I remember back about 20 years when the nature-nurture argument in regards to gender was siding with nurture – boys were active and “aggressive,” prone to noisy, physical play because that is the way we have brought them up. Fast forward a couple of decades and neurological studies (and common sense?) tell us that . . . NEWSFLASH! . . . boys are by nature different than girls. Of course generalizations do not apply to every single boy, but typically boys (regardless of demographics, location, or culture) are more active, their play centers more on power and dominance, their gross motor skills are better than their fine motor skills, and they are more apt to express themselves in sounds and actions (rather than words).
Now take that description of the typical boy and hold it up the description of the typical classroom. Children are expected to sit still, be quiet, play nice, and use their words. This is diametrically opposed to “boyness.” Dr. Michael Thompson, co-author of Raising Cain expressed it this way: “. . . for the average boy, school is not as good a fit as it is for the average girl. More boys have problems with attention and focus than girls. Because of their higher activity level, boys are likely to get into more trouble than girls. And they are not given enough opportunities to move around — both in actual physical activity and in how they learn — because they spend too much time sitting and not enough time learning by doing, making and building things.” Unrealistic classroom expectations can set some boys up for failure – they get in trouble just by doing what comes naturally to them as boys!
Enter homeschool. Homeschool can give boys the start they need to be successful learners.
Energy Level For beings wired to be on the go, sitting still is hard. Of course in a classroom you cannot have people up and down, wandering around. However, at home if a boy needed to stretch or take a run-around-the-house break, it would not be the logistical and safety nightmare that it would be in school. Having opportunities to be active actually helps boys to focus when it is time to do so. Also, because the ratio of learners to teacher is smaller, learning happens more quickly leaving more time for active play.
Motor Skills Boys excel in large motor skills (running, jumping, etc.). School of course deals more in writing, drawing, cutting – fine motor skills. While these skills are important and need to be mastered, it is important to boys to be in an environment where running and jumping and climbing is valued. A traditional school schedule is not usually that environment, but homeschool could be.
Masculine Role Models Schools at the early elementary level are very feminine places. There are very few male teachers. Homeschooling can facilitate more interactions with positive male role models. Spending more time with a grandfather or seeing Dad at work can be crucial to their developing male identity, showing them that learning is important to boys and men, too. It’s not just for girls and women.
Is school harmful to all boys? Certainly not! But for some boys it simply is not a good fit. The school experience can leave them frustrated and believing themselves to be a failure. They could easily see themselves as unable to learn or a trouble maker or even “dumb”. For these boys, homeschool can give them the opportunity to learn successfully in an environment that better suits their unique needs.
Source:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/raisingboys/school03.html
Copyright © 2013 J. Hoffman / GSN
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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com