Girls Win & Girls Lose in School!
The big news across the academic world this past week, was the STUNNING revelation that girls are as good in math as boys are! Since math has been one of my favorite subjects for the last 50-plus years, I am slightly less overwhelmed than the average person by this news.
Studies have shown that girls are just as capable as boys in figuring out those tricky Trigonometry and Calculus equations, when given proper teaching.
Ah, but there’s the catch!
For too many years, the assumptions that boys excel at math, while girls are better in languages, has caused many students, and teachers, to emphasize one over the other, depending on gender.
Thus, we get more self-fulfilling prophecy!
While girls still lag behind in math and science majors, perhaps these studies will encourage more young women to trust their brains.
Girl Failure = Depression?
However, there is a second important issue that has been pretty-much overshadowed in all the education reporting this week.
Other studies recently released, demonstrate that school failure leads to severe depression far more in girls than in boys.
Traditionally, there have always been greater numbers of females than males diagnosed with depression, but it appears that young girls take academic failure much harder than boys do, as well.
While there has been much study and discussion of the increase in crime among young men who fail and drop-out of school, not as much has been reported about the low self-esteem and self-defeating behaviors among young women who also drop-out. And this is, in spite of the fact, the study of teen pregnancy is in the news regularly.
These latest reports make me feel a greater sense of urgency about getting The Kingsland Plan into the hands of educators and concerned parents. The answers to helping our young men and young women are right inside, just waiting to be implemented.
Come help us help our young people! Join us today! Get your copy of The Kingsland Plan and learn how you can help!
Brennan
I totally agree with this subject but it is one which is not usually discussed. Hopefully girls suffering from low self-esteem and self-defeating behaviors will one day be a thing of the past with the right education to encourage positive respect for oneself.
Dear AnneMarie,
You are so right! One of the important solutions is “the right education to encourage positive respect for oneself”.
Thanks for mentioning it!
Brennan
Hey…I enjoyed maths too but not science. I also realised that the boys were much better in both subjects, although I could not say for sure if it was because I had already pre-conceived notions that they tend to excel in them. By all means, I am in full support of not having these limiting beliefs hold girls or women back.