Rethinking Masculinity in Schools, English teachers Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts unpack a range of reasons why boys are struggling in school. Instead they suggest that we use ‘non-tender masculinity’, while aiming to promote ‘tender masculinity’ in schools. We’ve all attended alecture or watched aTV show (perhaps against our will) about asubject we thought we weren’t interested in, only to find ourselves fascinated; and it’s easy to get bored even when you usually like the topic… The content of aproblem… may be sufficient to prompt your interest, but it won’t maintain it. Written in 2019, the polemic of the book is of interest in the context of the culture wars in North Atlantic cultures following the financial crash of 2007/8.

Whilst listening to Hadley Stewart’s contribution, I was surprised to learn how recently Section 28 (a law which effectively prevented teachers talking about homosexuality, even in cases of bullying) was still a feature in schools (2000 in Scotland, 2003 in the rest of the UK). I also appreciated the highlighted need for conversation and support for those who walk away from a confrontation as I hadn’t considered the impacts of this before.Clearly, this is just another way of showing these students that I don’t think they’re as good as the top set I give an essay to every week. What is new for teachers thinking about more able and talented provision is the urgency with which we are persuaded to be gender-blind in our judgements, which should make our assessments of need and ability more responsive.

Gender is a point of contention in wider polarisations in identity politics, between, at the extremes, a pessimistic and anxious liberalism and a boorish and know-nothing authoritarianism. The focus was on supporting their children through online learning but we hope to continue with other events as time goes on.I forget which chapter it is, but I think it is early on, where the authors state that they don’t like the term “toxic masculinity” prefering to use “non-tender masculinity” instead which they then use throughout the book.

First, he refers to cognitive social scientist Daniel T Willingham’s example of how content doesn’t always drive interest. Smash stereotypes: Avoid presenting "girl/boy" timed and packaged subject choices: for example, Metalwork v Home Economics.Pinkett and Roberts have pored over the statistics and, for Pinkett, there’s one that is far and away the most shocking; and that relates to sexist behaviour in British schools.

Appreciated the mention of teacher modelling openly talking about their emotions and shoulder-shoulder talks, which made me think of a Pivotal podcast that I listened to in my first year of teaching and has stayed with me since. The sports text reinforced stereotypes of masculinity and prevented students from building cultural capital.is a common refrain in education circles when discussing academic achievement, particularly in English. Teaching only highly relevant content also reinforces low expectations of what boys can and need to learn. A “good student” is seen as a compliant one, with boys more frequently sanctioned and girls spending more time on homework. Knowing your subject will make you a more confident teacher, which is a good thing; but be humble too.