There is a focus on reading and writing stories in early years' classrooms. A quick glimpse of the books on display in any primary classroom or a peek in the library will tell you what students are expected to read. Stories - narrative fiction. There may be a few encyclopedias in the corner and some non-fiction mixed with the stories but the emphasis is clearly on fiction.
In fact their is a whole industry devoted to crafting imitations of adult fiction for children. There are book fairs, catalogues, serious journal and major prizes largely devoted to children's fiction. Even the non-fiction titles produced tend to look like story books.
But fiction is more the diet of women than of men. Men are not great readers of literature. They read newspapers and magazines much more often. As Peter West, quoting Bob Connell, says;
Lastly, as Connell argues, we have to be aware that learning is seen as feminine unless it is a pathway to action. Many males aren't reading books unless the books teach them how to play games, fix cars or get bigger muscles.
Giving Boys a Ray of Hope: Masculinity and Education. Discussion Paper for Gender Equity Taskforce, 1995, p27
Where are the car magazines or body building magazines designed for primary school students? Why aren't there libraries full of material which boys will clearly identify as the equivalents, written for them, of what men read? Why don't classrooms have all the latest sporting magazines designed for early readers? Where are the books that lead to action designed specifically for nine year olds?
If you ask young boys what men read they will tell you their fathers read magazines and newspapers, a few will mention action novels. They know what the male genres are, but they are simply not available in a suitable form in schools.
Rex Stoessiger writes on boys' education for Manhood Online.
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