pstarl

by tinou bao

Learning Styles of Boys

I am a firm believer in different styles of learning. For instance, are you one of those people that has to read something for yourself rather than have someone read to you? If so, you are probably more of a visual, or possibly auditory learner.  When you are trying to commit something to memory, do you find yourself pacing around? Kinesthetic learner. Now, these are very simple examples, and no where near complete, but just an illustration.  Everyone learns differently.

Boys and girl have different learning styles. Not that they CAN’T have similarities, but in general, boys and girls acquire information differently.  Well, wouldn’t most people know that anyway? Our schools certainly haven’t shown that they understand it.  We know that men and women think differently and excel in different areas, so wouldn’t it make sense to think the same about young boys and girls?

The site, <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.boysandschools.com/index.php”>Boys and Schools:Improving the Health, Education, and Well-Being of Boys</a>, has a wealth of information for parents of boys. I encourage you to visit and read some of their articles if you are a parent of a boy. A few of the most interesting items are the fact that the increased level of testosterone in boys cause them to be more aggressive, competitive, assertive, and self reliant than girls; girls hear better and teachers may need to use louder voices to reach boys; neurotransmitters in the brain differ between boys and girl, showing a clear difference in how boys and girls process information. Boys don’t do as well in reading as girls, but excel at math skills and other spatial type skills.

So, even from this short list, doesn’t it make sense that if boys were taught to their strengths that they could excel at a rate equal to girls? Believe me, as a mother of boys, I would love to know that my boys have an equal chance to achieve their very best in school. Yet, I know that my boys are bored. They don’t want to read <span style=”font-style:italic”>Sarah, Plain and Tall</span>, but they love <span style=”font-style:italic;”>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</span>. They love studying about dinosaurs, and learning about pirates of old. Things that are exciting! My oldest scored in the top 5% of 4Th graders in the nation in math, on a particular achievement test, but just average in reading. Give him <span style=”font-weight:bold;”>reading</span> problems in <span style=”font-weight:bold;”>math</span>, and he can do them lickety split.

One way to teach children to their strengths is the use of educational technology. Using computers and software in the classroom.  Allowing testing on the computer, creating book reports using PowerPoint presentations, playing computer games to teach math concepts. Honestly, in this digital age I am really surprised that it is not more common. Our schools are still using textbooks that look just like the ones <span style=”font-style:italic;”>I</span> used as a kid. Give them a CD-ROM to use at school, or at home, with animations, or real video. Let them write science reports on the Discovery Channel show, Man vs. Wild, or One Way Out. I can’t tell you how much my boys have learned about animals and the outdoors from Bear Grylls, and energy and momentum from Jonathan Goodwin. And, how about the Planet Earth series?  On <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://tlc.discovery.com/”>TLC</a>, there are lots of things to be learned about society, cooking, and even fitness. I know that these are things that they will remember for many years! It is exciting and interesting to them.

Using online learning games is a great tool for children of any age. They are fun and it may not even seem like they are “learning”. For years I have played games online with my children. My 3 year old loves alphabet games, counting games, and even spelling games. My oldest, 10 years old, still likes to go on sites and build virtual robots or building, creating cities, or even dinosaur environments. Our 8 year old likes to do virtual puzzles. They are all learning! The concepts that are presented are things like same/different, big/small, mirror images, different types of environments, among many others.

I just get really frustrated that the American educational system is so far behind the world. We don’t use the wonderful resources that are available to us. Okay, I know that not every classroom has a computer for every child. But, there is usually a computer lab available, some students have their own, and most teachers have at least one computer in their rooms. Find new and fun ways to utilize the technology that is available. Be flexible in how you will accept work that is to be turned in. I have heard from teachers time and time again, “but, it’s not fair to let one student do their work one way, and others another way”. If you are allowing it because it fits their needs more specifically, how is that not fair? Parents don’t treat their children all the same. Employees are not treated all them same, some make more money for one reason or another. <span style=”font-weight:bold;”>There is no fair or not fair</span>. Just equal, but different, opportunities. What works best for each individual.

How can we tolerate the fact that our boys are being allowed to fall behind, when the fix would be so easy to achieve?

by George Eastman House

The Challenges of Boys Into Men

Is Life Only A Carrousel?
The ultimate challenge of life is being born a boy. From the beginning there are all kinds of annotations that a boy has to overcome, like right out of the womb there is, “Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails, that’s what little boys are made of.” It must have been a woman to hung such a label on a little boy. Puppy dog tails, my word, don’t they know they have possibly scared the very core of every boy alive? Well anyway, it’s all a bunch of hogwash because boys are the future leaders and defenders of the family and all that it stands for, well anyway that’s what the girls let them think.

Horse play is to be expected.
It’s true that when boys are boys a certain amount of horse play is expected but it’s all the good accounting of boyhood. There is a time, just before a boy becomes a man where he may become a little mischievous, he can’t help it, it’s in his nature. How can you enjoy being a boy if you don’t stir things up a little or at least keep the people around you guessing at what you’re going to do next.  And what the heck, why not? How can a boy experience boyhood without being a boy?  It’s the nature of the beast! 

The girls will tame them in time.
The girls and mothers of the world may attempt to tame the boys but it is to no avail for boys are quite untamable. Their wondering minds seek adventure for the pure excitement in it. It doesn’t mean it has to make sense, it just has to get the adrenaline flowing. Quite frankly boyish things lead to manly accomplishments. Where else are you going to get on-the-job-training for manhood? To the ladies it may seem quite disturbing but deep down they love the wickedness in the boys. It’s a tradition after all, set forth by those adventurous boys of the past, a  legacy that must be upheld, you know, king of the hill, leader of the pack and all that sort of thing.  

Boys may be wild and smelly but they are always up for the challenge. Believe it or not they are not born to disrupt the whole of society or to aggravate female’s lives, they do have a more challenging part to play. Boys who cross into men become the pillars of the community, the heads of the family and the captain’s of industry. Make no mistake, the most prominent of men are still little boys . . . underneath.

Boys keep trying to be free.
There are time when the strength of men becomes challenged like when looking straight into the eyes of a gorgeous woman, all good sense goes to the knee as they get all rubbery and a shortness of breath sets the mind into a query. The mind reverts to, “me man, you woman” stupid mentality. Men can’t help it, when women comes around they simply melt into a blob of jelly. 

Of course a boy would not be a boy if he could not figure a way around the worst of situations. As a man he is stern and powerful, to women he is a puppy dog and masseur of the feet. All men know women love puppy dogs and having their feet massaged so men use these weaknesses to, yes get around sticky situations.

No use it’s doom for the boys
Alas the man becomes caught in the middle, King of the boardroom, lamb of the bedroom the twist of life is unsettling at very least. Confusion sets in and the man begins to flounder. Just a little at first, like a small earthquake, hardly noticeable then, bam the big one hits. One day he wakes up and he is only a shell of a man and his foundation has been shaken into little pieces. He no longer thinks for himself, his adventurous spirit is subdued and age has taken its toll. The kids are grown and silence has taken their place. A belly is drooping over his belt and he feels more lost than ever. He has a hard time now, holding his head up, for pride left him years ago.

He sees the young boy in the park and weeps for his future. There will be good times as well as bad and time will march on without pity for those left behind. He longs to be a boy again but society says no, you must be responsible and conform to the rules. He is sad, sad for the things he never got around to doing and letting time slip by unnoticed.

Keep trying, someone might hear you.
We are all on the same road, like it or not. Ninety percent of men will not pay attention to opportunities as they pass by and will float through life on a cloud. Ten percent will not be satisfied until they have changed the world to fill their desires. Which are you?

Happy Trails         

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