Answering the separate gender school poll - are you in favor or not?
By mommyboo
@mommyboo (13174)
United States
January 9, 2010 7:00pm CST
I was recently posting my very unflattering comments about separate gender schools. First of all, is this something you have ever considered? Do you know of any schools in your area that are either all boys or all girls or a co-ed school with certain classes which are only one gender?
Where does something like this come from?
I saw an article in the local paper a few months ago that actually discussed something like that becoming an option. Why should this even be an option?
I am not against this from the standpoint of PRIVATE schooling. Private schools can do whatever they like, be it gender-separated classes, teaching religion, etc, but when we're talking about public education institutions that TAXPAYERS are financing, I do not believe in anybody's PERSONAL AGENDAS influencing anything!
A school ought to be a smaller environment of REAL life, and real life includes BOTH genders. Real life includes differences, whether those are different beliefs, different lifestyles, different cultures, etc. A school community needs to both tolerate and EMBRACE those things. Nobody should be ostracized or discriminated against due to gender, belief, or lifestyle.
So....do you really think trying to make a mockery of real life is the answer to educating our children better? There's no money for something like this anyway, and if there WERE funding, it would be better served to rehire all the teachers who were just laid off due to ungodly budget cuts, creating class sizes that are through the roof. Nobody can tell me that having 45 children in one classroom is an example of 'wise usage of resources'...
4 people like this
10 responses
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
10 Jan 10
From the viewpoint of a person who wants to see less and less construction, I'd say that the idea of a gender separated schools or classes is stupid. To be honest, while this may have been done in the past, something was done to change it, so why for the need of a changing back? I would definitely be more supportive of the funding going towards better books, and the rehiring of teachers, then a waste of resources by "separating the children"... Maybe they believe that it's not the size of the classes at fault but the gender of said classmates. To be honest, I'd accept an even amount of both genders in classes, so if more money would need to be raised for said "change" then so be it, but I'd expect and dearly hope said change would not happen until the next school year.
I am considering home schooling for my husband and my future children. Maybe letting them go through a few grade of elementary school and then homeschooling them a bit, or if nothing else starting them out as a homeschool student and then introducing them to schooling later. I'm not sure which would be more economical, but I suppose that would be something best found out when hubby and I have children and they are the age for schooling. Sorry for the rant off.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
10 Jan 10
I am not sure what if any funding is available for those who want and need the benefits of private schooling but can not pay for it. I like your idea of homeschooling for the core subjects, but going to a school for electives, or maybe to a YMCA for say "gym Clases" and then other places like a college for the other things, or an elementary school if the child isn't older then 13.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
11 Jan 10
Well, in my area there are a lot of schools that are considered 'parent choice' schools. These are schools which you do not have to be part of the district to send your children to, but you do have to wait in a line or be lucky enough to get a lottery number or have your name called off a waiting list to get an opportunity to enroll. In some cases, you have to test out to be accepted as well. Many of these schools do perform very well as far as the standards, and they receive awards and great reviews from the community. Some of them are focused on art and music, or science and technology, there is even one in this area supposedly that is geared toward physical education and sports. These schools are still considered public, so there is no tuition, it can just be a pain in the butt to get into one. After you are already enrolled, it isn't as hard to stay there, or to get other kids enrolled once you have one in.
I would really love to be able to find a program where you do core subjects online and other subjects at a public school. I think it would be easier, there wouldn't really be 'homework', and there would be more time for other things we want to do.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
10 Jan 10
I believe in our public education system and I believe they have several objectives - to teach the state accepted standards and have kids test out sufficiently to prove they have obtained the required knowledge, to subsidize pure academic knowledge with other things like music, physical education, art, and avenues for sports during the school day, and thirdly throughout the whole thing - to support a healthy socialization so that kids learn the unspoken 'rules' of good communication, making friends and appeasing enemies, getting what you want and need from people, seeing how the right interactions benefit you and others, etc.
I don't even agree for the most part with separating kids who are receiving 'special education' unless they REALLY cannot be mainstreamed at all because they cannot learn that way.
At least I'm pretty sure that it will take forever for bureaucracy to do anything, but I'll be sure to make my opinion about it known. I think it's important to have choices available for everybody, but like I stated before, there is always an option that fits what someone might like in the private school sector. If it is that important, that's the route someone should go... or homeschooling. I just wish homeschooling had other options, like homeschooling core subjects and going to school for electives, for instance.
1 person likes this
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
10 Jan 10
We had only got separated in boys and girls for some part of the sports stuff, and that was quite rare. When my parents went to school, I think they did separate gender classes but not separate gender schools. It would normally be one school with half the school for boys and the other half for girls. I don't think it would be allowed here though, and I know that I would have found going to school with only girls dreadfully boring. Not so much because of falling in love etc, but more because games got funnier with both genders.
I agree with you that school should reflect real life in some way. I know there have been discussions lately about whether boys or girls learn so differently that they should be separated so both learn better, but I don't think separating them a lot is a good choice. Then rather smaller classes. Is 45 children in a class normal in California? That is a lot! 30 is the limit per teacher here, and even that is too much I think. At least for younger children.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
10 Jan 10
Whether boys and girls learn differently is not the issue, someone can teach more than one way and still have a variety of kids in one class. The only time I ever want to be with only women is if they are a group of my friends and we are discussing something that doesn't need to be said in front of men lol. Other than that, I think it would be dreadful to be separated.
I enjoyed being part of sports teams that were co-ed much better than sports teams that were not. I don't think people push themselves to the same degree when genders are separated. I believe that our differences make us all better.
45 kids is not normal, even 30 seems to be too many with younger ones. The class sizes are getting bigger even with high schoolers here, and I know it's due to the fact that they laid off so many teachers. The schools whine about budget cuts but a lot of funding is wasted on administrative things when it should be spent on teacher salaries and educational materials.
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
10 Jan 10
I agree. There are things men need not hear (mostly things that consern discussing them maybe? ;-) ), but most of the time a mixed group is better. I've chosen one of the only sports where men and women compete against eachother, and I think it is great.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
11 Jan 10
I played co-ed intramural sports and also was part of a youth softball team, as well as distance running and track - all things where my teammates were both genders. I don't think I would ever choose purposely to be on just a womens' team. I even prefer co-ed sports opportunities for my daughter, because kids are all over the board as far as skill level and knowledge, and the best way for them to learn is from each other.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
11 Jan 10
i think a lot of parents think it will keep their kids out of trouble (such as teen pregnancy) if they do this but keeping them apart will just make them go crazy with each other when they ARE around each other.. they will have repressed it so much they wont be able to control it when they get a chance
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
11 Jan 10
Yep. I think it is really silly to be that way. My parents were very strict about things and as a result, I am NOT that way with my kids and I am not going to allow my husband to be weird about it either. Another thing parents ought to remember - sometimes kids will surprise you. I don't even think my parents needed to be that way with me, I was very independent and responsible and I would never have been interested in teen pregnancy anyway. I mean I DID want to be a mom but I didn't want to have kids with someone I wasn't going to marry, and I would never have married someone I wasn't in love with either.
I'll be the first to say - yep, if you're constantly prevented from something, when you have your chance, you will rebel, go crazy, etc. You'll also probably hide things, sneak out, etc.
@acematthews71 (1084)
• India
10 Jan 10
This is certainly wrong as it would trigger an unlikeliness between of opposite genders towards each other and they would feel little uncomfortable confronting each other. But, where I came from, my school had both genders educating together and that brings us to a sense of liveliness and we feel like having a complete society around us
!!
!!1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
11 Jan 10
It's just unrealistic to separate people and think it would create anything positive lol. I already know that going from private school to public school was a huge culture shock for me, and if you are separated and don't have access to building normal social relationships with both genders, then you're really socially stunted. People who are behind socially often suffer academically too.
@acematthews71 (1084)
• India
13 Jan 10
Ya, it creates and imbalance in our academic life which tends to kinda carry forward in social life and disturbs our thought process and shallow down things!!
@MimiRemo (418)
• Philippines
10 Jan 10
I studied in a private high school for girls which was operated by nuns. Yes, it's a Catholic school. It does have the disadvantage of awkwardness in mingling with the opposite gender of our age. The school was so sensitive to gender discrimination and kept supporting equality issues that sometimes I think somewhere along the line, they forgot about the equality that they were pushing for. However, it's not that far from the real life. There were the popular and dorky crowds, athletes, lesbians, party animals, boys from co-eds who were too friendly, and impossible sisters. But on top of that, I got a good education.
1 person likes this
@aireanna18 (1914)
• United States
10 Jan 10
Gender schools would take us back to the days of separation. This would be found to unconstitutional and go against the principles of PL94-142 that states that all children must receive a free and appropriate education. It is not appropriate to segregate and give one group of students a different education than the rest and as history will tell us that they determined that their was no separate but equal. By segregating boys and girls we sould be saying that girls are inferior to boys or perhaps the other way around boys are inferier to girls. After all the ratio of individuals that are determined to have a disability is generally 1 girl per 5 boys. Thus, it is five times more likely that boys will have a disability. Lifespan physchology has determined that boy chromosones are more suspectible to birth defects and genetic mutuations during conception to birth. Getting back to my original point it is unethical to segregate children. Society needs to move forward rather than constantly taking one step forward only to take three steps backwards.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
11 Jan 10
I believe it's unethical too, as well as being discriminatory and socially undesireable. I think separating people for any reason (other than what people choose on their own, not being expected or forced) teaches the wrong things. I mean what is a little kid going to get out of the fact that they used to go to school with boys and girls and now they only get to go to school with girls? That boys aren't worthy? Or that GIRLS aren't worthy? That they may be learning something different? WHY would they need to learn something different? Because they are smarter? Because they are not smart ENOUGH? Just considering this type of direction makes me angry. Before anybody tries to say that kids don't come up with questions like this, yes they do. My daughter is an endless source of questions - to the point where I get sick of them. She would never leave well enough alone, and she'd ask EVERYBODY, and if she didn't like the answer, she'd tell you so, just like I would.
@trickiwoo (2702)
• United States
10 Jan 10
I agree with you that it's fine for private schools to be all female or all male, but it is wrong for public schools to do so. I went to an all-girl college. (It was a private school.) There are actually a few all-girl universities in the area (all private) and one or two all-girl high schools (also private). I don't know of any schools around here that are all-boys though.
1 person likes this
@hmcormier (37)
• United States
10 Jan 10
I went to an all girls school, yes it was a private school. I at first hated, but by the time graduation came I realized many things. My grades had improved, I wasn't scared to speak up, I was able to focus better in class and I wasn't as distracted. I think the big thing is many people are seeing that people learn differently. And boys learn better in certain ways then girls do and vise versa. It has been prove that by separating girls and boys they learn more effectively. Girls tend to be really shy around boys, even at very young ages with all their little 'crushes'. Boys as well and i think by separating them it tackles this. They have no reason to shy and they have not reason to be scared. What I don't agree with is complete separation, I think time together would still be needed. But the fact that there has been research just simply showing that girls and boys not only learn different subjects easier than each other but that they learn at different paces plays into this. I think public schools are long away from this though, too many things to tackle to make it happen. I wouldn't doubt seeing it at some point in our future though.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
10 Jan 10
LOL! Well as long as nothing like this happens before I'm 105 then I don't care. By then my daughter will be grown up and so might my grandkids. I still don't think it's a quality idea though, separating people for any reason has never been high on my list of things people SHOULD do. If certain people choose to separate themselves, I don't see that as a problem but I don't think it should happen unless the people in question want it that way. In general, kids are not going to be all gung ho about separate gender classes. Some PARENTS might be but that just goes back to what I said about it being a personal choice by the people in question. If there are actually kids who prefer it - go find a private school where you can be that way. It won't be that way in the workplace unless you are lucky enough to find a place that can get away with that without being slapped with a discrimination suit - or perhaps someplace that caters mostly to just one gender, like a warehouse, or a daycare center.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
12 Jan 10
I've never went to schools that are separate gender, nor are there any separate gender schools in the city that I live in. However, when I was in college, the vast majority of my friends came from schools that were separate gender. Did I see a benefit to them versus the education that I myself had received? No, I did not, in fact, I think that what I received was somewhat better than what they had received because I'd always had to deal with gender competition in my life. There are certain circumstances in which I think students should be segregated for certain classes (physical education and health to be exact), but I do not feel that schools should be segregated in general.
@mcdice (1)
• China
10 Jan 10
I agree with you.The public school shouldn't discriminate boy or gril of thier student.
