The book seeks to answer parents’ questions concerning the complexities of raising a boy in today’s society.

Addressing issues such as puberty, underage drinking, and increased violence in schools, Thompson reinforces the need to help boys attain an emotional intelligence that will allow them to cope with difficult and threatening situations. He asserts that in order to do this, parents must nurture compassion in their sons. Thompson’s book, as is true with his others, is well-written and thoughtful, making this title part of the core library in boy’s development.

Traps: African American Men on Gender and Sexuality. ed. Rudolph P. Byrd and Beverly Guy-Sheftall.

Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 2001.

Byrd and Guy-Sheftall have amassed a collection of writings by nineteenth-and twentieth-century African American men that shed light on the experience of living as a Black male in the United States. The essays speak of the powerful combination of race, gender, and sexuality and their impact on shaping African American men’s understanding of sexuality. Authors include: Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Derrick Bell, James Baldwin, and Cornel West. Provocative and powerful, this collection will appeal to anyone interested in understanding the African American male identity.

Understanding Masculinities: Social Relations and Cultural Arenas. ed. M­airtin Mac an Ghaill. Buckingham, England: Open University, 1996.

This is one of the first texts to examine the range of theoretical and methodological approaches to the understanding of masculinity. It brings together overviews of the key theoretical debates with new empirical material, focusing on different social and cultural arenas, and the wide range of masculinities that exist. It discusses education, unemployment, sports, sexuality, and Black masculinities. For anyone concerned with broadening the understanding of masculinity.

UNICEF. What About the Boys? The State of the World’s Children 2004. New York, N.Y.: United Nations, 2004. N. pag.

In 2004, UNICEF published the results of a comprehensive survey, done to determine how children, in general, are doing worldwide. Owing to the success of new programs created to increase girls’ attendance in school, the report suggests that these initiatives may be having an effect on boys in school as well. Citing numerous statistics from around the world, the findings seem to support the notion that gender-sensitive teaching methods can improve all children’s learning. Filled with interesting data, this report provides much food for thought.

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Wallace, Maurice O. Constructing the Black Masculine: Identity and Ideality in African American Men’s Literature and Culture, 1775-1995. 1995. Durham, N.C.: Duke University, 2002.

Originally published as a dissertation, Wallace (English, Duke University) offers a rich, well-researched history of Black men in America. With insight and empathy, Wallace draws on an impressive variety of material to investigate the survivalist strategies employed by Black men who have had to endure the disjunction between race and masculinity in American culture. Highlighting their chronic objectification under the gaze of White eyes, Wallace argues that Black men suffer a social and representational crisis in being at once seen and unseen. Invisible and disregarded on the one hand, they simultaneously face the reality of hypervisibility and perpetual surveillance. Wallace shows how, through all of this, Black men have sought to realize the ideal image of the American masculine.

Warrington, Molly, and Mike Younger. Raising Boys’ Achievement in Primary Schools: Towards an Holistic Approach. New York, N.Y: Open University Press; McGraw Hill, 2006.

Warrington and Younger (both professors of education in the United Kingdom) provide teachers with a rich, practical guide to helping boys achieve in primary school. Taking into account gender learning differences, and developmental differences between boys and girls, this book offers strategies aimed at keeping boys engaged in learning and school. For its practical nature, this book is aimed at the classroom teacher, but those involved in educating boys – either in coed or single-sex environments – will find it informative and useful.

Warrington, Molly, Ros McLellan, and Mike Younger. Raising Boys’ Achievements in Secondary Schools.

New York, N.Y.: Open University Press; McGraw Hill, 2005.

Following their manual for primary grades, Younger and Warrington offer a guide for teachers that provides strategies for keeping high school boys engaged in learning and in their school community. Of primary interest to teachers, others who work in the field of boys’ education will find this book interesting and informative.

West, Peter. It Ain’t Cool to Like School: Why are Boys Underachieving Around the World? And What Can We Do About It? Sydney, Australia: Men’s Health Australia, 2002. July 2008 Around the world, educators are worrying about boys in school. Surveying boys in more than 32 countries, West finds the statistics remarkably telling. Throughout the survey, common themes surface, suggesting that the problems boys are having in school are not just local. Boys’ difficulties are tied to many social issues: the decline of fathering and alienation of many men from families; the fact that jails are at least 90 percent filled with men; society’s tendency to see men as useless unless they are in paid work; and the demonstrably worse health outcomes that men experience. Churches, extended families, and older men (mentors) used to help raise sons into men, but with the worldwide decline in these traditions, schools have been expected to step in. For educators and administrators, this is an enlightening study of the world’s boys and their attitudes toward school.

Wynn, Mychal. Empowering African American Males: Teaching, Parenting, and Mentoring Successful Black Males: Workbook. Marietta, Ga.: Rising Son, 2006.

Educator and consultant Wynn offers a workbook that contains more than fifty activities and discussion questions that reinforce the concepts, ideas, and strategies outlined within each of the chapters in the book: Mission, Vision, Climate and Culture, Curriculum and Content, Instruction, and Assessment. Activities include developing your mission, vision, and core values; constructing a “web of protection”; understanding student demographics; creating cooperative groups; creating a classroom code of conduct; and helping students to set goals and develop futureoriented dreams. This workbook, for teachers, parents, and mentors, provides techniques to support the strategies outlined in the book.

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“We will share with you a chronology of the School, an analysis of educational best practices gleaned from observations of Haverford teaching by the leading expert on how boys learn, a collection of sample best lessons for boys assembled by three Haverford School alumni who currently teach at their alma mater, and an annotated bibliography of the most current thought on best teaching practices for boys. We hope that this book reflects The Haverford School’s years of concern and commitment to boys’ education and serves as a resource and guide for everyone who loves and teaches boys.

We are justly proud of our 125 years of serving the educational needs of boys, and this book celebrates both our unique and distinguished history and our on-going efforts to become the premier school for boys in the country.”

– Headmaster, Joseph T. Cox, Ph.D.