Quote:
Originally Posted by mldavis2
Mere speculation, but as a former teacher at the high school level in the U.S., I see some disturbing trends: 
First is the increase in digital toys, even at pre-school levels. In former generations, kids had to use toys creatively or even make their own to construct their own scenarios. My generation had Lincoln Logs, Legos, sticks and rocks. Today, parents buy electronic gadgets requiring batteries and knowledge of where to push the button. |
True that. It used to be the case that the toy was just a prop for the imagination. Now the imagination is just an accessory to the toy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mldavis2
Lower socio-economic families don't often encourage children to read.
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With respect, do you have empirical data to back this claim up? As a teacher, I work with many children from 'lower' socio-economic categories (or let's be frank and call out the elephant in the room and call them 'classes'). I don't see a trend in who gets encouragement to read and who doesn't. Plenty of lower class kids are encouraged to read (and some actually do) and plenty of upper class kids don't get that encouragement. The "I'm not gonna read when I leave college" attitude is quite prevalent, but it carries with it the implication that its bearer is going to college.