Raising Boys – Time for A Change?
Originally Posted at Dean’s World
When did medicating boys become popular and why aren’t more people questioning this practice?
I’m the parent of a boy, and I’ve noted that several of his friends are on various meds “to help him focus”, “it’s better for his grades” and “the teacher says he couldn’t sit still in class”. Meanwhile there is debate about ending recess in schools for various reasons, including improving test scores, saving money (teachers are demanding to be paid to supervise recess) and even protection (it’s easier to keep kids away from predators in a building).
I hate to tell those of you who believe in the complete equality of the sexes, but boys are not girls. They are absolute bundles of energy. “Snips, snails and puppy-dog tails” goes the saying and one thing that “puppy-dog tails” never do is sit still. Boys must move. They have evolved for that very purpose, and forcing them to sit in one place for a long period of time isn’t just wrong – it’s unethical and sexual discrimination of the highest order.
I believe that it is time to consider a whole new way of teaching boys. Boys can focus to a degree that is amazing to adults. Just ask one about his Pokemon or Yu-gi-oh strategy and be prepared for a detailed analysis of the game that would make a Pentagon planner feel like a generalist. However they can do so only between periods of activity. Think of it as teaching science, math and English in a gymnasium with lectures punctuated by games of Dodgeball and Hoops. Instead of relegating PE to 40 mins a week (as is the case at my kid’s school) regular classes would be integrated into PE to the point where a separate PE class would be unnecessary.
Medicating boys is the easy solution, but it makes as much sense as pumping girls full of speed and steroids to perform better at sports. No one is calling for that, and if anyone did there would be charges of child abuse levelled – and rightly so. Yet millions of boys are on medication today and people are comfortable with this.
robin roys:
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS POST. I am a teacher and it is amazing to me how a small pill can save the teachers from creative teaching, save the school system money by having less PE, less staff, and larger classrooms. Parents MUST DEMAND change!
29 March 2009, 11:05 amRobin Roys
Scott Kirwin:
Robin
29 March 2009, 11:10 amI’m glad you like it. Unfortunately the educational system is so stacked against the parents that its nearly impossible to change it. The easiest solution is to pull your kids out and either homeschool them or find a private school with a better program.