Logic dictates that homeschooled boys are more academically inclined than boys who go to school.
Let’s look at the facts…
Boys do not sit still as any parent of a boy very well knows. Nor should they sit still.
They are born to move a lot during their early years, because their ability to develop well depends upon movement.
When we restrict their movement by putting them into school at early ages, we inadvertently hinder their development. Then we punish them with bad grades or a medical diagnosis for not being able to meet our unrealistic expectations.
The kind of play boys engage in, such as rough and tumble play, is precisely what boys need to develop their brains.
Child developmental psychologists have referred to boys as "slower" than girls, but this isn’t a fair attitude.
What One Boy Had to Say About the Classroom
When my son was around ten-years-old, I remember asking him, "What do you love most about homeschooling?"
His reply: "I don't have to sit at a desk all day!"
What is the first thing boys are lectured in when they go to school?
If you said “sitting still,” you’re absolutely right. And boys who can't sit quietly at their desk because their legs are restless may get labeled with behavior and / or learning problems.
By the time said child reaches the first or second grades, he’s a good candidate for Ritalin.
Stuck on Track
While a young boy’s legs are ready to take him on great adventures, his mind is not ready for developing skills such as reading.
When he tries to understand what’s expected of him, his mind feels sort of stuck like a train hung up on a track; it can’t move forward.
The other children in class start to pass him up and now he begins to feel shame and embarrassment.
"Am I stupid?" he wonders, when he fails to grasp the concept of putting two consonants and a vowel together to form a word.
And the cycle begins.
Fifty percent of boys who fail to read at the prescribed time will drop out of high school. They literally give up on themselves because of an educational system that mishandled them.
We are setting too many of our boys up for failure.
And early education could be the very thing that plummets a boy into a life of academic underachievement and subsequent low-paying jobs.
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work”
A Solution
Teach your son to read when he’s ready and teach him at his own pace before you send him off to school or even better, homeschool him.
Let him experience the joy of learning how to read without being made to feel intellectually incompetent and embarrassed because he can't keep up with his class.
Let him know what it is to taste the sweetness of success. This is what gives him a sense of confidence and joy in academic learning.
As you teach him, he discovers the strength and power of his mind; he learns how to use it to learn lots of interesting things about himself and the world he is growing up in.
He becomes a good student, he's a content child, and he his confident in his abilities. When it comes time for college, all doors open for him.
He's accepted into a good college, he figures out his career path because he's had plenty of time to develop his interests. He knows what he's good at, and he has a strong sense of direction about how he wants to spend his professional life.
If you can't homeschool through the elementary and middle years, at least try to keep your son home until he is about ten. By the age of ten, he should be old enough to handle the school’s expectations of him.
Keeping your boy home for those early years could protect him from the negative effects of a school system that doesn’t operate according to your son needs.
Overall, boys will do better at home.
“Do not train boys to learn by force and harshness, but lead them by what amuses them, so that they may better discover the bent of their minds.”
Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.
Would you like to teach your child to read? Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.
For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s original online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.
When you join the Smart Homeschooler Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Elizabeth will make homeschooling easy for you. She’ll guide you in helping your kids reach their intellectual potential and developing good character.
As a homeschooler, you will feel confident, calm, and motivated knowing you have the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.
Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.
As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, Elizabeth has 21+ years of experience working in education.
She has developed a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, and she devotes her time to helping parents to get it right.
Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.
