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WhatTeensReallyThink

BYROBERTKIENER

Isourfutureingoodhands?AnexclusiveReader'sDigestpollrevealssome

surprisingfindings.

CANADIANS,byandlarge,havelongbelievedthatifyouworkhard,successiswithinyourreach.

Isthatdreamstillalive?DoCanada'syoungpeoplestillbelieveinit?

Tofindout,Reader'sDigestcommissionedCROP,anationalresearchcompany,tosurvey

1,003Canadianteenagerswithabatteryofquestions.Weaskedthe16-,17-and18-year-oIdswhat

theyvalue,howtheyspendtheirtime,howtheyviewfamilylife,workandcivicresponsibilities,

andwhattheythinkaboutCanadaandtheiropportunities.

OursurveyshowsthatCanadianteenagershavehighhopesforthefuture.Ninety-three

percentofourrespondentssaidthey"expecttoachievehappinessandprosperity"intheirlifetime.

"IcandowhateverIsetmymindto,"saidLisaGrocholski,17,ofCalgary.CourtneyBrown,

17,ofVernon,B.C.,agreed.Hergoals:"TohaveahappyfamilyandajobIlove."

Theworkethic,too,isaliveandwellamongCanada*steenagers.Eighty-eightpercentofour

respondentsagreedthat"anyonewhoworkshardcangetahead."

TheseattitudesmaysurpriseCanadianswhoseeouryouthinaless-than-favourablelight.

Daily,itseems,themediareportthemisdeedsofourteens.InVictoria,agroupofadolescentsis

triedforbeatinganddrowninghigh-schoolstudentReenaVirk.InWinnipeg,ateenagerisjailed

afteradangerouscarchase.AndinMontreal,fiveteensarechargedwithbeatingan81-year-old

womantodeath.Teensareoftenseenasspoiledlawbreakerswhodisrespectauthority.

Nevertheless,oursurveyfoundthatthereiscauseforoptimismaboutCanada'syouth.Here's

whatwediscovered:

TeensbelieveinCanada.WhenweaskedthemiftheyagreedwiththeUnitedNations'

rankingofCanadaasthebestcountryintheworldinwhichtolive,aresounding93percentsaid

thiswas"absolutelytrue'*ornmostlytrue.*'Said16-year-oldBryanDickieofSackville,N.B.:

"Thefreedomandopportunitywehavehereisunparalleled.I'mproudtobeaCanadian."

Giventheirenthusiasmforthenationasawhole,perhapsit'snotsurprisingthatanational

majority,58percent,isagainstindependenceforQuebec.WithinQuebec,however,theresults

werereversed,with61percentfavouringindependence.

Despitethiscountry'sproblems,88percentsaidthatCanadais"holdingsteady"or

“improving.”

Teensbelieveinfamily.Althoughdivorcehasclaimedmanyoftheirparents*marriages—17

percentofrespondents'parentswereeitherseparatedordivorced--ininterviewafterinterview,

ourteenagerssaidthatdependableandstablefamilylifeishighontheirlistofneeds.Indeed,

"raisinghealthyandhappychildren'1and"havingagoodmarriage1'areatthetopofthelist.

Eighty-sixpercentofthosepolledsaiditwas"very"or"somewhat"likelytheywillmarry;88

percentthoughttheirmarriageswouldlast.Virtuallyallplantohavechildren.

AccordingtoJessicaMcCartney,16,ofRedDeer,Alta.,"giveandtakeonbothsides11makes

asuccessfulmarriage.Herparentsareseparated,butJessicahashighhopesforahappymarriage.

"It'sacommitmentthattakesalotofwork/shesaid.

Andwhiledivorceiscommonplace,adulteryisdefinitelyano-no.Askedifitwaswrong"for

amarriedpersontohavesexualrelationswithsomeonewhoisnottheirhusbandorwife,"82

percentofrespondentssaiditis"alwayswrong.1'

Thatresultdoesn'tsuipriseChristineSimmons-Physick,vicepresident,children'sservices,

forthenationalKidsHelpPhone."Adulteryoftenleadstodivorce,"shesays,"andmanyteens

haveseenfirsthandthedamagedivorcecando.Evenifitisamicable,divorcecrumblesachild's

foundations."

Teensagreewiththeirparents*values.Anearlyunanimous98percentofthosesurveyedsaid

theirparentshadsetagoodexampleofrightandwrong.NicoleSul,17,ofWinnipeg,spokefor

manyteenswhenshetoldus,"Mymomismyhero;Iwanttobejustlikeher.°

Whenweaskedteenshowtheirownattitudesaboutrightandwrongcomparedwiththeir

parents',70percentsaid''prettymuchthesame.1*

Thesurveyresultsconfirmawidespreadoptimismamongteenagers,saysSandraKirby,

chairmanoftheDepartmentofSociologyattheUniversityofWinnipeg."Today'steensarethe

firstgenerationtohavegrownupwiththenewglobalinformationnetworkandfreefromthe

threatoftheColdWar,"saysKirby."Theyareconfidentandconsiderthemselves,ineffect,

spokesmenforthenewmillennium.”

Teensbelievefinancialprosperitycanbetheirs.Ouryoungpeopleprovedtobemuchmore

industriousthanthestereotypical"layaboutteen."Sixty-sevenpercentsaidtheyhadworkedfor

payformorethantenhoursinanyweekinthepastsummer.Forty-eightpercentsaidtheyhad

payingjobsduringtheschoolyear.Overhalfsaidtheysaveallormostoftheirwages.

Justunderhalfofrespondentsexpectedtobebetterofffinanciallythantheirparentswhen

theyareaboutthesameagetheirparentsarenow.Another45percentexpecttobe"aboutthe

same.1'Ina1998AngusReidpoll,57percentofadultCanadianssurveyedpredictedthatthenext

generationwouldbeworse^financiallythantheythemselvesare.

Someofthemostvocalsupportforeconomicprospectsinthiscountrycamefromteensin

immigrantfamilies.AhmedShaheinofSt.Laurent,Que.,calledCanada“thelandofopportunity."

The16-year-old,whoseparentsemigratedherefromEgyptandJordan,planstobecomeadoctor.

“MydadalwaystellsmehowluckyIamtohavebeenbornandeducatedhere,"saidShahein.His

father,whoworkedlonghoursasahotelclerkwhenhearrivedinCanada,isnowtheprosperous

managerofaMiddleEasternpastryshop.

Teenshaveasocialconscience.Wewonderedhowteenagersacrossthecountryfeltabout

immigration.Anoverwhelmingmajority—78percent-wouldvoteagainst"alawthatwould

stopalmostallimmigrationintoCanadaforthenextfiveyears/1

JuliePayne,17,ofLethbridge,Alta.,countsaChineseimmigrantamongherbestfriendsand

said,"Itisinvaluabletogrowupwithpeopleofdifferentracesandnationalities—theybroaden

ourperspectives."

JustasmostteenssupportedCanada*simmigrationpolicy,avastmajority-85percent—

saiditwas"absolutelyessential"totreat"allpeopleequally,regardlessofraceorethnic

background.'1Butwhenweaskedhowtoachievethatequality,ourrespondentsweredivided.We

askediftheywouldfavour”alawprohibitingpreferentialjobhiringonthebasisofraceorsex."

Fifty-fivepercentwereagainstsuchalaw,and44percentinfavour.

Anotherquestionthatsplitourteenagersconcernedwelfare.Forty-ninepercentwouldfavour

alawthatcutoffwelfarebenefitstopeoplewhohadnotfoundajoborbecomeself-sufficient

aftertwoyears;48percentwereagainstit.

Canadianshavelongbeenquicktovolunteerintimesofneed.Happily,ourteensare

continuingthattradition.Fifty-ninepercentofourrespondentssaidtheyhadvolunteeredinthe

pastyear;39percentofthosehaddonesointhelastmonth.

Otherfindings.ComparedtoAmericanteenagers,ourrespondentsprovedtobemoreliberal

onmanyissues.Forexample,whenweaskedhowimportantitwastoobeyalllaws,58percentof

Canadianteenssaiditwasabsolutelyessential,comparedwith74percentofAmericanteens,

accordingtotheRoperCentreforPublicOpinionResearch.Only45percentofAmericanteens

favouredalawpermittingsame-sexmaiTiagesversus67percentofCanadianrespondents."While

manywouldhaveyoubelievethatCanadianteenagersarebecomingmoreandmoreliketheir

Americancousins,'1saysCROP'SClaudeGauthier,"thispollshowsthemtohavedistinct

differencesinoutlooksandvalues.'1

OursurveyalsofoundCanadianteenstodayarehighlypermissiveaboutpremaritalsex.Only

11percent—inQuebec,justtwopercent—feltitwas"alwayswrong"forapersontohavesexual

relationsbeforemarriage.Nationally,87percentbelieveditwasokayforamanandwomanto

livetogetheroutsideofmarriage.

Asfor"servinginthearmedforcesduringwartime,'*59percentfounditamatterofpersonal

preference,andonly14percentsaiditwasessential.Inthelattergroupis17-year-oldDavid

HouleofShipshaw,Que.,whosaid,nIwouldfightforCanada.0

Ourpollshowsthatpolitics,too,areindisreputeamongtheyoung.Sixty-eightpercent

stronglyormostlyagreedthat"therereallyareveryfewpoliticalleadersthatIlookupto."Said

PaulineBodnar,16,ofScarborough:"Politiciansdon'tspeaktoteenagers;it'slikewe'reinvisible

tothem.

"Just24percentthoughtitabsolutelyessentialtokeep"fullyinformedaboutnewsandpublic

issues/,Whenwelookedmoreclosely,wediscoveredthatthehigherthegradeaveragea

respondenthad,themoreheorshefeltitnecessarytostayinformed.(Twenty-ninepercentofA

studentsversus18percentofCandDstudents.)

Only34percentofrespondentsfeltitwasessentialtovoteinelections;31percentsaid

votingwas"entirelyamatterofpersonalpreference."Just26percent—only13percentinQuebec

—believeditwasessentialtoserveonjuries;40percentconsidereditamatterofpersonal

preference.

AccordingtoRobertGlossop,executivedirectorofprogramsattheVanierInstituteofthe

FamilyinNepean,Ont.,ourresultsreinforcethebeliefthat"institutionalauthoritiesnolonger

controltheheartsandmindsofteensthewaytheyoncedid."

Oneofourmostdisturbingfindingsconcernedtheproblemofcheatinginschool.

Seventy-fourpercenttoldusthatteens"ingeneral'1thinkitisusuallyorsometimesokay.When

weaskedindividualsiftheypersonallythoughtthatcheatingis"usuallyokay,sometimesokayor

neverokay,"astillsurprisinglylarge38percentsaiditwasusuallyorsometimesokay."There's

morecheatingbecausethere*smorepressureonstudentstodowell,“saidJordanMarr,18,of

Kamloops,B.C.

Theseresultsdon'tsurpriseProfessorAnne-MarieAmbert,aYorkUniversitysociologistwho

haswrittenwidelyonteenagers."Sadly,moreandmoreteenagersseeexamplesofdishonest

adultsaroundthemwhoarenevercaughtorpunished,"shesays."Thishasmadecheatingseem

muchmoreacceptable."

Cheatinginschoolisonething,cheatingonone'sincometaxisapparentlyanother.Eighty

percentofourteenagersreportedthiswas"neverokay."Anotherinterestingresult:Themajority-

57percent-wereagainstlegalizingmarijuana.Adeathpenaltyforpersonsconvictedofmurder

producedanevensplitforandagainst,asdidaproposaltoreducefederalspendingformilitary

anddefencepurposes.Sixty-threepercentwereagainstananti-abortionlaw;and67percentwould

voteagainstalawpermittingprayerinpublicschools.Thevastmajority—79percent-favoured

nalawrequiringabalancedfederalbudget."

Teenspolledexpressedastrongsenseofresponsibilityfortheirfellowman.Eighty-three

percentconsidereditessentialto"takeactiontohelp'1iftheyheardsomeonescreamingorsaw

thembeingattacked.Seventypercentofourteensfeltitessentialtoreportacrimetheyhad

witnessed.

Evenmoreencouraging,ourpollshowedthatteenagershaveastrongfoundationinfaithand

morals.Nearlythreeoutoffour(71percent)reporttheybelieveinGod;18percentofthosepolled

gotoahouseofworshiponceormoreaweek.

Wealsoaskedteenswhattheywoulddoiftheyfoundthemselves"unsureofwhatwasright

orwrong."Themajority,43percent,saidtheywouldtrytodo"whatwouldbebestforeveryone

involved.*'Onlyoneintenwouldtaketheself-servingpathof"doingwhatwouldhelpmetoget

ahead."

WITHRESULTSlikethese,itseemssurprisingthatsomanyadultsarepessimisticabouttoday's

teen-agers.Someofthispessimismistobeexpected-everygenerationlooksabitaskanceat

youngerones.Alberta'sAdamHunter,16,offeredanotherexplanation:HIfateenagerbreaksthe

law,adultsarequicktotarallofuswiththesamebrush.Thefactis,thevastmajorityofusare

honest,upstandingcitizens.'*

BeverleyCathcart-Ross,cofounderoftheParentEducationNetwork,aToronto-basedfamily

counsellingandeducationservice,believesmanyparentslosetouchwiththeirchildrenasthey

becometeenagers.nTheygetmoreandmorepessimisticabouttheirkids-usuallybecausethey

cannolongerhaveasmuchcontrolovertheirlives.Theyfeelshutoutbytheteenager,whoneeds

moreindependenceandprivacy/'shesays.MSurprisingly,mostteenagersareoptimists;itisadults

whoworryandfocusonthenegative."

JoshLevac,18,ofBrantford,Ont.,wasbullishonhisownandCanada'sfuture.HMyparents

raisedmetolookatlife'spositiveside,'*hesaid."Thankstothem,nomatterwhatlifethrowsat

me,IfeelconfidentIcanmakeit."

Welcometothespokesmenforthenewmillennium.Canada'sfuture,thankstoalotof

confidentandhopefulteenagers,isinverygoodhands.

WhyBoysMustBeBoys

Isyourson'sschoolgivinghimwhatheneedstosucceed?

BYGABRIELLEBAUER

FROMCANADIANLIVING

OnLiamCourts*firstdayofGrade1inToronto,hewasraringtogo—literallybouncingwith

excitement.Hefiguredhe'dhavenotroublewithschool:Healreadyknewhowtoprinthisname

andtherightanswerto“eightpluseight."Attheendoftheschoolday,hisfatheraskedhimhow

thedayhadgone."Great,“saidLiam."Theonlybadthingwasthatwehadtositatourdesksfor

solong.^^

LiamisnowinGrade8andsomewhatlessenthusiasticabouthiseducation.He'slearnedtosit

stillandtohandinhishomeworkontime,buthefindsthatsomethingismissinginthestuffhe's

learning."Somuchofitisboring,likedoingreportsonbooksIdon'tenjoyreading/*hesays.

Andwhatdoesheliketoread?"Fantasy,“hereplieswithouthesitation.He'salsoawhizat

NintendoandPlaystationgames.Theproblemwithschool,hesays,is“toomanyessaysandnot

enoughaction.^^

Girls,educationhasbeenamajorfocusforeducationresearcherssincetheearly1970s.More

recently,well-publicizedstudiesandbooks,suchas1995'sRevivingOpheliabyMaryPipher,

havearguedthatschoolsystemsputgirlsatadisadvantage.Educatorshavetakentheaccusation

seriouslyenoughtoimplementt4girlfriendly,,teachingmethodssuchassmall-grouplearningand

mathlessonsbasedonreal-lifesituations.

Nowtheexpertsaretellingusthatgirlsaredoingjustfine——it'sboyslikeLiamwhoneedour

attention.

IfCanadianstatisticsareanyindication,thisconcernisnotunfounded.SuzanneWitkin,an

instructionalleaderofEnglishliteracywiththeTorontoDistrictSchoolBoard(TDSB),saysthat

tenpercentmoregirlsthanboysachieveLevel3or4(4beingthehighest)instandardizedreading

andwritingtestsinGrades3and6.Andgirlsareholdingtheirowninmath.

InAlberta,boysstillhaveaslightedgeinmathandsciencebutlagfarbehindgirlsinlanguage

arts,saysDarleneMontgomery,acurriculumspecialistattheCalgaryBoardofEducation.Other

provincesreportsimilarlags.Inagroundbreakingmove,severalschoolboardsinOntarionow

requirethatalloftheirschoolsdevelopwrittenplanstohelpboyscatchuptotheirmoreliterate

sisters.

What'sevenmoreworrisometoeducatorsisthegendergapinacademicenthusiasmandambition.

About60percentofgirlsinGrades3and6inOntariolikereadingandwriting,whilelessthan

halfofboysmaketheseclaims."Ourboysareclusteringindisproportionatenumbersin

non-university-boundhigh-schoolstreams,notesMontgomery.'They'realsomorelikelytohave

behaviouralproblemsandtobesuspended.^^

BoyBrains

Sowhat'supwithboys?ThewayNorthAmericanschoolsteachboysputsthematriskof

underachieving,saysMichaelGurian,aneducator,childadvocateandauthorofBoysandGirls

LearnDifferently!^Readingandwritingdon'tcomeasnaturallytoboysastheydotogirls,not

initially,hesays."Manyofushavefeltthisinstinctively,andschoolsarefinallycomingto

recognizeit:Boysandgirlsdon'tlearnthesamewayoratthesamerate.^^

Manyproblemsexperiencedbyboysintheclassroomstemfrombeingnormalboysinasetting

that'snotdesignedtohandlethem,saysGurian."Oureducatorsoftenlackunderstandingof

typicalboytraitssuchasaggression,verbalandemotionalreticence,andinterestinobjects

movingthroughspace,“hesays.

Caseinpoint:LiamCourt,ourGrade8studentinToronto.Hehasthis

tosayabouttheclashbetweenhislessonsandhislearning:"Iget

frustratedwhenIhavetowritemyopinionaboutsomething.Idon't

knowwhattherightanswersareorwhattheteacherexpects.Andshe's

alwaysaskingmetoputmoreemotionalcontentintomystories,even

ifthey'reaboutrobotwarsandthatkindofstuff.”

NotallboysarelikeLiam,ofcourse.Boyswhowouldjustassoon

writeinapersonaljournalasplananintergalacticbattlearebyno

meansrare.Twentyto30percentofboysprobablyfallintothe

categoryoflikingreflectionaswellasaction,estimatesGurian.Still,

child-developmentexpertsagreethattheaverageboyisdifferentfromtheaveragegirl—andthat's

partlyduetonature,aswellasnurture.

Thisisapparentfromtheget-go.Boysusuallyspeaktheirfirstwordslaterthangirlsanddevelop

clearspeechaboutayearandahalflaterthangirls.Theirfinemotordevelopment—theabilityto

stringbeadsorprinttheirnames—lagsbehindgirls'byaboutayear.

Astoddlers,boysshowgreaterinterestinexploringtheirenvironmentthangirlsdo,andin

preschooltheyfavourrougherplay.

Throughouttheearlygrades,boysreadlessfluentlyandlistenlessattentivelythangirls.uEvenif

hehasmasteredreading,aneight-year-oldboyismorelikelytobefoundflippingthroughacomic

bookthanreadingthebookshisfemalepeersmightselect,“saysGurian.

Aroundpuberty,boys'spatialabilitiessurge.InGrade8,forinstance,Guriansays,boyswillsolve

amathproblemdisplayedonablackboardmorequicklythanwillgirls,whomayneedtotalkout

theproblemfirst.

Onethingthatvirtuallyalleducatorsagreeonisthatboys,asagroup,developandmaturelater

thangirls.ButHowardMarcovitch,aconsultantforsupportserviceswiththeTDSB,saysthat

educationalpoliciesdon'talwaysreflectthisawareness.

“Manyboysaren'treadyforformalinstructionuntilageseven/*hesays."Attheveryleast,

schoolscouldmakespecialprovisionsforlate-birthdayboys.^^

BridgingtheLearningGap

HaveCanadianschoolscaughtupwiththisunderstanding?Theanswerseemstobebothyesand

no.”Wetendtoshyawayfromtargetinganentiregenderinourprograms,notesMontgomery,

andotherschoolboardsreportsimilarphilosophies.AnotableexceptionistheDurhamDistrict

SchoolBoardinWhitby,Ont.,whichrequiresthatallits120schoolsdevelopmore“malecentred”

teachingmethodstohelpboostboys'literacy.Theseincludeinvitingmaleauthorstoconduct

readingsandpurchasingmorereadingmaterialgearedtoboys.

WiththegoalofmakingboysenteringschoolmorecomfortablereadersbyGrade3,theDurham

boardisalsoadoptinganAmericanprogram,Animated-Literacy,forchildreninkindergartenand

Grade1."It'sbasedonanewbraintheoryandmultiplelearningstyles,“saysBeverleyFreedman,

asuperintendentofprogramswiththeDurhamboard,4tandit'sveryinteractive,whichtendsto

appealtoyoungboys.”

WhiletheDurhaminitiativeisoneofthefirsttoemphasizegender,thegoodnewsisthatschool

boardsacrossthecountryhavewholeheartedlyembracedtheconceptofmultiplelearning

styles—verbal,spatiahmusicalandsoon—andareurgingteacherstorespondtotheirstudents'

individualstyles.

“Manyboysarekinestheticlearners:Theylearnbestbymovingtheirbodiesanddoingthings

ratherthansittingandlistening,saysMontgomery.Bybuildingflexibilityintothecurriculum,

specialistslikeMontgomeryhelpteachersreachsuchlearners.'Insteadofsimplywritinganessay

aboutabook,forinstance,kinestheticlearnerscanactoutthebook'scharacter,thendraw

sketchesoftheaction,thenwriteaboutthesketches,“saysMontgomery."Theideaisthatthe

teacherusesthephysicalandvisualrealmsasstepping-stonestotheverbalandwrittenones.,,

Schoolboardshavealsocometorecognizethat,generally,boysgravitatetowardsnonfiction,

sciencefictionoradventurestories,andgirlstowardsgeneralfiction,saystheTDSB'sWitkin.

Nonfictionbooksmaybe“juslthetickef,forsomereluctantmalereaders,shesays,andtheycan

alsoserveasabridgetofiction.Forexample,aboyinterestedinwolvesmightreadan

age-appropriatebookaboutthemandthenturnthekeypointsintoapoemorstory.Inrecognition

ofboys'preferenceforthefactual,Witkinsays,manyschoollibrariesarebeefinguptheir

nonfiction.

Bythetimeboysreachmiddleorhighschool,anotherproblemappears:peerpressuretoshun

thingsacademic.WilliamPollack,aprofessoratHarvardMedicalSchoolandauthorofRealBoys'

Voices,saystheboysheinterviewedconsistentlyreportedthatitwasn't"cool"tobetoosmartin

classortoworkhardatacademics.^Fortunately,somehighschoolsarerealizingthatstreaming

intouniversity-ortrade-boundgroupsinGrades9and10issimplytooearly,saysMontgomery.

“Manyboysmaturebetween15and17.Ifwegivethemmoretimetogetontrack,wehopeto

keepmoreofthemintheuniversity-boundfold.”

TheRightFit

While“boyawareness“iscertainlygainingcuiTencyamongeducators,parentscan'tassumethat

allschoolsintheirdistricthaveseenthelight.TakeSeanKennedy,who'sinGrade2.Hismother,

Tamara,saysSean'steacherscoldedhimforfidgetingduringgroupsing-along,inwhichallthe

childrenhadtositinacircleforahalfhour.uSeancan'tsitstillforthatlong,“saysTamara.

Marcovitch,oftheTDSB,saysthatabetterfitforaboylikeSeanwouldbeaschoolthatallows

in-classstretchingorwalkingbreaks,plusphys-edclassesseveraltimesaweek."Suchboysalso

needaschoolthatdoesn'tinsistonarigidpace-everybodyabletoaddsingle-digitnumbersby

November,forexample-especiallyintheage-five-to-eightrange,whenreadinesslevelsareall

overthemapJheadds.

OtherthingsthatMarcovitchsaysparentsshouldlookforinclude:aschoollibrarythatoffersa

widerangeoffiction,nonfictionandreferencebooks,comfortableandvisuallyappealingreading

areas,anduseofcomputersasabridgetoliteracy.Parentscanalsofindoutwhethertheteachers

attheirson'sschoolaretrainedinmalebraindevelopment,saysGurian.

“Ifthey'renot,agroupofparentscanbandtogetherandrequestthatthestaffreadbooksabout

boys,"hesays."Parentsfromacrossthecontinenthavetoldmethey'vedonethis.^^

Andifallthisisnotavailableatschool,parentsshouldmakesomeoftheseresourcesavailableat

home.Infact,asaboygetsolder,Guriansays,hisparentsneedtostayinvolvedinhisschooling,

evenagainstthedinofhisprotests.

It'sespeciallyimportantforfatherstobeinvolvedinthisprocess,becausetheydothings

differentlyfrommothers.SaysNeilR.Campbell,assistantprofessoroffamilymedicineand

psychiatryattheUniversityofWesternOntarioandfounderofDadsCan,afatherhoodresource

network:"Fatherstendtowardsafutureorientationintheirteachingstyle.Afathermightspurhis

sontopractisepianobypointingouthowstudyingmusicbodeswellforhisacademicsuccess;a

mothermightremindhersonthatbylearningahardsection,he'llmasterthewholepiece,“says

Campbell.

Theresult?Theboygetsthebenefitoftwodifferentsalespitches.Campbelladdsthatinvolved

fathershelpchannelaggressivetendenciesinolderboys.

“They'reinstinctivelygoodatthis.Whentheynoticetheirsonstewingaboutsomething,they

mightsuggestagameofhockeyorajog.”

Inadditiontomonitoringhisprogressathome,parentsneedtofindoutwhethertheschoolmakes

provisionsforanadolescentboy'sintenseandbiologicallydrivenneedformentoring,Guriansays.

“Ideally,theschoolshouldbeinvitingmalespeakerstosharetheircareerchoicesandlife

experienceswithmalestudents.M

Ifthisisn'thappening,parentscanusetutoringasanopportunityinstead.Lookforamaletutor

“withthecapacitytoinspiretrustandrespect,“headds.Aswell,Guriansuggeststhatfathers

volunteertospeakatschool,thus“helpingmentortheirsonsandotherteenageboysintohealthy

manhood.^^

YourDreamJob:AClickAway

Everymonth,nearlytwomillionCanadiansareon-linelookingforwork

BYSTUARTFOXMAN

Inthewinterof2000,afterspendingabouttwoyearsworkingforamanagerial-consultingfirm,

34-year-oldBrentWillsonofGuelph,Ont.,foundhimselfunemployed.Ratherthanscourthe

help-wantedsectionsofthenewspapers,Willsonheadedtothelocalemploymentcentreandsat

downatacomputer.Alldaylong,forthreeweeks,hesearchedon-linejobboardssuchas

Jobshark,WorkopolisandMonster,lookingforajobinsalesmanagement.

Hesoonspottedanintriguingprospect-aTorontocompanycalledTeranet,whichmaintains

Ontario'sland-registrationsystem."Icheckedtheirwebsiteandlearnedallabouttheirbusiness/5

saysWillson."They'reontheleadingedgeoftechnology,andthejobpostedmeantastepupfor

me.Iwouldhavemoreresponsibilities,ahighersalary,andthere'satonofpossibilitiesat

Teranet.^^Helandedaninterviewsoonafter,andwhenTeranetofferedhimthejobofsales

managerinMarch2000,Willsonjumpedatthechance.

'TheInternetwaseasytouse,therewerelotsofjobsavailable,ande-mailisagreatwayof

gettingyourresumeoutfast,“hesaystoday."It'sthebestwaytofindajob.”

WillsonisamongthetensofthousandsofCanadianswhoareclickingtheirwaytoabetterfuture.

KenSimms,40,isanother.AresidentofLadner,aVancouversuburb,hesoldadvertisingfor

magazinesandcommunitynewspapersfor15years.Lastyear,lookingtogetinvolvedwitha

companythatembracednewtechnology,hesignedupwiththreeon-linejobboards:Jobshark,

CareerclickandWorkopolis.Selectingtheadvertisingcategory,Simmsentered“sales,““high

tech"and