Teacher Asks If Anyone Else Is Noticing How Girls Are 'Crushing' The Boys Right Now — And Thousands Of Other Educators Weigh In
The achievement gap is wide and won't get any smaller until we find a way to get boys' attention.
@emaroadkill / TikTok When it comes to girls and boys, there are some marked differences between the two genders.
Studies show that girls develop the right brain at a faster pace and excel in communication, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading and memory retention. Boys develop the left brain quicker and tend to lean on logic, reasoning, mathematics, problem solving, and building.
To that point, an alarming trend that educators have been noticing is that girls seem to be excelling in the academic arena, while boys are falling behind or getting by with the bare minimum.
A teacher explained why girls are excelling in school compared to boys.
Former educator, Ema, recently took to TikTok to discuss a Reddit post titled, “Is anyone else seeing that the girls are crushing the boys right now?” And thousands of teachers weighed in.
The post was made by a teacher who conducts student council meetings with a group of 46 girls and 5 boys.
It’s interesting enough that young women vastly outnumber young men in student council engagement, but the teacher also noticed that the girls write better, maintain higher grades, and are much “more adept” in all aspects of schooling.
The teacher's observation reminded Ema of a similar experience she had as a high school educator.
Two students were nominated for Student of the Month. When administrators announced the young lady’s nomination, there was a list of notable accomplishments that followed. The boy, on the other hand, was praised for showing up to school on time, something every student should be doing anyway.
The school eventually changed the GPA requirement so boys would qualify for Student of the Month.
They dropped the minimum grade point average from 3.5 to 3.2 to increase male student participation. But it was the stark contrast between the boys and how they were commended that was “jarring” to Ema.
The female nominee was touted for things like pre-acceptances to prestigious colleges, leadership roles in different clubs, and academic accolades, while the male’s introduction was much less impressive.
Teachers chimed in on the post to say they had similar experiences at their schools, noting the term “male academic underperformance” had been been coined for the disparity.
Ema further noted, “Way more women than men are going to college. Way more women than men are becoming doctors and lawyers and getting those kinds of degrees.” But ultimately she wondered why.
But neither of those facts offers a good explanation as to why boys tend to underperform compared to girls, academically.
Boys have larger brains than girls, but theirs takes longer to grow.
The differences in the genders start small, but over time, the gap widens due to societal norms. Environmental influences play a major role in what sets the sexes apart.
There is a vast difference between young women and young men when it comes to taking risks, practicing self-control, being competitive, and showing empathy and assertiveness. Parenting also becomes a contributing factor.
Girls are taught, likely as a safety measure, to focus on stability and security in life decisions, whereas boys are encouraged to take more risks and make more mistakes, even academically.
Psychology professors David and Susan Voyer from the University of New Brunswick found that girls perform better than boys do in every subject. But the news is not necessarily true across the board.
A research brief published in Educational Researcher found that girls do better in reading tests but worse than boys in match tests.
But the underlying cause of girls outperforming their male counterparts seems to be based on behavioral engagement, and participation in the work and social aspects of school.
Generally, these are considered markers of good performance by educators. Behavioral engagement activities include raising your hand, turning your work in on time, understanding and respecting personal boundaries, and responding in an appropriate way when facing negativity.
But research is divided on the reasons why girls are more engaged.
It’s totally possible that they exhibit more behaviors that educators acknowledge and appreciate due to gender socialization differences and societal expectations. Factor in teachers who might be biased due to the gender and class of the students, and the answer is certainly unclear.
But one thing is certain: until schools can find a way to inspire boys, the academic gap will continue to grow.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle, relationships, entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.