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The difference between boys and girls in math achievement has been a source of controversy for many years. Girls start out doing about as well as boys in elementary school, yet by the eighth grade, boys outperform girls by a wide margin. Are girls conditioned to do poorly in math"? This has a profound effect on career opportunities and choices later in life, as many girls simply cannot, or will not, compete for jobs in sciâ€" ence and mathâ€"related fields. Halton Linen Co. Oakville‘s Newest Bed Linen And Bath Boutique **** COME JOIN OUR BRIDAL REGISTRY **** We Also Welcome Designers **** Egyptian Pima Cotton Towels From Martex, Laura Ashley Quilts Percale And Sateen Linens, Window Treatments, Duvet Covers Bath Mats, Shower Curtains, And Feather Down Duvets Check Out Our Inâ€"Store Specials At 50% Off Why do boys progress more than girls in math and science? Is it biologâ€" ical â€" boys are simply prewired to have more aptitude in science and math â€" or are we parents doing someâ€" thing to hold our girls back? Recent studies suggest the probâ€" lem is in parenting, not biology. Psychologist Jacquelynne Ecles â€" at the University of Colorado â€" studied over 2,000 students over a sevenâ€"year period. She found that girls showed as 481 North Service Rd. Unit 24 Oakville Ont. Ph. 905â€"847â€"2274 Mon.â€"Wed. 10AMâ€"5:30PM Thurs.â€"Fri.10AMâ€"9PM Sat.IAMâ€"5PM Fully Coâ€"ordinated Bed And Bath Ensembles From LAURA ASHLEY, DI LEWIS, REVMAN, KATJA, ECHO JENA HALL , HANAE MORI , MARIMEEKKO Presenting much math ability as boys in the first grade, yet already girls showed less confidence in math. Girls simply did not expect to do as well at math as boys. Where did these poor expectations come from? The most powerful variâ€" able turned out to be the parents estiâ€" mate of the child‘s ability. No differâ€" ences were found in the way schools treated boys and girls in the area of math, yet powerful differences were found in the way the parents reacted to success in math. For example, when a boy did well in math, it was praised more often and it was attributed to the fact he had natural talents in this area. For girls, however, parents were more apt to praise achievement in reading or For those people who have suffered a loss. Presented by Dr. Bill Webster at the Oakville Public Library in the Auditortum 120 Navy Street Oakville Saturday, August 13th 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sponsored by @597 â€"FUNERAL HOME 56 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville Seating is limited. R.S.V.P, 842â€"2252 ""One Day‘s Journey" A Grief Workshop English as opposed to math, and sucâ€" cess in math was attributed to "hard work" (rather than any natural talent in this area). It‘s also interesting to compare girls with high expectations in math versus girls with low expectations, to see what differences could account for it. The girls who had the highest expectations in math were the ones who had mothers that expected strong performance in math, who praised it and did not emphasize language or social development over math, and who attributed her success in math to a natural talent in that area. In short, most girls are taught by parents that math is harder for them than it is for boys. And our teaching quietly and gradually takes hold over the years, as they become more likely to feel incompetent in math and they give up quicker when the problem is hard. Experience with this confusing test caused many of the children to perâ€" form more poorly on a subsequent test that was not designed to be conâ€" fusing. The ones whose performance suffered the most were the brightest girls in the class, not the average or belowâ€"average girls. Moreover, the effect was just the opposite for the boys; the brightest boys were the ones hampered the least by the initial conâ€" fusion. This "learned helplessness" in girls was dramatically shown by a group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Fifth grade students were given a test that was purposely designed to be confusing. This study illustrates how boys expect mastery and success in math, and they persevere more than girls. The smarter the boy, the more he expects to succeed in math; while the smarter the girl, the less she expects to succeed in math. What does this mean for parents? It does not simply mean that we should encourage girls in science and math, though we should. Most of all, however, it means that we, as parents, have to understand and believe that girls have just as much natural talent in the areas of math and science as boys do. Only then will girls have as much freedom in their choice of careers, as much opportunity for hapâ€" piness in life, as boys do. Only then we will, as a society, be able to beneâ€" fit from all our natural resources. How many hats do you wear / Wife? Mother? Daughter? So much to juggle and often it seems not enough time to do it With September fastâ€" approaching, it‘s all too easy to be lulled by the lazy summer months, and yet again, overexâ€" tend ourselves. Once more into the fray...but this year, why not get a head start on Thursday, Aug. 25th, from 7 to 9 p.m., when Wendy Vermeersch from Sheridan College will be talking about how we can balance the many roles in our lives, and more importantly â€" make time for ourâ€" selves. Juggling the hats of life _ This workshop is sponsored by the Women‘s Information and Support Centre of Halton, Hopedale Mall, Rebecca Street and Third Line, Suite 230. The cost is $5, but subsidies are available. Limited spaces are available and to register, phone §47â€"5520 or 876â€"4022.