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

[Dick Whitman]

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."

 

[imjustagirl]

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

 

[Mizzougrad96]

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

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

 

[Mizzougrad96]

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

 

[CarltonBanks]

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

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.

 

[YGBFKM]

Why is this an either/or?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

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.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

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

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Yeah, like his kid has any chance of Stanford with only a 3.86. :D

 

[black dude with pompano]

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."

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.

 

[JonnyD]

Why is this an either/or?

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

 

[holy bull]

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.

 

[Freelance Hack]

This reply comes from a self-described nerd. One who longed to have a consistent jump shot or have a shorter baseball swing. One who encouraged his son to start playing sports way earlier than he did as a kid.

I get and agree we need to celebrate academics more, but I don't think the problem is bad grades or test scores. That might be a symptom, but not the actual problem. I think the biggest problem is how our educational system (like most of our systems) is set up.

Our current educational system in most places provides children with near-constant education over a 9.5-month span. Then, they get a 2.5-month vacation. Take that much time away from anything and it takes a while to recover when you go back to school, work or sports. We spend quite a bit of time refreshing what we were taught in the year past. Not to mention, we seem to teach to test and not teach to learn.

But knowledge itself is only part of the equation for success. You have to know how to apply that knowledge and then share it with others. Like Lee Iacocca said, you can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere.

That's where I think sports comes into play. Sports doesn't just provide a level of social interaction, it shows how people can accomplish more when they work together. Yeah, teachers may put kids in groups or teams for certain projects, but at the end of the day, each kid is graded individually. If I had to choose between two bookish nerds with 4.0s who rarely interacted with others and two sociable kids with B averages, then I'll take the B students.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Why is this an either/or?

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

Tell that to all of the professional athletes I covered who read at a second-grade level.

 

[JonnyD]

Why is this an either/or?

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

Tell that to all of the professional athletes I covered who read at a second-grade level.

Okay, I will. And then what?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Obviously, the ideal situation is to be good at both.

Go to a class reunion and find the 10 biggest meathead jocks and find out how they're doing 10-20 years later.

Then go find the the biggest nerds and see how they're doing now.

I'm betting on the nerds.

 

[JonnyD]

Obviously, the ideal situation is to be good at both.

Go to a class reunion and find the 10 biggest meathead jocks and find out how they're doing 10-20 years later.

Then go find the the biggest nerds and see how they're doing now.

I'm betting on the nerds.

Take the 10 most successful athletes in the school and 10 random kids, I'll bet on the athletes at the reunion.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Stumbled across the homecoming king/QB from my high school on FB the other day. Still a good-looking guy. Runs a business selling ball caps. Trying to break into the PGA market. Seems like the biz is doing well.

Thought it would make an interesting story -- what happens when the HS QB and homecoming king turns out to be charming and successful 25 years later?

 

[Ace]

I have a son who is a nerd. I encouraged him to play football.

He needed to learn how to work within a team and even learn to take crap from other kids.

In the classroom he would argue with his math teacher about how do to certain problems and big-time other kids.

For two years, he didn't like football because he was new and the other kids would get on him if he acted like he knew everything.

He likes football now (and school), and I think the team environment has been real valuable for him.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I think the better comparison would be to take the football and basketball teams and take the honor students.

Eliminate all of those who were both. Now, compare the rest.

That was the debate here, jocks vs. nerds?