Boys Should Be Boys /; A Headmaster's Reflections

By Brian R. Walsh

Book Overview

Boys Should Be Boys: A Headmaster's Reflections By Brian R. Walsh "Over the last quarter century, much has been written about feminism and women's rights, and that's as it should be. But what has been... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 097203076X
• ISBN13: 9780972030762
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Tmc Books LLC
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Boys Just Want to Have Fun...

Reviewed by Randy A. Lakin for RebeccasReads (10/08) Brian Walsh's book, "Boys Should Be Boys", is one of a kind. This is a book that tells why boys and girls learn differently, without putting down boys. Brian Walsh has spent thirty years out of his forty-two years of teaching as a Headmaster. Mr. Walsh is a graduate of both Yale and Harvard. I was impressed by his grasp and knowledge of the differences between boys and girls; so many educators think that you can teach boys the same as girls, which is true to a point, but they do not realize that young boys handle situations differently. Young girls tend to look at things with emotions and feelings were boys look at things with a competitive outlook. Mr. Walsh points out that girls are motivated by trying to please a teacher or parent so that they will like them. Whereas boys try to complete tasks so that they are the first one done. One example in the books that Mr. Walsh uses is sports. If boys are choosing up teams, the last boy picked is generally happy that he was picked to play. When it comes to girls the last one picked fears that they were picked last because they are the least liked. One point that Mr. Walsh puts forward is that "boys just want to have fun." This is one aspect of sports that many parents do not understand. I have seen this time and time again at sporting events for children. One parent will be yelling at their son for missing a shot, a pass, or letting the ball get past them. The boy's parents are yelling at the top of their lungs about how he messed up, but the boy is playing the sport to have fun, and yes to win as long as it is fun. This is something many parents have forgotten. After all it is just a game; no one's life is on the line, as the boy's parents would have you believe. I personally do not have children, but I am a great uncle. I have three nephews in the five to ten years old category. As I read "Boys Should Be Boys," I could see so many examples of their behavior listed in the book, and I now have a better understanding of my nephews. I think all mothers of young boys should read Brian R. Walsh's book. It would not hurt for their fathers read this book, too. Mr. Walsh points out a very key factor in raising and teaching boys. The fact is that there are differences between boys and girls. This book is a must have in any parent's or teacher's library. Mr. Walsh passes on some very essential information about teaching boys verses girls. I highly recommend this book to everyone. You can't go wrong with purchasing Mr. Walsh's book, "Boy Should Be Boys."

A must-read book

Reviewed by Dr. Michael Philliber for Reader Views (10/08) How often mothers, sisters, aunts and female teachers have wondered, "What's wrong with those boys?" How many times have parents of either sex fretted over their sons' underdevelopment and strange interests, asking themselves, "Is my son normal?" Their reactions may range from seeking professional help to simply grinning and bearing it hoping for the best. Well help is here! Brian R. Walsh brings his 42 years of experience as a Headmaster of both a co-ed and a boys K through 9 school, together in his hardback book, "Boys Should Be Boys: A Headmaster's Reflections." This short, 213-page piece is chock full of wonderfully humorous and insightful anecdotal stories, experiences and observations of boys, their antics and their growth from kindergarten to 9th grade. The format of "Boys Should Be Boys" follows a fairly helpful order. The first two chapters deal with simple aspects of what makes boys tick and how they develop friendships. Walsh brings out some very basic, wholesome clarifications that should calm many a troubled mother's heart. For example, how a boy's self-esteem grows and is strengthened as he gains competence in a given skill. Therefore competition, which is usually not from malice, is a fairly normal aspect of a boy's mindset, whether in math or games. Humor also plays a big role for a boy to deflect vulnerability in themselves, as well as to encourage competence in other boys. The next section of the book approaches the actions and growth of boys from a more developmental line. Walsh covers in three chapters the boys in primary grades, then intermediate years, and finally on into early adolescence. He lays out the fairly typical places of boys at each stage, giving loads of examples. Walsh also passes on several observations with regard to their academic progress. The third set of chapters covers relationships with parents, teachers and girls, as well as in regard to leadership and physical contact. Much of the material in these chapters is already anticipated in the early ones, but here Walsh widens his analysis and helpful suggestions. Most parents will be encouraged as they read these chapters, and will simultaneously start seeing how to strengthen their own approach to the boys in their life. The final two chapters of "Boys Should Be Boys" are more about Walsh's concepts of what manhood means and how it is often distorted in professional sports, movies, and video games. It is here that the reader will meet Walsh's underlying aim for boys. The idea of being a man, for Walsh, is not ham-fisted bullying, or macho rooster strutting, but having strength and restraint in serving others, and protecting those less powerful. One of the immediate ideas in "Boys Should Be Boys" is that there really are differences between the sexes, in how they develop, process things, view relationships, and competition. But Walsh has clearly and successfully distinguished the differing tra