Before we start, let us be the first to say that we know this might come across as an over-generalization or stereotyping. I have actually seen our oldest daughter try to make a tiny pencil. The topic came up when we saw a Facebook graphic that couldn't understand why boys do stuff like this, so we thought we'd drive into this silly yet important topic.
So why do you think teachers get frustrated trying to understand behaviors like this?
I think they see it as a distraction from learning and wasting time.
Here's our explanation and experience of why boys love tiny pencils:
It was always the goal to get rid of all the yellow and just have a point with an eraser. FTW!!!
Progression...
- Can still be sharpened by electric sharpener...
- Progressed to hand sharpener...
- Graduated to knife whittling at home to sharpen the nub!!!
The highest
The fastest
The smelliest
The funniest
The weirdest
The biggest
The tiniest!
The ... -EST
Boys are infatuated with the challenge and allure of the superlative. Tell a boy he can't do something, and you've lit his fire to find out. We must learn our limits.
Example: Just last year, there was a balloon way up at the ceiling at church. 3 of us men spent an hour trying all kinds of wacky ways trying to get it down because someone said we couldn't. People thought we were weirdos, but we didn't care. We did it! And used science (wind currents and hooks) to conquer the stupid problem.
When preparing for this topic, we realized there was lots more we could talk about �boyness� in the classroom or ways we can hinder boyness. We want to bring up this topic more in the future, but until then . . .
So embrace and celebrate the pure boyness!
Conversation of the Day: Can you think of a story when students displayed this desire for the superlative? Tell the story.
Hop on over to watch the video and share your thoughts in the conversation.
