The other day, my first grade son brought home another basic phonics paper he had done in class; so basic, my four year old daughter did her own version of it. It consisted of listening for short vowel sounds and rhyming words. My son, who has been actively reading since the age of four, complained he’s bored in class, understandably so. Now, to keep things in perspective “I’m bored” has become a euphemism in our house for “I don’t want to do any work.” Work ethic aside, he needs more challenging learning activities.

My husband and I both love reading: we read often, visit the library, and keep our bookshelves well-stocked. So, it’s natural that reading began early for our children. They enjoy storytelling, as well as what many consider the pedantic side of reading, such as phonics and grammar. I don’t think my children are unusual. In fact, they are average children who excel in some areas and struggle in others. They love learning new things and enjoy challenges. Sometimes they meet those challenges; other times, they backtrack and try again. Don’t we want our children to be challenged in school, not to the point of frustration, but to the point of good, mental stimulation? At the very least, each child should be working at his ability, not below it.

The school does not deserve all the blame, or even most of it. I think the problem runs deeper. My son attends a good school. He has excellent teachers, a dedicated principal, and a pretty decent peer group. So what’s the problem? Why do American students rank in the twenties (out of thirty) for math and science? Why do seventy percent of our eighth grade students read below their grade level?

We’ve become a nation of underachievers and this has crossed over into the classroom. If society has one expectation, it’s difficult for teachers to enforce higher expectations. As a result, teachers design a curriculum that targets the most basic levels but does not accommodate more challenging levels. I think we underestimate the ability of our children. If a child struggles in an area, he deserves special attention to move him forward, but let’s make sure all students are progressing. If average children can understand basic phonics at four and five, why is so much time spent teaching basic phonics at six and seven? Shouldn’t the learning process gradually become more challenging? Right now, my son’s learning process is in reverse, and I believe this is more common than we realize.

Probably one of the most beneficial solutions would be more classroom help, whether from teacher’s aides, parents, or even older students who could act as mentors. The additional support would allow for more individualized attention. Self-paced learning could allow each child to reach his full potential. Let’s face it, none of us learn at the exact same pace.

Self-paced learning does not always mean working ahead in the classroom. Perhaps, a child who has mastered one subject area could exchange some of that time for a subject in which he struggles. Another option is to allow students to pair up and work as mentors to each other. This offers schools an opportunity to teach leadership, cooperation, and mutual respect among students.

I realize self-paced learning is no easy task. But in the end, I believe it would be worth the effort. Our children deserve this effort. Americans should rank number one in math and science, not twenty-one or twenty-four, and literacy should be mastered by eighth grade.