Posted on 07/21/2010 9:39:17 AM PDT by Daveinyork
Can fart jokes save the reading souls of boys? You better hope so.
Boys have lagged behind girls in reading achievement for more than 20 years, but the gender gap now exists in nearly every state and has widened to mammoth proportions -- as much as 10 percentage points in some, according to the Center on Education Policy.
"It certainly should set off alarm bells," said the center's director, Jack Jennings. "It's a significant separation."
Parents of reluctant readers complain that boys are forced to stick to stuffy required school lists that exclude nonfiction or silly subjects, or have teachers who cater to higher achievers and girls. They're hoping books that exploit boys' love of bodily functions and gross-out humor can close the gap.
'Pretty boring': "It's like pulling out fingernails. He absolutely does not want to read," said Muscle Shoals, Ala., dad Todd Thompson of his 13-year-old, Hunter. "I read constantly growing up. So did his mother. So does his 8-year-old sister, but he's a go-go kid. To him, books are a waste of time."
Growing up in Grand Rapids, Mich., the 47-year-old Thompson loved two things: football and books. His mom encouraged regular trips to the library. His dad inspired him to dig into the Chip Hilton sports novels written by legendary basketball coach Clair Bee.
Thompson and his wife did the same with their reading allergic son. No-go. They've tried bribing him with new video games. Nope. While they've never considered
(Excerpt) Read more at yorkdispatch.com ...
Today’s girls are more likely to read, while boys are more likely to waste time with video games.
You should apologize. Boys catching girls, imagine! I'm outraged! ;-)
Kids will read if what they are reading is interesting to them. Most of the stuff in elementary is feminized, to the point of being boring.
No, but porno literature will close the gap and fast.
Why would a guy want to read “The sisterhood of the traveling pants?”
I have to confess my guilt here.
It took “Captain Underpants” to get my kids reading when they were in First Grade.
If you assume video games are actually a waste of time.
Not really. Fart jokes have been around for millenia.
(Historical Time Machine)
Moses to a fellow Jew in the exodus “Oy vey! Poool my finger!”
Krishna to a fellow Hindu during the Mahabharata war “Golly me.. pulll my little finger”
St. Thomas to a fellow spectator “I seriously doubt you could pull my finger”
Raquel Welch to the Pope.. those are NOT the buoys! .. oh sorry different joke topic
Oh, I dunno.
As a kid, I read every single word on that pink Whoopee Cushion.
By all means, don't figure out what changed in the public school system and fix it.
Horrible Histories - Terry Dreary (Don’t let the last name fool you) - got my reluctant reader reading. Lots of fun gross stuff & stuff about history.
Also, The Lightening Thief series. Good boy stuff.
Darling Daughter really took off when she discovered Harry Potter (She was the first in her cohort to do so, and actually resented the Johnnie-come-latelies who “are only into it because it is popular”!)
Forget fart jokes. The key is Pokemon. My son will devour anything and anything written about Pokemon.
I blame my fellow white men for surrendering to the Gynocratic Dictatorship 35 years ago or so. For all the whining here about the “elite” (who are not) or illegal aliens, the FEMALES who dominate our educational/therapeutic establishment have devalued and emasculated males and dumbed us down.
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