What happened?
It didn’t “happen” it was “done to them”.
They are not ALLOWED to be boys.
If they engage in any age appropriate male behavior at any stage of their life they are punished, banished, drugged, suppressed.
And if when they become men, they happen to act like men in front of the wrong female they may find themselves charged with any number of imagined offenses - some of which may lead to legal trouble.
So can we really blame boys for turning out like they do?
Don't get me wrong. If college Prep students want to compete in testing scores basically aimed for college admissions more power to them. However forcing that aspect onto the VOC/TECH students is as wrong as forcing college Prep students to take Voc/Tech test as a standard that has to be met to graduate. Of course funding is the whole driving force behind Test Scores.
There is no reason beginning in a high school freshman year the curriculum can't be decided and a maximizing of course suited to the direction the student chooses. At that point class time should be 50/50. 50% regular class and 50% VOC TECH with each year dropping a regular class and increasing it in Voc/Tech. Senior year should be 100% VOC/Tech and Co-Op encouraged. My senior year I was working a 44 hour week job during school hours & making money.
In my early 1970's high school years for Voc/Tech students were only required to take basic Math course, basic Science, basic English, and basic History. Teachers were preparing us for the workforce after high school. For functionality I'll put my basic courses education up against college prep high school of today.
As for other aspects? I lacked the abilities for sports and my dad realized it early on. He found what I did like and built on it. How many kids even in the 1970's were capable of spending a month or more camping out alone with boat and motor? I cooked my own meals, set up my own camp, and was basically left to do for myself except food was brought in every few days. That was the way my dad grew up in the 1930's and 40's and he made sure I got to experience the same.
In these times the opportunities I had as a teenager are gone. I was reasonably safe camping and did have a rifle for just in case. Today a teenager camping out alone is prime bait for attracting predators of the two legged variety.
Well, I saw a bunch of great boys this evening at my son’s Little League Game. It’s true, they all play electronic games, but they get out there and do the real thing also. Why? I think it’s because there are FATHERS involved who pass on the love of the game and spend time teaching and training them.
Also, I find that my boy will do old fashioned boy stuff if there is some wild space around and some fellow conspirators. He and his buddies do a lot of sword play and capturing each others’ forts, given the opportunity. But it is not often that you get 6-10 of them together at once with a couple of hours to kill.