Struggling School-Age Boys

My grandson told me yesterday that the PE teacher got upset because he held the ball too long, threw too hard, wanted to basically play the game. But when we expect a boy to play with the girls, have female PE teachers, focus on tons of homework after school and get to bed by 9:00pm, there is very little time to "be a boy". Venus and Mars people! We're stifling them.

You know, I still see a major emphasis on kids being overweight. Again, yes you can drive by and not see kids outside playing because they are all playing video games. I make video games and still find time to play outside. I think that a lot of people don't realize how much children emulate their parents. So yeah, they aren't going outside but then again their parents are "fat and lazy" and so what is the difference? I wish that parents would spend more "quality" time with their children. Not sitting in front of the tv or even dinner. But take them outside and play catch or get together with other parents and allow children time to explore and rough around. Seems like that would probably help a lot :S

What a wake up call, you have hit the nail right on the head! I have 2 sons aged 13 and 7 and my 7 year old son is already struggling with his school work as a second grader. I noticed that when he was in the first grade how the curriculum has drastically changed since by eldest son was in the first grade. It is time for the US to stop trying to keep up with "The Joneses" such as Japan and China and start looking at what works best for our children. I am one parent who is not afraid to get her hands dirty when it comes to what is best for our children. Lets all get together and work this out, lets save our children!

i agree with "ghnjmo" as a father of three girls and one boy. i can attest to the fact that boys spend to much time on game boys and the internet. i have long said that internet games must be a commie plot that is destroying our young males. they are given the game boys at an early age, to act as a baby sitter, so they will be quiet and be entertained. the problem is that they learn to expect immediate gratification and they expect that from everything in life on subconscious level. i would like to see a study on the effect of the male brain development, showing how all the stimulus to the brain has effected the chemistry. this has lead to boredom in real life situations for young men, even into there late thirties. we see more and more young men that would rather socialize on the net, than in person. this even includes the athletic males, as my son and his friends were always in sports. but, as young adults they have chosen to play games and not sports. this has translated to their jobs and lack of motivation, because real life moves to slow and rewards come to slow. they are addicted to "immediate gratification"

I work as a kindergarten aide, the school that I work at treats boys and girls equally. We have P.E. 2x a week art once a week and music once a week. We also go out to recess twice a day. In between all this we still manage reading, math and social studies. And we have a rest period of 20 minutes. I agree that boys have to be boys but the parents should be teaching them that there is a time and place for that, and that time is not when the teacher is trying to teach them. I see it everyday the disrespect and total diregard for any authority figure. It's disgraceful. Stop blaming the schools. It's the lack of disipline at home that is the root of the problem. And the ones who have to suffer are the children that are the polite attentive ones, they usually get pushed aside because of all the children that have behavioral issues. And have to be spoken to 50x a day. It start at home . Start teaching your children early that it is not ok to talk back to your teacher, and to be kind and helpful , and to have respect for others and themselves.

In reply to passion8.....The USA also has a rising obesity rate....and to use one of your very own examples.....many companies in Japan schedual exercize into their workday requiring their employees to participate and keep active,not to mention that their government is now puting a requirement on their citizens to have a certian size waist line (that the government has deemed acceptable according to each individuals height and gender). Also in support of this artical many studies have shown exercize to have a significan effect on mood. So while I am not ruling out the points that you made in your post (you do have some good points to take into account) I would have to say that this artical may have some validity as well, and I dont think it should be regaurded as "bullshit"....in your words.

Other countries have higher academic schedules, true, but look at the whole picture. These countries also have a significantly higher suicide rate of students, so I don???t believe these boys are handling it. Therefore, should we be looking up to these countries or learning from their mistakes?

Other countries have higher academic schedules, true, but look at the whole picture. These countries also have a significantly higher suicide rate of students, so I don???t believe these boys are handling it. Therefore, should we be looking up to these countries or learning from their mistakes?

Lets not forgett diet may also play into the problem too. Basically eating too much white food with lots of sugar added and less colored food with pigments and no omega-3 suppliments or fish and your child is headed for developmental problems. I agree with all the above in the artcle but I know the typical junk american fast food diet is adding it's two cents worth to the problem too.

My 9 year old son came home yesterday with 3 hours worth of homework due the next day. When I asked him why he had been given so much, he stated "because some of the kids in class fell asleep this morning". I asked him if they fell asleep in class at their desk? He said "yes". Talking to myself out loud..I asked "Do they not get enough sleep at night?" He answered me..."We don't get to run and play before school and recess takes to long to get here, so we don't get energized".

It seems that we might be able to fix some of the issues we face with our son's if we just listened to them, my son certainly knows the problem with his class.

Bullshit. Boys in other countries handle this educational schedule well and thrive on it, outperforming our boys in tests and therefore later in the job market. Take Japan for an example. I taught students in advanced education as was appalled at their inability to read, write their own language. Reading comprehension skills were terrible and they lacked discipline to do homework, reading assignments.The schools answer was to eliminate tests and give everyone an A just for showing up to class, then we'd teach them tricks on how to pass their multiple choice nursing boards later. Do you want them to be your nurse some day? I don't. I do not believe in teaching to the test because the purpose of the test is to ascertain what students know or don't know, to motivate them to learn, not to "give everybody an A". I believe the cause to the problems our boys are having lies in a combination of the breakdown of families, breakdown of marriages, economic stressors, poor diet, and poor parenting skills. Our society is reaping the fallout of the druggie and "me first" generation.

exactly serabi!

My grandson is ADHD and excuse me k0216 if your ill informed. It's real right down to the ticks and energy. Meds have helped to study in school-inprovement was and is progressive. He's catching up. He's smart as a whip, has major parental and grandparent involvement and family constent. He's loving and energetic and it is wonderful. We just go him drums! We'd wish he didn't need meds, but he's happier at this point being able to sit stiller, focus and keep up with he's peers and kids don't make fun of ticks we only see at nite or morning when his meds are worn off. We were leary of medicating but with help he is socially, mentally and emotionally happier. So please get educated.

In the summer drive thru a residential area during the day. You won't see children out playing. They are all inside playing video games and watching tv. Or in daycare. And in the daycares the kids are often expected to sit passively for some kind of presentation. I remember my son spending hours building a bike ramp with neighbor boys. I teach. We expect boys to sit still all day in chairs that do not fit at desks that are often too little or too big. The author is right. recesses are a thing of the past, as are art, music, pe, social students. We teach only what is tested. Thank you no child lefft behind.

I find the comment about 'not believing in ADHD' truly ignorant. She is fortunate not to have a child that suffers with this. My son has ADD not ADHD and I can say this is very real. I am a very involved mother and ensure he has time to stimulate his whole being, mentally, physically and emotionally. Outdoor physical play, social interaction, proper rest and nutrition all play important roles. Being in medicine for more than a decade, I wish he did not have to take medicine but we must have him on a minimal dose just to have him engaged in class. Homework each day takes hours and he is only 10. I have not read all of the comments, but there is also ongoing research how boys and girls learn differently and pressures of socializing. More evidence points to early education for boys and girls separately. I would love to see more research on this topic. What are your thoughts?

Bullshit. Boys in other countries can take this kind of educational schedule and they not only handle it well, they thrive on it and beat the socks off our boys academically. As a result, the boys in other countries are also surpassing our boys later in the business world. Like Japan, for instance. Look elsewhere for the problems our boys are having. I for one believe the answer may be found in the breakdown of families, marriages, economic stress, and/or lack of parenting skills.

AMEN !! You hit the nail on the head. I have been in the pubilc schools for 29 years and it is absolutely absurd what the state requires of elementary age kids. The testing and teaching to the test has ruined a very good thing. You can blame these idiots that want schools to follow a business model and spit out a product instaed of well rounded citizens.