1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

'Why I'm raising my son to be a nerd'

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Dick Whitman, Jun 28, 2011.

  1. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Nothing necessarily ground breaking in this LZ Granderson column, but I think it's a worthwhile, thoughtful read, particularly for the parents among us or those who will be some day:

    http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/28/granderson.raising.nerd/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

    If we want to have any lasting influence on the way our kids approach education -- the way future generations approach education -- then we have to grab our pom-poms and paint our faces and celebrate intellectual curiosity with the same vigor we do their athletic achievements.

    Education, particularly America's success and lack thereof at it, is a frequently recurring topic here. I plan to raise my children to be nerds, too. And to find them high schools where it's OK to be a nerd. Granderson is right - there are jobs available. And not enough Americans qualified to perform them. There are a lot of factors. Underpaid teachers. Underinvolved parents. Etc., etc., etc. But it's nice once in a while to read something by a parent who thinks it's OK to push his child academically in an era when I seem to read more often how kids today have too much "pressure."
     
  2. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    I thought it was because he didn't want his kid to have sex until he was 32.
     
  3. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Hey, if Dick didn't lose his virginity until his early 30s, why should his son be any luckier than him? :D
     
  4. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    All joking aside, I would much rather my sons do well in school than in sports.
     
  5. CarltonBanks

    CarltonBanks New Member

    As long as they do well in sports, too. Seriously, back when I was covering preps I used to talk to coaches and their female athletes all the time about how much scholarship money is available for female golfers, soccer players and track athletes (as well as swimmers). Because of Title IX these schools have to give this money away. I have seen some marginal athletes get at least a half ride because she was female and involved in a minor sport. So I would want, if I had a daughter, her to be at least competent in athletics as well because it would help her go to a decent school and get some money to help. I have two boys, however.
     
  6. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    Why is this an either/or?
     
  7. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    I hope my kids are good at both.

    I was an all-state football player who was recruited to play at a couple of the Ivy League schools. Instead, I chose to go to a state school and pursue a degree in journalism. Oops... :D

    My wife played tennis in college at a Major Division I program. So, I would like to think my kids have the genes to excel in both, but if I had to choose one to emphasize over the other, that would be the easiest decision ever.
     
  8. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    For a guy who is trying to become CNN's columnist who breaks down stereotypes, LZ sure filled that article with lots of stereotypes.
     
  9. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Yeah, like his kid has any chance of Stanford with only a 3.86. :D
     
  10. I agree with the main idea of the column, but I feel like it's setting up children/parents for disappointment by pretending the world is a perfect meritocracy in which you will excel and live happily ever after if you get good grades and go to a good college and get an MBA or law degree or MD or whatever is expected of happy, wealthy smart people.

    There are a lot of people with fancy degrees and a lot of debt who feel like they "played by the rules" and, lo and behold, don't have the high-paying jobs and upper-middle-class life they were promised.

    I'd rather teach a kid to be resourceful and adaptable -- able to hustle as well as think.
     
  11. JonnyD

    JonnyD Member

    It's not. Kids who excel in sports tend to do better than kids who don't.
     
  12. holy bull

    holy bull Active Member

    I get the point of the column, and I'm all for encouraging kids to view schoolwork as a noble and meaningful pursuit, but it comes across as a little disingenuous when the kid is a stud in every endeavor he's ever tried and has next to zero potential to be viewed as a nerd.

    The column is a little self-defeating, too, by perpetuating the notion that trying and succeeding at academics makes you a nerd in the first place.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page