Exploring the Practices of Masculinities in School - Assignment Example

The author of the article has the viewpoint that the literacy strategies presented to teachers in recent support literature does not support the cause because they are restraining and restrictive. He claims that there is just a little effort towards developing a connection between gender and masculinity. He further argues that current strategies aimed towards building up the levels of boys’ literacy achievement do not move with the school board policy of acknowledging a diverse range of youth identities.

The reason is that when more efforts will be driven towards including all youth identities in the scope of safe school policy, the focus on improving the literacy levels of boys will be overshadowed which will result in making the literacy level targeted policies useless for boys. The need is to bring alignment in the safe school policy and initiatives towards literacy achievement levels in order to provide a better environment for boys which they can utilize to improve their academic level while preserving masculinity.

The author has begun the article by outlining the need or developing some quick fix strategies aimed towards increasing the learning potential of boys in such a way that they do not go parallel with the efforts towards providing a safe and secure school environment for multiple identities. In the second section of the article, the author has described and analyzed the efforts of Ontario Ministry of Education towards the cause of improving boys’ literacy level. The author has found that current initiatives are not able to accomplish the goal because they do not have the potential to prove their unique identity in front of the safe school policy which brings in together a diverse range of identities under one umbrella.

According to the author, the problem is not here in this area. Rather the real problem lies in the fact when gay, lesbian, and other identities will be promoted in schools, the masculinity level of boys will be affected, as the behaviors and attitudes of all identities will mix with one another resulting in decreasing the demonstration of masculinity among boys. The author has finally suggested that Ontario curricular activities should be redesigned so that they become closely aligned with the safe school policies in order to help teachers, as well as administrators to work together towards the aim of increasing boys’ literacy achievement level while providing a safe learning environment for all youth identities.

Critique of the Article This article by Michael Kehler discusses the efforts of The Ontario Ministry of Education to improve the literacy achievement rate of boys while acknowledging the efforts towards making safe school policy for a diverse range of youth identities, which include gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and others. I think the author has picked a good topic to write upon because it has become a need of today to save the masculinity of boys in a sexually diverse society. In today’s world, when sexual orientations are changing rapidly both for boys and girls, the need of today is to take steps towards saving the masculinity of boys so that the sexual orientation balance remains intact.

Boys have to play hard