RE: The toughest kids in school...might not be who'd you expect. (featuring @hanshotfirst as author)
Excellent post! As a parent watching the schooling begin I am convinced TV, computers, smartphones and tablets are the root of the majority of 'learning disabilities'. The amount of time kids spend consuming media is insane. The first five years of a kid's life need to be spent doing. Not watching. Doing! The human brain is designed for experiential learning at an early age - kids need to get dirty, play with other kids, fall out of trees, get bruised, eat worms etc.
We have friends whose five year old kids can do math at a 10 year old level. But they can't ride a bike or swim. Not joking. And it's getting worse - parents are convincing themselves that plugging a kid into an iPad or Netflix is good for them. Because it's easier than getting off their asses and going to the park. Or packing snacks and going for a play date. Or building a fort in the backyard. Or knitting, painting, cooking...
We're not luddites and our kids get an hour of Netflix Sat and Sun morning. They use iPads when we're on the road. But that's about as much as they need - they have their whole adult lives to sit in front of a computer or TV if they so choose.
My $0.02
Thanks for taking the time to read this! My take is more of a nature AND nurture. A breakdown in either area can lead to problems. The brain is an amazing and complex organ. Even if you limit all of these outside factors, sometimes the "wiring" is just different. I believe it works both ways and some kids can excel even if there is an issue with the "nurture" side. I wrote a story about one such child a few days ago.
There are definitely physiological factors and I agree on that front - especially with the more serious conditions like the autistic spectrum. My comment is mostly directed at my recent experiences observing mostly 'normal' children, ie. no medical conditions, just starting school in kindergarten and Grade 1. From what I see in the parenting and the children I am very compelled to conclude increasing rates of 'learning disabilities' in children coincide with increasing rates of media consumption. Apparently American kids 2-5 now spend an average of 30 hours per week watching TV! Humans did not evolve to spend the first years of life watching TV... so this has got to be messing with kids. Humans have less brain activity watching TV than sleeping. These kids are spending a huge chunk of their childhood development time essentially brain dead! It's crazy!
Not a lot of people know about the fact that watching TV involves less brain activity than sleeping. I di a paper on it about 30 years ago in high school. I always keep that in mind so that when I'm watching stuff with my own kids, I try to ask them questions and get them to think about what is happening on the screen. I figure if I can't eliminate TV and movies from their lives, I can at least use them to my advantage.
We do much of the same with our children and they are as bright as bright can be. I am a big believer in challenging them and investing quality time too.
What I refer to as the "use it or lose it" thing our developing brains do where it severs neural pathways which are not being used and strengthens those that are is a big part of how I think about my children's development.
You may have a point. In theory I do agree with you, although I would want to know how much good quality mental stimulation and bonding the children are having with family and positive role models too. Don't get me wrong though, 4+ hours of TV a night is too much.
I am probably about 50/50 on the nature vs nurture argument too. We have so far to go with the nurture part. Being a parent really puts you into the hot seat. Children are pretty resilient but as a parent it can feel like every mistake you make is going to affect them for life.