Little Boys and School (Full Version)

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Sideways -> Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 3:01:00 PM)

I've often heard from homeschoolers that little boys are not suited for traditional classroom education, because school requires them to be at their desks for long periods of time and learn in a style that is better suited to girls (audio/visual instead of more tactile). Even the magazine Time, that bastion of liberalism[8D], has written articles about modern education and how it is a disservice to boys and their learning styles.

So, I was wondering if you ladies and gentlemen would share your personal experiences. Do you think a traditional classroom education is suited to little boys (say under 8)? My boy is just one, but I'm already wondering if I should consider other styles of education for him, even though we live in a good school district.

Thanks.



garsyt -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 4:51:22 PM)

In my experience most teachers KNOW that little boys are not suited to sit for long lengths of time NOR are many girls for that matter. BUT sitting for hours on end in a classroom in the younger grades rarely happens as well.

In my kids' schools it is rare that any child is totally restricted to their desks especially through 2nd grade for long periods of time, without their being a specific task being done. Kindergarten children do not sit at their tables for more then 15 minutes at a time IF that. I aide sometimes in kindergarten and those kiddos are CONSTANTLY moving - especially in the half day classrooms! There is so much to be done and a limited amount of time to get it all in.

At the first grade level, where I volunteered for several years with my own children and have aided in as well there is constant movement.

Very seldom do children sit for long periods of time ANYWHERE and most of the teachers are pretty accommodating to wiggly bottoms and movement as long as it is NOT disruptive or the child is obviously not paying attention. And this pretty much goes for ALL classrooms even special areas.

I also think the idea of boys not being able to focus on things for long periods of time is also not an absolute. After all there are plenty of young boys that can sit in front of a video game or computer screen for hours and be totally focused! [;)] I do think it makes for a good teacher who can command the attention of a group of kids and get them so excited about something that they WANT to learn.

In most schools teachers share information at the end of the school year with each other between grade levels and often times will know which teacher certain students should be placed and even if they can't outright make the powers that be accommodate the child's needs, their recommendations will be listened too. Often times, at least in the district we are in, when the class lists are made, the teachers will sit down with each other, and the teachers from the previous grade level will give the current years teacher an idea of what a student was like and how they learn best.

Now the issue of class size will be brought up, I'm sure. One of many reasons that I chose the district I did was because of their attention to class size, especially in the lower grades! Through 3rd grade there is not a class bigger then 22 kids. And in 4th and 5th grades while the class sizes do grow a bit, by then most kids have matured enough to handle it!

Blessings,

Garsy



HenriettasCat -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 4:58:21 PM)

My son is 5 and bright which means he has no problems with the curriculum. He would much rather be outside however, making ants nests, running with his friends. This term they have been pushing the academics even more. He started complaining about being bored and that 'they keep making me write things and I want to play"

I've dealt with it by giving him lots of time at home to do those 'other' things. I don't push homework, it just gets done in dribs and drabs throughout the week - sometimes in the morning before school when he is more awake. As long as he is keeping up home time is time allow him to develop those other areas.

Tonight I asked him whether he likes school and he said he likes some of it, he doesn't like others, but he is accepting that we don't always get to do what we want all the time - another important lesson.

As I understand it British schools have a lot more playtime than American schools anyway. Including lunch 1 1/2 hours is playtime (9-3.20pm day). I have always felt that if my son were at home he would not get the same opportunities to socialise (homeschoolers are very sparse here)



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 5:47:33 PM)

quote:

n a style that is better suited to girls (audio/visual instead of more tactile).


You know, it really irritates me when people say that it is a gender thing, it is not a gender thing, it is a personality thing. I am female, and I was far more of a hands on learner than a visual one.

Tagging on what Garsyt said, some home schoolers have their kids sitting at desks a lot, while some schools have movement and hands on activities, and vice versa. It depends on each family, and each school, there is no blanket structure, I know because I have observed both.



garsyt -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 7:51:09 PM)

And it also varies from classroom to classroom - child to child WITHIN those classrooms and within families. My eldest 2, a boy and a girl, both do EXTREMELY well if they simply read and hear information, my eldest dd also is my tactile and exploratory (loves to take apart, reconfigure and rebuild). She also loves to put what she learns into action because then it means more to her. My 9 year old ds has to WRITE out everything before it stays with him but also enjoys the hands on and he LOVES hands on museums, and my youngest dd, is a very good mix of pretty much any learning style - basically I think she would do well pretty much anywhere. - She simply LOVES to learn!!!

GENERALLY speaking (I hate the stereotyping thing too) boys do tend to learn differently then girls - but I think it has more to do with what is expected of little girls and little boys LONG before they even get to the school house doors or the kitchen table reflects on what learning styles they tend to gravitate toward when in a classroom setting.

Blessings,

Garsy



Sideways -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 8:35:33 PM)

I apologize if I was being to stereotypical. I usually don't like that sort of stuff, too. But, I guess I was getting worried about nothing. Thanks for helping to ease my mind a bit.

My niece is a girl who is usually happy to sit and color, but also needs time to run around and play. My son doesn't sit still for more then 5 minutes, and only then if he's tired. But maybe he'll settle down with time.



csl7037 -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 8:35:37 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: OneOfHisJewels

quote:

n a style that is better suited to girls (audio/visual instead of more tactile).


You know, it really irritates me when people say that that is a gender thing, it is not a gender thing, it is a personality thing. I am female, and I was for more of a hands on learner than a visual one.

Tagging on what Garsyt said, some homeschooler have their kids sitting at desks alot, while some schools have movement and hands on activities, and vice versa. It depends on each family, and each school, there is no blanket structure, I know because I have observed both.


I agree. My son (entering 2nd) is much better suited to the traditional classroom setting than my daughter (entering 4th). They've been in private Christian schools since Pre-K and have had teachers who were great and some were not as great at meeting their differing needs. The book "Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos" was a tremendous help for me in understanding dd and her needs (I'm much more like ds in temperment). It's not about gender and you can't say that homeschool is better for one type of kid over traditional school because there are a lot of factors that influence what will really work best in the real world for each child.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:04:02 PM)

quote:

I apologize if I was being to stereotypical.


Well, I wasn't really blaming you personally, I was blaming society in general, and the powers that be that said that to you. After all, you, as an engineer, surely know that not ALL boys are better at math, and that not ALL girls are better at English.


P.S. Pardon all the spelling errors in my original post. I was feeding my sister with my right hand and typing with my left hand, and I had to come back and edit later.



Auben -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:05:51 PM)

It's not that boys learn differently than girls. Both genders are split between visual/audio/kinesthetic but that many boys expect more activity (a mixture of societal expectations and testosterone) and are less docile. Personally I find the modern classroom makes a lot more room for this than 'the good old days.' Local Kindergarten does activities in 15 minute blocks (which stretches to 30 minutes at the end of the year). Lessons are short and repeated in different ways over the day.

I have four boys. My oldest is a classic visual learner. He also sits great at a desk for long periods and always has. My second son is more of an audio/kinesthetic learner who loves to talk. He had more trouble with public school. He was both too old (way beyond the academics) and too young (wants to connect, when bored wouldn't cooperate).

Neither my 3rd or 4th has really been tested yet. My third son is very large motor oriented (running, jumping, throwing) but is also fairly obedient. My fourth is an enigma so I'm curious to see what happens with him.

They are all pretty good at sitting still. At least as good as most girls I know. Don't know if we are just lazy, inactive people or they are just laidback or what.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:08:08 PM)

quote:

My boy is just one, but I'm already wondering if I should consider other styles of education for him, even though we live in a good school district.



Whether you home school, enroll your child in a christian school, or in a public school, you have to make the decision based on what is best for YOUR family and YOUR child, regardless of what others say.



Sideways -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:16:03 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: OneOfHisJewels
I was blaming society in general, and the powers that be that said that to you. After all, you, as an engineer, surely know that not ALL boys are better at math, and that not ALL girls are better at English.


True, maybe I have been listening to other folks to much and borrowing trouble from tomorrow. As far as me being and engineer, the funny part is that I always scored better on the reading sections of all types of standardized tests.

And one reason to love being an engineering student at Georgia Tech? There are 3 guys to every female. I loved those odds (met a very handsome male engineer who became my husband[;)]).



Sideways -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:17:17 PM)

Actually, one other educational style I've been thinking about is the Montessori System. We have several of those types of schools in my area.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:22:07 PM)

quote:

Actually, one other educational style I've been thinking about is the Montessori System. We have several of those types of schools in my area.



I LOVE the Montessori system. When I worked at an institutional preschool, I tried to do as much of that method as a I could get away with (My boss was a tireless worksheet, ABeka type, although she claimed to be more of a hands on/Montessori type). When I worked at in home preschool, I don't know if my boss had even heard about Montessori (although with an AA in Early Childhood Ed., she must have), but that was pretty much her approach.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:24:44 PM)

quote:

As far as me being and engineer, the funny part is that I always scored better on the reading sections of all types of standardized tests.


Then I admire you even more than I ever did for being an engineer, because you didn't just take the easy way out.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:26:30 PM)

quote:


And one reason to love being an engineering student at Georgia Tech? There are 3 guys to every female. I loved those odds (met a very handsome male engineer who became my husband ).



Maybe I shoudn't have been an education major..we were almost all girls[&o]. No, I knew that was the major for me, just messin.'



Auben -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:35:34 PM)

I like Montessori in a lot of ways, but it can be a rough transition to public school (I hear).



garsyt -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:36:47 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: OneOfHisJewels

quote:

My boy is just one, but I'm already wondering if I should consider other styles of education for him, even though we live in a good school district.



Whether you home school, enroll your child in a christian school, or in a public school, you have to make the decision based on what is best of YOUR family and YOUR child, regardless of what others say.



YEP!

Put it to prayer too! Decisions such as the education of your children are pretty serious one. In the end God WILL give you a peace about where you decide to send your child.

Blessing,

Garsy



csl7037 -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 9:57:49 PM)

quote:

My boy is just one, but I'm already wondering if I should consider other styles of education for him, even though we live in a good school district.


IMO, you should consider all your viable options carefully & prayerfully. Just be thankful your public schools even warrant consideration. Where we live, IMO, not an option!



stellaluna -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 10:14:02 PM)

The same magazines claiming boys aren't suited for traditional classrooms are the same ones claiming girls don't fair well with boys in the classroom because boys answer all the questions.

I'd just like to point out there are an awful lot of successful boys coming out of public schools, so it can't be all bad.



JuliaHop -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/28/2008 10:49:59 PM)

As a believer, I could not in good conscience use a Montessori school based on what I have read concerning their schools. I would do research before using a school just because of their educational methodology...I would research all of their teachings.



ladyingrace1979 -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/29/2008 12:12:01 AM)

The reality is that most boys will at some point of their life need to learn how to learn in a traditonal manor. My twin girls don't learn their best in the traditional manor but much better in small groups and in a variety of ways, primarilly tactile, so it isn't just a gender issue. Homeschool may not be any better, because the method depends on the teacher and most homeschool parents are not trained to teach. I have seen a great many successful boys come out of public school and small private schools as well.



OneOfHisJewels -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/29/2008 2:17:59 AM)

quote:

because the method depends on the teacher and most homeschool parents are not trained to teach.


That doesn't mean they can't still figure out the best methods for their child. I am in no way saying everyone has to home school, however, I would also hate to see this thread turn into criticizing home schooling in and of itself.



HenriettasCat -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/29/2008 8:03:03 AM)

I remember reading an article in a newspaper recently that boys need physical activity if they are to learn in the classroom (sorry I don't have a link). The arguement was stressing the importance of keeping, and possibly prioritising physical education in the curriculum.

We all need fresh air and excercise. In this day and age it is easy to find that chidren are more sedentary than we would like. I have to say that our trampoline has been one of the best investments we have made for our kids - often a good half and hour bounce will sort out those testosterone high's!

[sm=kitty.gif]



manda59 -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/29/2008 10:59:44 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: JuliaHop
As a believer, I could not in good conscience use a Montessori school based on what I have read concerning their schools. I would do research before using a school just because of their educational methodology...I would research all of their teachings.




Yes, I was quite surprised to read that they don't believe in either rewards or punishments, for example.

Also, that I've heard that parents are not allowed in the school to observe what the children are doing.



ladyingrace1979 -> RE: Little Boys and School (6/29/2008 11:18:22 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: OneOfHisJewels

quote:

because the method depends on the teacher and most homeschool parents are not trained to teach.


That doesn't mean they can't still figure out the best methods for their child. I am in no way saying everyone has to home school, however, I would also hate to see this thread turn into criticizing home schooling in and of itself.

I'm not criticizing hs. parents are the expert in their child, and there is a huge amount of resourses for hs. But that has to be weighed with two other facts, at some point hs must navigate the world of public eduction in college, and the value of professional training of teachers in public and private school.



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