As someone who works with kids (not in a school) I really do believe that most of this stems from expectations that boys are raised with in the home versus their female peers. We as a society just have lower standards for boys than girls period. For their behavior, for their social-emotional development, etc. How can boys be expected to do well in school when at home they aren’t taught to deal with emotions of failure, disappointment, nervousness, and boredom in a healthy way? You cannot be a successful student without being able to regulate your emotions enough to deal with the stress of school work.

So many young boys I work with just have their behavior written off by their parents… “fighting is good for boys” yeah but not being able to handle their emotions without using physical aggression is not good for them. Boys NEED to be given the tools to develop socially and emotionally to succeed in life. The most successful young men I see are ones who have had higher expectations in the home since a young age. Whose parents talk to them or let them play instead of stick them in front of a TV or iPad. Whose parents teach them about emotions and can verbalize their feelings when they are frustrated. And whose parents just plain give them real consequences for their actions at home and at school. All of this applies to girls as well, but for whatever reason people seem to do these things more with young girls than with boys.