Educating White Working-Class Boys: Addressing Masculinity, Wellbeing, and Mental Health

Abstract

In the United Kingdom, the academic underachievement and poor behaviour of white working-class boys remain pervasive problems as well as continual sources of frustration for educators. The reasons for this phenomenon are complex and include both generational poverty and the construction of masculinity. This chapter seeks to highlight an unexplored dimension of the educational experiences of white working-class boys through focusing on the social construction of mental health as well as mental health itself. I focus on how certain cultural behaviours of white working-class boys are often misread by educators and, at times, falsely psychologized. Descriptions of ‘crazy’ and ‘barking mad’ boys work to preclude educators seeing that some young men are struggling with their sense of self as learners. Drawing from research on boys and schooling, the chapter proposes three interrelated strategies that practising teachers can use to proactively foster positive learning cultures and promote the wellbeing of white working-class boys: (1) critiquing problematic gendered behaviours; (2) increasing awareness around deficit language; and (3) developing sustainable and trusting teacher–pupil relationships.