Reviews for Sugar and Spice and No Longer Nice: How We Can Stop Girls' Violence

The average rating for Sugar and Spice and No Longer Nice: How We Can Stop Girls' Violence based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-05-29 00:00:00 Stephen Rashid I have noticed girls getting meaner since I started my teaching career in the 90s. My own daughter is a spitfire too, and talks about hitting girls who makes her mad. This really floors me because I cannot honestly think of punching anyone. Sure, if I needed to defend myself, I would, but I would never start a physical fight with someone. I watch myself verbally too, so I don't provoke people. In my last teaching position I had second graders, and I have noticed how social skills seem to be delayed so kids are are hitting rather than verbalizing. Plus, we have been talking about bullying so many children will tell the teacher they are being bullied when in reality, they are not getting their way and are angry. Three years ago, I had a group of second graders who really struggled with social skills, and I had a large group of mean girls in my class. They would say things verbally that were horrible to each other. These girls would then go home and tell their mothers how mean the OTHER girls were. Then the parents would get involved in the meaness too. It was crazy. We tried all kinds of things to help, but the situation didn't change. Parents wanted to blame it all on one girl and couldn't see that their daughters had a stake in the meaness. We definitely need to get girls and boys off off electronic devices and get them playing to learn the social skils kids in the 1990s and before learned. I feel violent games and less inteaction with others is one cause of the increase in violence. As for other types of abuse, I have seen that too in the classroom. Before I spent six weeks as long-term sub in a rough inner-city elementary school this past winter, I would have thought the story of Michelle in first grade letting a boy into her pants was far-fetched. However, I witnessed this first-hand with my kindergartners. A girl pulled her dress up and pulled her tights down in the middle of class while I was teaching to waggle her bottom at the boy in the chair beside her. The boy then put his hands on her bottom and she allowed it. I feel that is what she wanted to have happen. Of course, I reported it to the principal, my grade level parters, and both parents when they picked up their children. The mother of the boy responded appropriately and was concerned. However, the mother of the girl went crazy and denied her daughter would do such a thing, even though I saw the girl do it. The mother made all types of threatening remarks and had to be physically taked out of the school office when it closed at 5pm. As the teacher, I was blamed for this situation, and nobody did anything for this little girl. The next day she was lifting her shirt to show people her chest. I said several times that this was a sign of sexual abuse, but nobody would listen to me. I still worry about that child and how nobody wanted to do anything about it. Children in these settings are very vulnerable and most people want to shove it under the rug. I got out of that school in a hurry because I wanted nothing to do with staff and parents who were blind to what was so obvious to me. I gave the book only 3 stars though because it really didn't offer anything new or have really good answers. The authors are trying to address a problem that so many don't want to see, but so much more needs to be done to make a difference in society.

Review # 2 was written on 2007-07-13 00:00:00 Ryan Brownlie The topic is so fascinating (there is an NPR podcast on this very topic from "on Point" this week that I want to listen to) and its worth reading and thinking about. However this book itself was mediocre - not too well written and it seemed to make a lot of generalizations and sweeping statements. Part of it is becuaes there is not a lot of research (good or otherwise) out yet about girl violence, and the purpose of the authors is to inspire reserac, and inspire comminuty, school and family change/awareness of the growing problem.