An Email to the School Board in my Area
Below is the email I just sent to all the school board members in my area. I have, needless to say, become quite moved by the documentary Raising Cain and feel, at the very least for the sake of boys in the area, that something has to be done. I'll post any response I get.
Dear Board Member,
I have two boys both of whom have been in the xxISD system since kindergarten. I know that this is not exclusively a problem in our area, but I do believe it is a problem that exists in this district and it needs to be addressed immediately. Basically put, the boys in our society are suffering and struggling. They are often misunderstood, isolated and stereotyped. I understand that a lot of the attitudes in response to boy's behaviors have a lot to do with society’s response to frightening and shocking events, but I believe that we are doing a grave disservice to an entire group of children, and creating, however inadvertently, the very monsters we seek to avoid. Boys have emotions. They have emotional lives. Yet they disguise these lives in ways that frustrate us and force us to see "attitude" or "disruptive behavior". I have battled, over the past several years, teachers and principals who have erroneously labeled my children because of these inherent traits. Last night, I feel I finally found vindication. On PBS, I watched "Raising Cain" from the book of the same name. It is a two hour documentary about the physical, spiritual and emotional development of boys, and how they are in serious crisis in our country.
I would like to make a plea to our board to have this documentary shown to every staff member in every school in our district. I think a link should exist on the xxISD home page, and I believe that every parent in the district should be made aware of this book and film, perhaps even offering a showing of the film with some kind of discussion afterwards.
Why? Because I am acutely aware, not just with my children but with all the boys that I have been around since having two sons, that these boys are lost. They are desperate for positive reinforcement, validation and acceptance but don’t know how to get it. They are caught between being in dire need of nurturing and the intrinsic need of attaining manhood. I see the need every single day, and it saddens me to see so many boys floundering. Parents are frustrated. Teachers are at their wit’s end. And the boys have no idea how to do anything differently. We are the adults. We have made a conscious decision to look at girls and say, "you can do anything; nothing is unattainable if you truly want it" yet boys fall by the wayside. Coaches yell at them. Parents hit them.
I will do anything that is necessary to get this out there. I will buy the film for you to watch. I will work tirelessly to get this information to where it needs to be. Just tell me that you will watch this documentary and consider embarking on this endeavor .You will not be sorry. We can open up the gates of the cave labeled "boys" and help to understand them. It will enlighten us and lighten our load. It will illuminate the dark, mysterious path that we walk with boys and give us a guide.
Please consider this. I don’t know what the protocol is for this type of thing, and I am certainly no expert. I am just a parent. A parent with two boys. I know that there are probably a million other things that are important that you all have to consider, but I believe the benefits will be staggering. I believe that grades will go up, violence will diminish significantly, and the overall environment will be much more harmonious and peaceful. There is nothing more debilitating than being misunderstood. Please let’s work together to bring more understanding into the lives of boys. It will improve not only our school district but our entire society as well.
Thank you so much for your consideration.
Penny Barrett Hornsby
Home: xxx xxx xxxxx
Cell:xxx xxx xxxx
Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Schools currently attending: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PBS website with guide and link to film:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisingboys/
Below is the email I just sent to all the school board members in my area. I have, needless to say, become quite moved by the documentary Raising Cain and feel, at the very least for the sake of boys in the area, that something has to be done. I'll post any response I get.
Dear Board Member,
I have two boys both of whom have been in the xxISD system since kindergarten. I know that this is not exclusively a problem in our area, but I do believe it is a problem that exists in this district and it needs to be addressed immediately. Basically put, the boys in our society are suffering and struggling. They are often misunderstood, isolated and stereotyped. I understand that a lot of the attitudes in response to boy's behaviors have a lot to do with society’s response to frightening and shocking events, but I believe that we are doing a grave disservice to an entire group of children, and creating, however inadvertently, the very monsters we seek to avoid. Boys have emotions. They have emotional lives. Yet they disguise these lives in ways that frustrate us and force us to see "attitude" or "disruptive behavior". I have battled, over the past several years, teachers and principals who have erroneously labeled my children because of these inherent traits. Last night, I feel I finally found vindication. On PBS, I watched "Raising Cain" from the book of the same name. It is a two hour documentary about the physical, spiritual and emotional development of boys, and how they are in serious crisis in our country.
I would like to make a plea to our board to have this documentary shown to every staff member in every school in our district. I think a link should exist on the xxISD home page, and I believe that every parent in the district should be made aware of this book and film, perhaps even offering a showing of the film with some kind of discussion afterwards.
Why? Because I am acutely aware, not just with my children but with all the boys that I have been around since having two sons, that these boys are lost. They are desperate for positive reinforcement, validation and acceptance but don’t know how to get it. They are caught between being in dire need of nurturing and the intrinsic need of attaining manhood. I see the need every single day, and it saddens me to see so many boys floundering. Parents are frustrated. Teachers are at their wit’s end. And the boys have no idea how to do anything differently. We are the adults. We have made a conscious decision to look at girls and say, "you can do anything; nothing is unattainable if you truly want it" yet boys fall by the wayside. Coaches yell at them. Parents hit them.
I will do anything that is necessary to get this out there. I will buy the film for you to watch. I will work tirelessly to get this information to where it needs to be. Just tell me that you will watch this documentary and consider embarking on this endeavor .You will not be sorry. We can open up the gates of the cave labeled "boys" and help to understand them. It will enlighten us and lighten our load. It will illuminate the dark, mysterious path that we walk with boys and give us a guide.
Please consider this. I don’t know what the protocol is for this type of thing, and I am certainly no expert. I am just a parent. A parent with two boys. I know that there are probably a million other things that are important that you all have to consider, but I believe the benefits will be staggering. I believe that grades will go up, violence will diminish significantly, and the overall environment will be much more harmonious and peaceful. There is nothing more debilitating than being misunderstood. Please let’s work together to bring more understanding into the lives of boys. It will improve not only our school district but our entire society as well.
Thank you so much for your consideration.
Penny Barrett Hornsby
Home: xxx xxx xxxxx
Cell:xxx xxx xxxx
Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Schools currently attending: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PBS website with guide and link to film:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisingboys/
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