Drawing on a number of fields of educational research this article argues that girls come to school better prepared to meet its demands than boys. Parents encourage different skills in their children, as a result girls have more sophisticated communication skills, and are more likely to have been encouraged to participate in intellectual tasks…

Suggests that students come to school with an enthusiasm for learning only to discover the confusion and frustration associated with schooling. Proposes that educators must reframe their conceptual understandings and philosophy of the educational process, reduce the use of fear as a student motivator, and work toward eliminating the "bull" or…

Presents a case study illustrating learned helplessness orientation in preschool children and how adult responses to a child's successes and failures directly influence a child's perception of his or her abilities. Suggests that teachers should compliment successes by highlighting the ability demonstrated and address failures with comments…