AuburnChick's Adventures

Yesterday, I finished reading the book Hear Our Cry:  Boys in Crisis, written by Paul Slocumb.

I read this book as part of a professional development class I’ve been taking the last few weeks.

This is a must-read, regardless of your profession.  If you’re a parent or work with youth of any age, you simply MUST read this book.

As a second-year reading teacher whose clientele is comprised primarily of at-risk students…namely boys…I saw myself and my students on the pages of this book.

Mr. Slocumb describes the factors that affect a boy’s ability to learn.

Low income, little parental involvement, and the “boy code” all contribute to lackluster academic performance.

Mr. Slocumb then delves into three different voices that a student hears as well as three types of parenting/teaching styles.

Oh word.

My heart broke as I heard myself in the dialogue he presented for each.

I immediately sent a text message to my chicklets, apologizing for being a brick wall parent.

I think they were a little confused.  I’ll fill in the blanks later.

As I read the book, I learned about a strategy that I used soon after.

I’ve been looking at my students differently since I began reading the book.

I’d like to think that I’ve been listening more closely.

These are lessons that anyone can apply at any time, for most human beings tend to be in some sort of crisis.

We all have things in our lives that have hurt us and affect our ability to function in a non-dysfunctional way.

The lessons in this book are especially important for teachers, however, as we come into contact on a daily basis with young minds that need strong, adult voices in their lives.

Filed under: Books, Teaching | Tagged: Boys in Crisis, education, teaching |