Attention: who's got it?

In class we talked about the idea that men have shorter attention sands and that it seems that society is loving the "quick fix" of putting boys on medications and labeling them with ADD or ADHD. We discussed a lot about many things it could be attributed too. However, I feel that in actuality boys are just naturally more active than girls at a younger age. Research has shown that a man's activity and energy level peaks in their 20's where as a woman's activity and energy levels do not peak until their 40's! I remember in school the girls sitting around and being so attentive to the teacher because it made them feel older. And as we notice in media today it seems that girls are more often the ones to try and dress and act older much earlier in life than boys. Boys need a more active environment because they have more energy in their adolescence. I think a great solution to the issue of having boys more involved in their learning and keeping them from acting out would be to give them important roles in the class and make the class more active and fun every now and then rather than just sitting them in front of a chalk board or worksheet. I am a drama teacher at an elementary school in Harris County. In one class I have only one boy and he was always to active and wouldn't stand in his spot or be attentive. So I made him the "stage manager" he was in charge of collective every ones book bags and hanging them up and handing out things and stuff like that. He now looks forward to class and he feels like he is important to the class and therefore wants to set a good example by standing in his place on stage and following directions. Also, putting the book bags up and helping me more props and tables gets out some of his energy making him more inclined to focus.

I was looking up cartoons about ADD and ADHD and almost EVERY ONE had a boy as the child with the disorder! Here are a few...