By Jennifer Cleary, The Peck School
“Helping your child be successful is about doing the right things, at the right time.”
This was just one of the overarching messages received by parents, faculty, and guests from Dr. Leonard Sax, MD, PhD, as he spoke on the importance of acknowledging both gender and age-appropriate development in understanding the learning differences and emotional growth of boys vs. girls.
Dr. Sax spoke at The Peck School in Morristown, NJ, courtesy of Common Ground Speaks, a collaborative effort of several northern New Jersey independent schools that sponsors free lectures and workshops by distinguished speakers and experts in education, child development, and parenting.
A practicing physician and psychologist, Dr. Sax is the author of the bestselling Boys Adrift, Girls on the Edge, and Why Gender Matters. He is considered a national authority on gender issues, and has been interviewed on CNN and The TODAY Show.
He spent a full day presenting to Peck parents, students, and faculty before delivering his evening presentation “Why Gender Matters: Parenting Boys vs. Girls in the 21st Century” to a mix of over 150 parents, educational professionals, and friends from the local Morristown community.
Earlier, Dr. Sax spoke to Peck parents on “Gender Differences in Pre K-Grade 2,” which was well received and offered insights into physiological reasons behind learning differences in boys and girls, and the effects of late 20th century American educational ideology on young children’s development and attitudes toward school.
Switching gears, he addressed The Peck School’s fifth- and sixth graders next, focusing on what they do with their free time.
“The choice of what you do in your free time is the most consequential choice you make,” he told them.
Making sure to sure to call on every waving arm (belonging to almost every student in the room), as Peck’s boys and girls clamored to share their favorite solo activities—Dr. Sax ultimately brought the discussion home to an accessible, critical idea for a middle school age group:
To be thoughtful—and cautious—about valuing virtual experiences and communications over real world, human interactions.
After touring the school and dropping by classrooms, he addressed the faculty on the emerging science behind gender differences, and offering different tactics to respond to and engage boys vs. girls in a co-ed classroom.
Head of School Andrew C. Delinsky said, “Dr. Sax was exceptional. He spoke passionately and thoughtfully on important topics—gender differences, learning styles, technology—in a way that made sense, and made an impact. We were fortunate to learn from him!”
Jennifer Cleary is communications director for The Peck School.
ABOUT THE PECK SCHOOL:
The Peck School is a co-ed, independent, K-8 day school in Morristown NJ with a century-old reputation for academic excellence and emphasis on character formation. With a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio, The Peck School strives to build in each student the capacity for disciplined learning and consideration of others, while preparing students to succeed in secondary school and to lead healthy, productive, and principled lives.
Find bright beginnings in our Lower School (Grades K-4) and a tradition of leadership in our Upper School (Grades 5-8). Learn more at www.peckschool.org, or call our Admissions office at 973-539-8660 x 108.
