Advice for son who does not care about grades

marite
Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:47:18 +0000

Many boys do not care for Literature with a big L, even though they may be voracious readers (e.g., my own son). And I’ve come to realize, to my huge surprise, that not everybody thinks historically. This is why it would be good to find out what the causes of his not doing as well in humanities/social studies are. It could truly be lack of effort, or it could be lack of maturity–not insofar as being responsible but in understanding the materials. I have one niece, now a lawyer, who could tell blow by blow the events that led to WWI but could not explain the underlying causes (i.e., the various treaties that caused many countries to join the war despite their own lack of vested interest in the issues). She did not lack for effort; just understanding of historical thinking.