Reply #84: Two comments on this topic...

[Mithras61]

1) This PARTICULAR story seems to be a B.S. claim based on the way it is reported. There may be more to the story than what is being reported, but based on what IS in it, it certainly appears to be baloney (that is, no face validity).

2) The principal at the school that my son attends (6th grade) has personally told me that the current structure of education in the school is built around the needs of FEMALE students. This is not to say that MALE students aren't capable of doing well, but rather that it focuses on the GIRLS needs rather than the BOYS. This school uses a MODIFIED curriculum and class structure from that used by most other schools in my area. This school focuses its efforts at pushing the students from the more nuturing environment of the feeder schools (grades K-4) and moving them towards the needs of the next shool (grades 7-8). The MAJORITY of 10- (in 5th grade) and 11-year-old (in 6th grade) boys in this school have difficulties with the curriculum and the demands placed on them during the two years that they attend here. The girls and the 11- (in 5th grade) and 12-year-old (in 6th grade) boys do fine overall, with the boys having to work harder to keep up. By the time they move to 7th grade, the majority of these students have acclimated to the new demands and all of them thrive in the next grade levels. The majority of students from this series of schools indicate intentions to attend college, and the schools work hard to prepare them (very few of those who want to go on to college REQUIRE junior college to advance, but some attend it to get a leg up on admissions). Does this make unreasonable demands on my son? Maybe. It's hard to say. He does well enough when he doesn't space out his homework or projects (he has ADD, and the attendant organizational & planning issues). Would I consider filing a lawsuit over it? Not a chance. Do I think some school systems focus more on the needs of the girls than on those of the boys? I suspect that they do, but it's often a means to an end (making the girls more competetive in educational opportunities).

Anyway, my point is that sometimes schools do what this boy is alleging, but I tend to believe that if he really has educational difficulties, they are probably mostly self-induced or not the responsibility of the school system to treat (like ADD/ADHD). Waiting until the end of the 12-year school career to decide that this is a problem for him is silly. Where was Daddy when junior was struggling way back in 5th grade? I hired a tutor I couldn't afford to help my son out, why didn't he? He can most likely afford it based on the demographics of the area & his occupation.