In this article by the New York Times titled “Teaching Boys and Girls Separately” (click link) discusses how at a public school like Foley Intermediate School in the United States has designated certain classrooms in the school for each separate gender. Teaching genders separately has long been part of the private school sector but is now taking shape in public schools. When the author Elizabeth Weil spoke to the fourth grade students the boys said “they like being on their own, they say, because girls don’t appreciate their jokes and think boys are too messy”. The change at Foley Intermediate happened after principal, Lee Mansell, read a book by Michael Gurian called “Boys and Girls Learn Differently!” it discusses how separate classes in particular help boys who are “failing and on Ritalin in coeducational settings and then pulling themselves together in single-sex schools”. The idea of single-sex classrooms or even schools is quite intriguing but I do not believe it works for everyone. Some individuals enjoy interacting more with the opposite gender then those of their own gender. Also, about that individual who is transgender, what category would they fall under? At least at Foley Intermediate during recess and lunch students are able to interact with all different types of people but I am not sure if this would work in a lot of cases.
Apparently boys and girls react to temperatures and colours differently which the Foley Intermediate also implements in their classes. Boys have a blue classroom while girls have a yellow one. And the girl’s classroom is always six degrees warmer then the boys. I would have to agree that sometimes in classes it would have been nice to not be around boys because they can be quite distracting to other students but I believe that I would not have enjoyed always just being around girls. Someday when these children grow up they will go into a work environment where they will be surrounded by people of different genders, backgrounds, etc. so how will they know how to interact appropriately with these people if they are being somewhat “sheltered” from them. I think if boys are having troubles based on the fact they may have ADHD then maybe they are not being challenged enough or maybe they need extra assistance in the classroom. In Morris (2005) article about dress uniform he mentions how uniforms are an “easy way for teachers to assert their authority over the kids and make it look like they have control” (p. 42). The news article greatly reminded me of this and how teaching genders separately is just another way to asserted control over students.
It's an interesting point that was brought up about how boys and girls react differently to things such as temperatures and colours and how this school is set up around that.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the single-sex schooling topic, I'm always so torn about how I feel. I myself, could never have truley learned and enjoyed and all-girls school because I feel like I don't learn that way. I also hang out with more boys than girls and without that experience in my life, I feel like I wouldn't be the same person that I am today.
It truly all depends on the student and what they feel will benefit them. I think that the students and their parents need to sit down and discuss something like this before they sign them up for a single-sex school.
I also did a post on single-sex schools! You should check it out for some more of my thoughts on the situation and also about an article of single-sex schools in Halifax!
Shannon Chatterton