Research is telling us that boys are performing badly at schools.
As a teacher, I can see why. Nothing lights up a young boys face like conversation about his favorite football team. I have often sat in the classroom trying to engage m students in discussion about why they are not applying themselves to their work.
“I’m going to be a footballer” they say, “I don’t need study”.
And it is not exactly bad thinking that gets children to this point. Think about it: its a short term goal, that they (in their mind) can be realised in only two or three years. All you need to do is seriously commit yourself to football, and someone will spot you before you reach 18 years. Once that happens, you are in the big time – you are rich, and famous and successful and you never need to do homework again.
However, many do not realise this dream and they only realise the importance of an education when it is too late. For this reason, rather than trying to talk our kids out of wanting to be footballers – we need to make sure they have alternative role models which focus their other talents: such as writing, mathematics and science.
There is so much academic potential in our children that we must find a way to encourage this potential and inject the kind of zest and attraction that football has.
Football is winning our children because of the way it is presented to them. Surely we can find a way to present other things in the same, powerful way.
After all…they aren’t all fantastic at football. But they are all fantastic at something.
Lets make that something something to shout about.
