Re: Where Have All the Boys Gone?

[Herbert H Gottlieb <herbgottlieb@JUNO.COM>]

Ludwig
Although it is remotely possible that Lisa is older than 9, I doubt
it.  From the writing it appears as if she is a typical gifted student.

Herb

On Sat, 01 Jul 2000 10:54:29 -0400 Ludwik Kowalski
<KowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU> writes:
> Lisa, I suspect you are older than 9, perhaps much older.
> Or maybe somebody else "helps" you to compose smart
> messages. Am I right?
>
> Lisa Gardner wrote:
>
> > Dear List Members,
> >
> > I've been in a gifted math and science class at the same public
> school
> > since first grade, and I'll be in the fifth grade this next year.
> > There have always been at least 5 or 6 more boys than girls in my
> > class even though the total number of students has continued to
> grow.
> > What I have noticed is that almost all the boys go out of their
> way to
> > 'act dumb' in class, but in actuality I think some are fairly
> smart.
> > One bad thing is that the boys, and now they have gotten  most of
> the
> > girls to think that it isn't 'cool' to look smart. The boys are
> also
> > usually lazier than the girls when it comes to doing homework,
> reports
> > and projects. In fact out of the 23 students in my gifted class
> only 2
> > fourth grade students, both girls, had science fair projects that
> were
> > good enough to compete at the County level. Another thing is that
> a
> > lot of the boys are very mean to girls that excel in school, so if
> you
> > want to be liked by the boys they don't want you to be at the top
> of
> > the class. So, I don't have a lot of sympathy if they continue to
> act
> > so stupidly that they get tormented in high school from girls that
> > want to excel. (Not that they should treat anyone that way unless
> > provoked by inappropriate behavior from the other person. We
> > can only take just so much torment!)
> >
> > I have to ask why are the boy's fathers or mothers not doing what
> is
> > necessary to make them to put out the effort to excel or to stop
> the
> > behavior so they aren't so unkind to the girls,  when we want to
> learn
> > as much as we can?
> >
> > At this point in my life except for a couple of nice boys that I
> like;
> > the saying 'Boys drool and girls rule' is true, because the boys
> wish
> > they were doing as well as I am, but would rather play games to
> excess
> > instead of working at learning something that will help them in
> the
> > future.
> >
> > Lisa Gardner (age 9)
> >
> > Ps. I spend a lot of time playing and goofing off, too, but I do
> put
> > limits on how much time is devoted to it. :>)