Charlie 6 years Old
Pure Determination
It's no secret that girls are out performing boys in elementary school, high schools and college. More boys drop out of school than girls and at present more women are enrolled in college than men. I don't know why that is a bad thing, but it is a new thing. School curriculums are presently geared more toward the learning styles of girls. Girls are happy to sit at their desk and read to learn while boys prefer more hands on activities to learn. Boys prefer to get out of their seat and move about. No Child Left Behind has been good and bad for kids. The emphasis on teaching and testing has left little time for group activities, investigations, and the arts. However, an experienced teacher is able to teach to a wide variety of learning styles, so that both boys and girls can be successful. Unfortunately, there is not enough experience to go around.
The key to academic success is READING, READING, READING. Read together as a family, read to your child nightly, take your child to the library and help him or her to find a genre they enjoy....sports, history, science fiction, mystery, or a reading series...Junie B Jones...Harry Potter. Insist that your child read independently daily. Before long, you won't be able to get him to turn off the light and go to sleep.
As for math, help your child memorize and understand the facts, and try to stay ahead of the class. Do mental math while you are traveling in the car. Keep it easy and simple and gradually move on to more difficult problems. Nothing succeeds like success.
The only thing Charlie has in common with a male low achiever is that they are both boys.
This child spoke in full sentences at two and has an amazing vocabulary. He is motivated by his curiosity of the world around him and is determined to be successful. His greatest asset, however, may be his involved parents.
Charlie is too cute--He looks just like his Dad.
ReplyDeleteWell said, and all true. Thank heavens neither our girls or our boys have been victims, damaged by the odd directions schools seem to meander through. And as you say, this is most likely due to loving, activist, long suffering parents.
ReplyDeleteThat Charlie is such a pistol and so darling, just like his Dad.