Young men in education

Home: K to 12: Respect Protect Connect Program: Gender and violence issues

This is an extract from the Respect Protect Connect workshop manual, by Timothy O'Leary and Russell Pratt.

Schools are institutions that produce meanings and identities. They are fields of power through which individuals make their way and, in the process, make themselves (Denborough, 1996b).

Violence at schools usually occurs within a culture of boys beginning to define themselves as 'men'. Fights are usually accompanied with a circle of other students yelling 'fight, fight, fight!' Backing down from a fight in such circumstances is often felt to be worse than being beaten.

There is usually a student in the workshop who will say, "It takes more of a man to back down from a fight than participate". It is better that the students decide about manliness and violence before the possibility of a fight has arisen. Clearly in such a scenario, the responsibility for the fighting must be shared between the fighters and those urging them on.

At the end of the fight a negative tension continues for the rest of the day or the week. It is important to recognise that negative experiences at school can have long-lasting effects on children and young people's attitudes to education and learning.

Although young men may be boisterous and loud in the playground or classroom, they may find it difficult to participate in class discussions. This may be because they fear becoming the target for stirring if they are articulate and give the right answer, or being laughed at if they give the wrong answer.

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