I am in a hotel.Why do hotels always have such slow wireless internet connections?
I have a theory on this.
Anyway, before I throw my laptop across the room, I have some quick thoughts on all of this stuff I've been putting out about the why chromosome:
Involve your kids in the discussion. Especially in the field of reading, academics have always tended to talk about what kids should be reading without involving their students at all, much less inquiring as to the attitudes boys -- and girls -- have about reading.
You know what the strongest links are between feelings of depression among kids and academic self-concept? For boys, studies show the strongest cause of depressed feelings are poor self-concepts in PE and Math; for Girls, it's Reading and PE.
Damned PE coaches.
An interesting thing, though, as Christine Hoff Sommers points out in a recent follow-up to The War on Boys is that, in American schools, boys outnumber girls in participation in sports. Girls outnumber boys in everything else: student government, graduation, college acceptance, just to name a few significant categories.
Talk to your kids about this stuff. I'm happy to say I've received more than a few comments from kids who've been reading these why chromosome posts, and one from a teacher who is reading them aloud to his class.
But I'm cutting this short today because I just can't stand this hotel WiFi conspiracy.
I'll be at the Family Festival of Books, at Brinderson Hall in Chino Hills to sign books this morning.
Two of the best school visits I ever got to do were in this area: at Chino Hills High and Ayala High School. I hope some of the boys and girls from those schools can make it out there this morning.
