Instilling Values
Boys Town
An important aspect of building a strong family is teaching values to your children. Children with strong character are more capable of resisting negative influences. Here are just a few ideas to help you foster positive values in your teen.
Parenting boys – How can I instill virtues in my son at an early age?
allaboutparenting.org
Raising Boys Meetup Groups
Join a group to meet people, make friends, find support, grow a business, and explore your interests. Thousands of events are happening every day, both online and in person!
After a Suicide: A Tool Kit for Schools
Faced with students struggling to cope and a community struggling to respond, schools need reliable information, practical tools, and pragmatic guidance on what to do in the aftermath of a suicide.
This toolkit for middle and high schools was developed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (a project of Education Development Center, Inc.). It was created in consultation with national experts, resulting in a highly practical resource for schools facing real-time crises.
For Parents
A Few Suggestions for Reaching Out to Your Son & Helping Him Succeed
- Boys’ reading tastes can be different from that of girls. Boys may prefer “action” stories. Seek out books that will appeal to their interests. (Some recommendations include Holes by Louis Sachar, The Great Gatsby, the Harry Potter books, and the Horatio Hornblower series.) Boys often enjoy non-fiction and literary non-fiction, and you might also encourage reading through magazines, newspapers, and even websites.
- Read aloud to boys, no matter what their age.
- Introduce daily reading rituals in the home, beginning with reading to your son, and later (when he begins to read) having him read at least some portion of the selection to you.
- Introduce regular writing rituals in the home, such as regular letters, thank you notes, e-mails, or a journal.
- Create a culture of high expectations, both academically and in terms of social maturity.
- Look for opportunities to draw character-building lessons. Be aware of the personality and behavioral indicators of serious emotional distress, and encourage boys experiencing such distress to verbalize and discuss their feelings in a non-judgmental setting.
- Clearly define expectations and routines.
- Avoid and discourage gender stereotyping, especially that which dismisses certain subjects and areas of learning as being, “for girls.” (e.g. art, reading, etc.)
We demand so much from teachers and yet fail to recognize the incredible difference that a good teacher can make in a child’s life. The Boys Initiative believes that we owe teachers the resources, information, flexibility, and support that will help them respond to the needs of all children, giving them the best possible educational experience. Here are a few suggestions for educators seeking ways to reach out and improve boys’ achievement:
- Allow opportunities for physical movement in the learning environment. Opportunities to move, whether during a short stretch/movement breaks, as part of the lesson, or even to help out (such as by asking a particularly restless boy to help pass out papers, etc.) may help channel restless behavior.
- Seek out mentors for boys, both from the community as well as from within the school system (pairing older boys with younger students, for example).
- Create a culture of high expectations, both academically and in terms of social maturity.
- Look for opportunities to draw character-building lessons
- Be aware of the personality and behavioral indicators of serious emotional distress, and encourage boys experiencing such distress to verbalize and discuss their feelings in a non-judgmental setting.
- Clearly define expectations and routines.
- Look for ways to demonstrate the real-world relevance of lessons, especially related to science and social-sciences.
- Avoid and discourage gender stereotyping, especially that which dismisses certain subjects and areas of learning as being, “for girls.” (e.g. art, reading, etc.)