There are more than a dozen books on underachieving boys, but most parents brave enough to lift one off a shelf are instantly intimidated by the footnotes, graphs, case studies, academia-speak, and remedies aimed almost entirely at educators and physicians. Largely left out of the discussion are parents of boys, who are most aware that their bright, eager sons hit an invisible barrier sometime around the fourth grade, after which they become disengaged, discouraged, and disaffected. By puberty, too many sons seem determined, through no fault of their own, to be slackers in school regardless of incentives or disciplinary measures. Our Chi For Yourself guest Cynthia Gill speaks to this phenomenon of “falling sons” both as a parent and educator. She has worked on innovative curricula development and served as an academic dean, while winning acclaim for her work in the classroom. Cynthia Gill is co-author (with Pam Withers) of "Jump-Starting Boys: Help Your Reluctant Learner Find Success in School and Life."