Same gender education, anyone?

[miasmommy]

Has anyone had any experience with same gender education?
I found a terrific private school for my daughter & am thinking of applying for kindergarten.

The school has the boys & girls together from K- grade 3 & then Grades 4-8 they separate into two separate schools. This is based on the theory that boys & girls have different learning styles.

I love this idea for many reasons but am seeking any feedback from all you terrific MDC Mommies!


Thank you!

[Flor]

I went to a women's college and had a wonderful experience. I've had many friends who went to all-girl Catholic high schools and they seemed to get a lot out of their education as well. Different kids need different things, but it was a really postive experience for me. I wasn't at all looking for women's colleges, but I liked the location of my college so I went and checked it out. I was so impressed with the atomsphere. To me, it is really important to visit. If you haven't felt it, you don't know!

[Elvirnon]

I'd like to hear more about what the school perceives as the differences between boys' and girls' learning styles. My first impression is - I just don't think it's that simple, and there are bound to be children who don't adhere to the particular learning style associated with their gender. Does the school have a plan to meet the needs of those kids?

OTOH, I have friends who speak highly of the social component of single sex education, and I'd be more inclined to put more faith in that than in the learning style argument.

[miasmommy]

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate your feedback.

My first impression is that I really like this school- the campus, the curriculum, the kids seems really happy in the classrooms. I definitely plan on visiting other schools.

Again, thanks for your comments!

[gcgirl]

Studies I've read suggest girls tend to do better in a single-sex setting, while boys tend to do better in a mixed-gender setting. Obviously there will also be individual differences. If your kid is happy, I say why not?

[IndigoRayne]

Here is a link to the National Association of Single Sex Schools. Hope it helps.

http://www.singlesexschools.org/home-introduction.htm

[miasmommy]

Originally Posted by IndigoRayne

Here is a link to the National Association of Single Sex Schools. Hope it helps.

http://www.singlesexschools.org/home-introduction.htm

Great link- thank you!

[IndigoRayne]

Originally Posted by miasmommy

Great link- thank you!

You're welcome.

[bobandjess99]

I would go for it unless it turns out your daughter seriously dislikes it. I chose to go to an all-women's college and LOVED the atmosphere. Aside from the "boys and girsl leanr differently" point, whihc can be argued in any number of ways, for me, it was more about the atmosphere....so much of the social stress of being in school was gone, it lowered the competition for attention....you'd be amazed how much more time you spend actually concentrasting on your schoolwork when you aren't worrying about how your hair looks or if the boy across the room is checking you out, etc.....or whether the hottie will want to ask you out if you give the correct answer and therefore seem smart, etc.....
Oviously, this would be different n the age group you are talking about, but still, much of the same kinds of things apply.....

[miasmommy]

Again, thank you all for your comments.

It looks like we will apply next year for Kindergarten 2009. I think it will be a good fit for my daughter as she especially loves science & the curriculum has a very strong science curriculum.

Thank you all again for your feedback!

[RiverSky]

Oh my. It scared me when I read the theory that girls and boys learn differently, because I definitely learned more like boys (and I'm female) and I would have been miserable in a school that didn't cater to my learning style.

[mommy68]

Originally Posted by bobandjess99

Aside from the "boys and girsl leanr differently" point, whihc can be argued in any number of ways, for me, it was more about the atmosphere....so much of the social stress of being in school was gone, it lowered the competition for attention....you'd be amazed how much more time you spend actually concentrasting on your schoolwork when you aren't worrying about how your hair looks or if the boy across the room is checking you out, etc

I agree. I think the whole all girls or all boys thing would be a lot more appreciated in middle or high school.

I think in elementary all kids should be mixed. I just think it's good for them. My daughter has big brothers so she enjoys playing with boys just as much as she does girls and I like that about her. I think more boy/girls should be buddies like they used to be years ago instead of being taught that their relationships should only be based on sexual.

[kmeyrick]

I think it's great for middle and high schoolers, since girls often tend to tank to avoid looking nerdy, brainy, or off-putting to the boys. Boys often want to look cool and "bad boy" in front of the girls so they get mouthy with the teachers and don't do their work. Differentiation is all well and good, but in the upper grades, if teachers differentiate like they should, it'll be a little of this, a little of that, the students will get about 10% of the lesson geared towards them. Boys and girls do learn differently, and respond differently to certain strategies, so I think it's a great benefit.

[Ruthla]

I'd prefer to have DD1 in an all-girls school, to minimize distractions from boys and just set up a generally more religious environment. But the closest all-girls Jewish school is more than 15 miles from our house so the district wont' provide bussing, and there's no way I can handle all that driving every day. So she's in a co-ed school, girls and boys are separated in the mornings for Judaic studies and together in the afternoons for secular studies.

I don't see it as "different learning styles for boys and girls" as much as allowing both genders to focus on their studies and platonic friendships and minimize the flirting/distractions in school. (I say "minimize" not "eliminate" because I recognize that there homosexual and bisexual teenagers.)

[dealic]

I would have been unhappy in an all girls school. My learning style is more aligned with the "typical" male style, and I make friends with boys, and not girls. I wasn't ever distracted by the boys being there, and never got into the flirting. It would have been detrimental to my learning experience to have missed out on the mental stimulation I got from male classmates. I was gifted so I was already marginalized and limited in who I could interact with on my level. There simply were no girls at my level to challenge or stimulate me.

[kmeyrick]

Originally Posted by dealic

It would have been detrimental to my learning experience to have missed out on the mental stimulation I got from male classmates. I was gifted so I was already marginalized and limited in who I could interact with on my level. There simply were no girls at my level to challenge or stimulate me.

That's surprising. The girls I teach have plenty of mental stimulation. It appears that boys are more stimulated and gifted because they don't get quiet and meek like girls can. That's why same gender ed can help- girls come out of their shell more. You are lucky- girls can get the short end of the stick in gifted education in my area.

[junipermuse]

I too would have been unhappy with being in an all girls environment. Many (close to 50%) of my friends were boys. School was really the only place I got to see or even meet these friends. All my extra-curricular activities (dance, girlscouts, softball) were all single sex, so if I had also been in an all girls school I would have had zero male friends. I suppose if you could guarantee that your child would have extracurricular activities where they had the opportunity to mingle with both genders that could help. But frankly I wouldn't do it. Children spend so much time at school that I think we need to be prepared for it to be a social outlet for them as well as a place for academics. If I were really afraid of the distraction that boys might cause for my daughter academically, I would probably just homeschool so we could get through the academic stuff faster (than at school) and she would have more time for extracurricular activities and homeschool groups that included both genders. Single sex schools just seem like such an artificial environment (not that school in general isn't somewhat artificial with the everyone divided by age and stuff), but I think since girls have to interact with males outside in the real world they might as well do so in school.

[miasmommy]

Just wanted to thank all the posters for their feedback. This is what I love most about MDC!

[mata]

I went to an all-girls' high school and a women's college. Single sex education has a lot of benefits, but my opinion is that those come more into play at the high school/college level. I'd rather my dds be socialized with boys as much as possible before high school age to demystify the gender differences. My experience with single sex high school was great-the Southern public high school I would have attended was very patriarchical-males were worshipped-football Gods and all that. Girls were accessories. Being in an all girls' school was so refreshing after that!

[nkm1968]

My older daughter, age 14, is in her first year of all-girl school and she loves it (this is after 9 years of coed Montessori and 2 years of public middle school). She has actually not had any problems with any of her 3 schools, but she really, really loves being with all girls.

Of course, it is the same all-girl high school that I attended, as well as my mom and 2 of her sisters...so there is a lot of history there!! Her little sister, age 6, tells people she does not want to go to the Montessori elementary, she wants to go to her big sisters high school!