Selecting the Right Curriculum for Boys
Someone aptly remarked, “boys will be boys”. The reference was to typical male behavior – aggressive, adventuresome, risk-taking, fidgety, hero-role playing. Ironically, too many parents and teachers make the tragic mistake of attempting to engage boys in academics that are void of the mental interests of boys. A great majority of typical classroom studies are geared to appeal to “girl interest” – feelings, emotions, romance, quietness, literary.
Consequently, boys become disinterested in “school stuff” at an early age. The result is they fall behind girls in reading skills and mathematics, and lose interest in academic pursuits. Fortunately, parents can “fix” the problem by providing curriculum and activities that include (focus on) adventure, non-fiction history, discoveries in science, and masculine role models (character heroes that appeal to boys). Wise parents select curriculum that engages the interests of boys and girls without “turning off” either gender.
When my two boys were 10 years old, I stopped buying toys, and began buying adventure books, fishing tackle, camping equipment, and tools. Every birthday and Christmas, I provided a character-building book, a piece of fishing tackle, and a tool. We went on fishing and photography trips, worked on our lawnmowers and vehicles, and made Christmas presents with the boys’ tools. By the time the boys graduated, they were prolific readers and writers, and were competent fishermen, hunters, photographers, and “shade tree” mechanics. They both earned Masters Degrees and have maintained a love for self-improvement studies and outdoor adventures. Now they are passing on to their own sons the “boy stuff” they learned while growing up.
Along the way, my wife and I began Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum base on non-fiction vignettes that grab and hold attention while providing character-building lessons and solid academics. For more information, you can correspond at learn@pacworks.com or visit www.pacworks.com.
“Life feels so good as I become a better person” – Ronald E. Johnson C.Ph.D.
I found that my son really needed to be moving when he was doing his school work. So incorporating activity with learning worked well for him. He loves to sit on a big yoga ball and do his math!