Is Teaching Boys the Same as Teaching Girls

Ha i ti, tha k you fo helpi g y so lea to ead a d ite E glish the su p ise Whats app essage said. Hazza is o i G ade 5 a d still talks a out you all the ti e .
Hazza was one of two dozen boys in my grade 3 class at a boys school in Abu Dhabi. (I now work at the American Academy in Al Mizhar (AAM), a school with only female students from grades 1 through 12; we have boys and girls in Pre-KG, KG-1 and KG-2.) I do t thi k Hazzas othe e e alled, emailed or sent me a message when I taught her son two years ago, so I was quite surprised to hear from her now. A curly haired boy with a serious face, Hazza was one of the brightest students in the class. He picked up mathematical and scientific concepts quite easily, having memorized the two, five and ten time tables in just a few, short lessons. He would enthusiastically point out several sight words during story time every morning. Miss, thats g ee ! Thats sleep! Thats ash! With Hazzas leadership, his team of four boys was the only group to meet the two-week deadline for completing our integrated Science and Social Studies project on constructing a model show. During P.E., Hazza often volunteered to show Saif and Abdullah how to kick the soccer ball to score a goal. After the match was over, every afternoon, my athlete and scholar would randomly give friendly slaps on the back to rally his boisterous classmates into the classroom. Hazza was the ideal student, with one crucial exception: He needed constant simulation.

Taaleem Schools: American Academy Al-Mizhar

As long as Hazza had an assignment that required shouting, clapping, dancing, drumming, jumping, building or running, my boy was on task. Talk about a kinesthetic learner that child could not relate to sustained, silent reading. Truthfully, almost all of the boys required constant activity. The gi ls I e taught at AAM a e ge e ally a le to pa ti ipate i a ide a ge of lea i g a ti ities, including those that require self-restraint, such as reading, writing and pondering concepts before speaking. While I currently work in administrative capacity at AAM, I previously taught English as an additional language (EAL) to girls in grades 4 through 9 at this accredited school. The girls at AAM are truly brilliant gems. For the most part, they act like proper little ladies. They wear shoes every day. Their uniforms are clean and pressed. And, most impressively they usually complete their homework assignments on ti e. Aaah a uee do e of lea li ess a d o de . I stead of e e e i g the lone boy who managed to stay on task, at AAM, we marvel at the one or two precocious young ladies in the school. Similar to my students at the boys school, most of the AAM girls are native Arabic speakers who were born and /or raised in the UAE. Yet, tea hi g the gi ls as pu e joy. Miss, this sto y is o i g. O e ould lu t out at the e y o e t I as eadi g out ho Alaa Al Dee u ed the la te to elease the agi al ge ie. I a t to hea a diffe e t sto y! B eathe e y slo ly, I e i ded myself, as I held the fingers on my right hand together as a gentle signal for the girl to wait. My f ie ds a k i the tates ofte asked: Is tea hi g gi ls the sa e as tea hi g oys? Let simply: The two experiences for me were as different night and day. e put it

However, children are children. Whether you teach girls or boys or both, children need teachers who are highly organized, energetic, patient, smart and resourceful. Love is the secret ingredient to manage a feisty class anywhere in the world. About The Article This article appeared in Gulf News Sunday, February 3, 2013. Written by Adeyela Bennet and appeared on the press centre of www.americanacademy.ae

Taaleem Schools: American Academy Al-Mizhar