TED Community » Geron Spray

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Education

My TED Story

The older I get, the more I realize I don't know, and the less convinced I am of my own opinions. TED helps give me a glimpse of what's possible.

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• TEDCred score: +34.80 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +3

  A comment on Conversation: Is it possible that the depiction of males (stereotypical males) in electronic media is responsible for the demise of male (general)?

  Aug 16 2011: When a respected man, a good man, dies in my community, speakers at his funeral talk about what a good man he was. Usually the traits they list include generosity, kindness, and sense of humor; they talk about what a good father and husband he was, and how he contributed to the community.
  
  However, the media depict the best men as those who get laid the most, those who can throw the best punch, those who can take a bullett, those who have the most money, those who have the fastest cars, those who score the most points, and those who can drink the most beers. Essentially, boys' role models in the media are rich superheroes who get laid a lot, or rich thugs who get laid a lot.
  
  When the media does portray a family man, he is normally a buffoon. He burns down the kitchen when mom is away; he cannot match his own clothes; he's socially inept; he cannot balance the family checkbook. Always, at every turn, he's outsmarted and outwitted by his funny, sexy, sassy, smart wife.
  
  So imagine little Johnny sitting at home. His parents are divorced. His dad, for whatever reason, is out of the picture. All he has to show him what a man is are sitcoms, video games, and pro sports.
  
  Yes, the media is partly to blame for "the demise of guys."
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Are boys' brains being "digitally rewired" in ways that inhibit success at school?

  Aug 15 2011: Your comments are spot-on, Seth, in my experience. I am a public school teacher, and year after year have seen the problem exactly as you describe it.Boys need to run, jump, throw, climb, yell, kick, punch, take things apart, build things, and compete--in other words, all the things they cannot do in a typical class. They're told to sit still, be quiet, keep their hands to themselves, work in groups, and read and write. All of the aformentioned norms are fine for both genders, but not all day, every day, especially for boys.
  
  Compounding the problem, I think, (and I know I open myself up to a barrage of criticism here), is that education in general, and elementary education in particular, is dominated by women. Hence, the majority of teachers are adults who cannot fundamentally understand boys. Boy behavior, then, is seen as bad behavior. We punish boys for being bad girls. When a bunch of boys are engaged in horseplay on the playgound, I keep my eye on it but let it go. When women teachers see the horseplay, they blow a whistle and threaten detention. Why? To what end?
  
  There are always "girl power" events at schools, encouraging and enticing girls to pursue certain career paths like science and math. There are girls' schools in my town. There are "girls on the run" organizations to help girls become runners and develop self esteem through exercise. None of these exists for boys.
  
  So, the curricula are not set up for boys, and the rules are stacked against boys. Meanwhile, many of these boys have no fathers at home and their role models are glorified thugs. It's no wonder so many boys grow up seeing themselves as fundamentally bad, or at least unworthy

• A comment on Talk: Paul Bloom: The origins of pleasure

  Aug 14 2011: Now I know why my wife doesn't appreciate my old tennis shoes like I do.
• +7

  A reply on Talk: Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter ...

  Apr 4 2011: William,It must be horribly difficult for you to be surrounded by people so inferior to you. I speak for all the unwashed masses in saying we so wish we were like you.

• A reply on Talk: Isabel Behncke: Evolution's gift of play, from bonobo apes to humans

  Mar 31 2011: Perhaps Judith's problem is that her own playfullness and sexuality are too repressed to appreciate those qualities in other people, and the value they can add to a presentation such as this.
  
  I hope Dr. Izquierdo doesn't face this kind of bias everywhere. Need she be a hermaphrodite in order to gain acceptance in the scientific community?
• +5

  A comment on Talk: Bill Gates: How state budgets are breaking US schools

  Mar 30 2011: The issue I have with an incentive system is that it assumes the problem with education is the teachers. In other words, just offer the teachers more money, and they'll finally start doing a good job. Test scores will go up, kids will love learning, and the American workforce will once again excel. Right? Wrong.
  
  This philosophy completely ignores so many other factors that are outside of teachers' control, like parenting, socioeconomic status, curriculum, politics, and a system that grants all the power in a classroom to the student, and none to the teacher.
  
  I agree with a previous poster who said that Bill Gates himself represents many of the problems in education--so many influential people who know nothing about education set the standards for education. What does Gates know about teaching a 12-year-old kid?
• +3

  A reply on Talk: Ali Carr-Chellman: Gaming to re-engage boys in learning

  Feb 5 2011: Eric;
  There's a fantastic girls-only middle school here in my town. When a man tried to start up a boys-only middle school he was met with apathy, derision, and anger. There was almost no interest. Very interesting, indeed.

• A reply on Talk: Christopher McDougall: Are we born to run?

  Feb 5 2011: I'm glad the Five Fingers worked for you. I tried them, but my injured knee couldn't tell the difference. I think it's simply too far gone for running--barefoot or otherwise.
  
  Sigh...I love to run.
• +5

  A reply on Conversation: Comments

  Feb 3 2011: The more you say, Elenore, the more of a chauvanist you prove yourself to be. I hope you don't make boys suffer for your anger
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms

  Jan 31 2011: Right you are, Matt. The "No Child Left Behind" law mandates that every child be taught reading through a research-based curriculum. My school district therefore purchased one of these programs and said we must use it. We have this program because we have to have something that's "approved."
  
  Imagine the money the publishing house made off the deal. It's no coincidence that many of the publishing companies that produce the textbooks also produce the standardized tests. Hmmmmm.....
  
  In all fairness, I must say not all of the programs are bad. The curricula that I am mandated to use has its merits. It's totally teacher proof, though. Any idiot could follow it. The curricula completely negates any and all teacher expertise. I know what my students need but cannot give it to them, because if it's school day #105, I'm supposed to be on lesson #105. If a kid doesn't get a concept by the end of the lesson, too bad--we're moving on.