Guys get the reputation (often honestly) for not wanting to follow directions, either verbally or in writing. We’d prefer to do it ourselves, convinced that we can find where we’re going or that we can put together that cabinet without trying to decipher the diagrams. I’m sure there’s a great faith lesson here, as well, but that’s not what sparked this post.

In my English class the other day, every single girl in class did the assignment incorrectly because they didn’t read the directions. All but one of the guys read the directions, and scored better on the assignment as a result. I thought that was interesting, so we discussed the stereotype a bit in class.

The next day, their journal assignment was: “Write an original poem about something really mundane.” This was one girl’s response:

Boys never read the directions,
Therefore, they’re always making corrections.
But today, to their dismay
The girls are the ones who aren’t okay
Looks like the girls have corrections to make.