Chris May - ConnectED

ConnectED - Chris May, St Columbas Catholic School. Author of 'Running with a hurricane'

Boys: noise with dirt on it.

Nga Tama Toa  - Empowering boys to be great men

Boys learning - Programme in Practice

Chris left school with no qualifications and feeling like a failure. The purpose of the book is to give a voice to those boys who don't know how to ask for help themselves, or even know what help they need.

Stats show that boys are more highly represented in most areas of problems (e.g rtlb referrals, rtlit referrals, lagging behind in achievement, crime, suspension and SUICIDE).

Journey into adulthood - Capability - Integrity - Respect - Trust

Capability - teaching can feel like trying to keep corks underwater the whole time...but maybe corks shouldn't be kept underwater. How can we teach people to view the world differently.

What is the difference between being 'the' man and 'a' man. How does the view change when you speak about being 'a' man. It is about being part of a team and that what I do impacts on the community. Being strong is about being mentally string as well as physically string - growth mindset and perseverance.

The boys view of the world changes as they unpack what it means to be 'a' man.

When kids are treated like children they behave like children. When they are able to see the world from a different view their thoughts and behaviours change - they can view how they would be able to contribute to a community.

Contributing to a community and a household empowers kids to change their ways and it changes the way that children try and impact the world.

What can we do for our children and give them the opportunity to build their understanding of what it means to be 'a' man or 'a' woman.

It is more about what we have enabled our children to do than what we do for them.

So What? What next?

How can I build a class culture that supports this growth, providing opportunities for real responsibilities.