Burden of Being a Boy

Dr. Nicholas D. Young has worked in diverse educational roles for more than 30 years, serving as a teacher, counselor, principal, special education director, graduate professor, graduate program director, graduate dean, and longtime psychologist and superintendent of schools. He was named the Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year; and he completed a distinguished Fulbright program focused on the Japanese educational system through the collegiate level. Dr. Young is the recipient of numerous other honors and recognitions including the General Douglas MacArthur Award for distinguished civilian and military leadership and the Vice Admiral John T. Hayward Award for exemplary scholarship. Dr. Christine N. Michael is a more than 40-year educational veteran with a variety of professional experiences. Her previous work has included middle and high school teaching, higher education administration, college teaching, and educational consulting. She has also been involved with Head Start, Upward Bound, national non-profits Foundation for Excellent Schools and College for Every Student, and the federal Trio programs. She is currently the Program Director of Low Residency Programs at American International College.Dr. Elizabeth Jean has served as an elementary school educator and administrator in various rural and urban settings in Massachusetts for more than 20 years. As a building administrator, she has fostered partnerships with staff, families, various local businesses, and higher education institutions. Further, she is currently a graduate adjunct professor at the Van Loan School of Education, Endicott College and previously taught at the College of Our Lady of the Elms.

The Burden of Being a Boy by Young, Michael, and Jean, all educational experts, is a timely addition to the literature on the socialization of boys in the modern world, enhanced by the authors' diverse and substantial experiences in the field of education. Over five chapters, and supported by extensive references, this short volume seeks to understand the role of schooling in developing boys' emotional well-being and sustaining their academic success, as indicated by the subtitle. The authors detail the current problems facing boys as they struggle to reach manhood in the face of the demands of an educational system that is out of sync with their physical and emotional growth. This task is often hindered further by uneven support from fragmented and chaotic family lives. The text outlines various research findings and theories guiding boys' maturation into men, such as the “boy code,” which instructs boys "to keep their emotions under wraps" and dictates much of their behavior. This highly readable book will be of special interest to a broad audience, including parents, teachers, school administrators, and social psychology graduate students. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.

• PrefaceAcknowledgementChapter 1: Growing up Guy: Theories of Male DevelopmentChapter 2: Failing to Make the Grade: How Boys Struggle to Succeed in SchoolChapter 3: Not an Easy Process: Navigating Race, Ethnicity and Gender IdentityChapter 4: Nurturing Nice Guys: Parenting to Produce Prosocial BehaviorChapter 5: Off the Couch and onto the Ball Court: Effective Strategies for Mentoring and Counseling BoysReferencesAbout the Authors