The main point of the article is that there ARE gender and biological differences in both brain development and behavior between boys and girls. Perhaps the gap is caused by ignoring those facts.
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**I started typing this and then stepped away to do an errand. Iāll post it even though I notice @abasket has done a good job articulating some of the same feelings.
I agree. If being able to sit still is required in the classroom setting, parents would do well to help their children (boys and girls) to learn self control. Parents need to define acceptable and unacceptable behavior at an early age.
Developmental delays can be an explanation and possible route to solutions, but all too frequently imo it is used as an excuse. Addressing an issue with an individual child takes work and usually a consistent plan that requires action.
If you want to accept the belief that male biology puts boys at a higher risk of not meeting societal norms then adaptā¦and I believe it starts at home.
@Twoin18 Iām sorry but this makes me cringe. Iām not sure what purpose throwing āeliteā around does for the discussion. What do you mean by āeliteā?
Do you believe parents in our āsociety as a wholeā donāt want whatās best for their kids?ā¦that only elitist parents are obsessed?
The struggling kids (boys and girls) are often those who usually have a combination of issues/obstacles. Whether itās lack of resources, lack of generational experience to draw from, trauma in all kinds of varying degrees and yes, Iāll add indulgent parents.
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Call me old fashion, but hereās my 2 cents. A lot of problems with violence, suicide, and a boundary issues found in men can be greatly diminished with a good strong father figure in the home. Men need to be men, and men need to teach boys how to be men. Thatās his job.
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I had one son who read on the 10th grade level when he was in first grade (his teacher had 20 years of experience and told me sheād never had a child test that high). My second son didnāt āgetā reading until the second half of first grade. That kid ended up majoring in English and now writes for a living. My youngest, a girl, was somewhere in between.
Iām very proud of my younger son for hanging in there. School was certainly not designed for him. He hated it. He didnāt blossom until he figured out his passion and went overseas. Now heās managing other writers for worldatlas dot com.
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Parents who went to college and have professional careers. To put it in the terms expressed by a writer I like, the āfront row kidsā:
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I think that the vast majority do want whats best. But, far fewer put in the time and attention to help educate their kids - academically and socially.
I do think that many parent(s) opt out of that responsibility and assume that schools and programs can fill that need. Guess what? They canāt.
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I think some voluntarily opt out but many more simply do not have the resources. Time is a luxury and people working multiple jobs just to survive donāt have that. There are also people with other issues (mental health, physical health, language/cultural issues, lack of access to resources,etc.) who care very much about their children and would love to provide more but just canāt.
We need to do what we can to support families in those type of circumstances. The children are the future.
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I think we do.
All parents can/should instill social skills, respect, manners etc. And many should be able to read at the first grade level to young kids.
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@Rivet2000 - I think my post explained why so people just can not.
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and my post explained why most should be able to - but apparently do not. Both can be true. 
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It actually doesnāt explain anything.
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Most schools have no other option than to teach to the middle. It is the best way to benefit/reach the greatest number of students. Because our ds needed differentiation, I homeschooled him from 2nd grade through halfway through 8th grade.
Our homeschool group had one family with ten kids. The mom did not have a college degree, but she did a remarkable job educating her children. They did not all go to college but many of them did and on merit scholarships. I mean, that was the only way they could afford to attend. Their family did not have a lot of money. Dad had a very mid-level corporate job (no way was he making six figures), and they rented their home. Things were often financially tight for them. Mom obviously didnāt work outside the home - she was busy homeschooling! That is a sacrifice many people would not make (and some simply cannot afford to - I get that). These people were in no way, shape, or form, āelite.ā The quality they possessed was that they valued education. In my completely non-professional estimation, this is the big differentiator that sets up academic success. Not the educational attainment of the parents. Not ridiculous levels of resources. And, whether you homeschool or not, parents should help develop in their children the attributes that align with valuing education and have expectations of academic success from their children.
Not everyone values education.
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Parents should be able to:
- teach their kids how to be polite
- how to recite A-B-Cs
- how to count to 100
- read to their kids
I know that follow on posts will detail how some parents donāt know their ABCs, or how to count to 10, or how to read, but the vast majority of parent(s) should be able to, at minimum, do all 4 of these things.
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This article is so fascinating.
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Also a strong father figure can solve a lot of preventable problems with girls and women these days.
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How do you propose we solve the āabsent father figureā for the oodles and oodles of kids (all genders) who simply donāt have access to a father figure???
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We canāt, that can only be solved at a personal/family level.
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This is controversial! Suggestions have included modifying divorce laws where children are involved as well as changing tax laws that penalize marriage. But coolguy 40, you are right, this is a tough one.
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Can you elaborate?
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