Co-Education Vs Single-Sex Education

[MissWem]

This is probably one of those topics that are debated on and on, however I am interested to know what other people think about it, opposed to what researchers and studies have shown us.

Researchers and studies tell us that in single-sex schools we are less likely to be distracted by the opposite gender and will be more encouraged to take on less traditional career paths.

Researcers and studies also tell us that since our society works with both genders it would be ridiculous to separate the two, therefore it wouldn't disadvantage the person socially.

Personally I'm not really sure but I chose to go an all girls school mainly because it looked really nice, but after spending a great deal of time at co-ed schools before, I found guys to be distracting in class. Not because I was interested, I just found them to be too noisy in general, but then girls aren't much better.

*sigh*This just makes me think of my boyfriend that goes to the all boys school up the road. :blush:

[Baron Samedi]

Eh. Being in a co-ed school always, I don't know what a single-sex system would be like. I think that having co-ed is better, because you develop social skills more, learn to get along with all sexes, and learn to deal with [i]life[/i]. Any occupation with colleagues will most probably have members of the opposite sex. Sometime in your life you will need to deal with oppoiste genders. Going to a single-sex school would surely disadvantage you in this kind of thing, one would think, no? therefore a co-ed school would seem to be the preferable choice.

Thats my take on the matter.

[James]

[color=#707875]I think that girls can be just as noisy as boys in class...so I don't really buy the whole distraction thing. If you're going to be distracted by a noisy guy, you'll probably also be distracted by a noisy girl. The key is obviously to focus on your work, regardless of your situation.

So, I don't think there's a HUGE difference. I'd generally just say that co-ed is probably slightly better, simply because you'll be mixing with both male and female people for the rest of your life (in your career, etc). Being confined to just one sex in school probably won't help.

And, wrist cutter, I'd like it if you put a little more effort into posting something relevant. [/color]

[conpiracymonki]

[b][size=1]
Yeah, I go to an all-boys school and a quite a lot of us aren't so good around girls, lol. Not a good thing at all, no no.[/b]

talking to girls in general = nervousness[/size]

[Gohan Egret]

I went to and graduated from an all male, Catholic private high school. At first thought it may seem weird, but I really enjoyed it there. I had enough pressure with school (AP and Honors classes) to be worrying about girls.

Personally, I would have nothing to worry about (yes, I like girls, but I know how to keep my priorties in order) but there are those idiots (and there were a lot) who just HAVE to prove themselves by fighting over girls and such. "She said that; he was looking at her; blah blah blah" Whatever...

Also, it is SO much more fun when the teachers can curse to the high heavens, make obscene jokes, and just generally "being one of the guys" rather than having to watch themselves with females present.

Yes, I do find myself, at times, feeling awkward *approaching* girls, but with a lot of group work in college occuring, I find myself being able to open up to anyone, regardless of gender. I am a very chatty person...^_^

[The Original]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Baron Samedi [/i]
[B]Eh. Being in a co-ed school always, I don't know what a single-sex system would be like. I think that having co-ed is better, because you develop social skills more, learn to get along with all sexes, and learn to deal with [i]life[/i]. Any occupation with colleagues will most probably have members of the opposite sex. Sometime in your life you will need to deal with oppoiste genders. Going to a single-sex school would surely disadvantage you in this kind of thing, one would think, no? therefore a co-ed school would seem to be the preferable choice.

Thats my take on the matter. [/B][/QUOTE]

I agree with Baron. If I went to an all-boy's school, I'd probably be nervous around girls, like AJeh described. I mean, I don't get 'em now, but at least I'm not nervous. :D If you go to a school that is diverse (sexually and racially), I think you'll have a better understanding of the real world.

[outlawstar69]

Hmm... this is interesting. I used to go to a religious school where the boys were on one side of the class, and girls on the other. Always. We weren't supposed to talk to each other, though we didn't get in trouble if we did. After I moved, I found out they later moved to the different rooms idea. As someone who is now a senior in a regular public high school now, I can say that there is merit in both systems. For examle, boys as a group tend to be rowdy or rambunctious, and this is perfectly normal. When they are in a mixed group, they are forced to sit still and are diagnosed with ADHD. If boys are the only group in a class, the focus on learning will tend to be hands on, which is what most boys learn best by. (For example going to a pond to learn about biology, instead of with books). The same can be said about girls... they tend to sit still (the ideal classroom behavior) and are better learners that way, with books. However, I can say that when I moved to the public school system, I had no experience whatsoever with the other sex, and had to learn from the ground up. It wasn't a bad thing though; I've been told that I'm more polite and talk better with girls now than the other guys.... maybe it would help to mention that my religion advises no dating untill we are ready to get married, and that's why we were separated. I still don't date yet, actually. I haven't had to go through all the hassles of the dating game in high school , which I think is kinda pointless for the most part. Almost always ends in heartbreak... Those kind of conflicts are avoided in single sex education. Not totally, but alot nonetheless.

[Gentle]

I'd rather prefer a co-ed school like the one I'm in now. I've even been taught in school that you should be in groups of both sexes to progress more in socializing. It also helps when you want to get to know someone better because you're interested in them. Although that doesn't matter that we learned that because we all hated the teacher who taught it to us.

Boys aren't distracting at all if you know how to concentrate and block out everything else around you. The girls are louder than the boys most of the time but still get off easier. (not including me) You shouldn't worry about how much noise they make anyway. Just listen to watch you're being instructed.

If they say distractions are from interest in such in the opposite sex then that just depends on the person and how much control they have. If they want to sit there and stare at someone all day they can but if they want to actually learn something then pay attention.

I just don't think it's fair when both sexes are separated then the boys are allowed to do more physical things than girls. When they're together they still do the same thing. My gym teacher told the boys to come and move a table with him and the mats. Mats for crying out loud. Yes, oh so heavy. No girl is strong enough to do that. When a girl went over to help, she got yelled at. Not so nice.

Off Topic: Co-ed sports, don't even try to do it. I've thought about it and experienced it. Not fun and way too many "accidents" happening.

[Dagger]

Hmm. If I were trying to choose between a co-ed and a same-sex school, I'd judge the two institutions on their various merits, rather than on their gender diversity (or lack thereof). I have several friends at an all-girls school, and I honestly don't think that their romantic experience with boys has been terribly different from mine. They simply go see their boyfriends on the weekends.

With that having been said, I really enjoy having boys as friends--and nothing more. At same-sex schools, you don't really get the chance to cultivate that type of friendship.

Gentle: I used to wrestle. Yes, I wrestled boys (and beat most of them, too). None of them tried to do anything inappropriate. So don't discount co-ed sports.... although I am sorry that you've had bad experiences with them.

~Dagger~

[Charles]

Separating genders is almost as silly as racial segregation.

The lengths people will go to hide their children from the real world is amazing. The same people that endorse single-sex education would probably have you believe that the grading system should be abolished because it could potentially hurt their childrens' feelings.

I see no need in sheltering young people. The purpose of school is to prepare the next generation for the real world. Restricting interaction with the opposite sex is hardly preparation for entering adult life. In fact, it's almost propagating the message that interaction with the opposite sex is taboo or unnatural. If anything, it adds an awkwardness to male-female relationships later on.

By integrating genders early on, you're adding a sense of normality to the everyday intermingling of opposite sexes. And, I think it's important that both genders learn to cooperate on an equal level while they?re young and build on that foundation as they progres through the educational system.

That's where I stand on the issue.

[Harry]

I don't think it matters either way. I had the joy of going to a catholic school during junior high and we still talked to girls outside of school.

[Gentle]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Dagger IX1 [/i]
[B]Gentle: I used to wrestle. Yes, I wrestled boys (and beat most of them, too). None of them tried to do anything inappropriate. So don't discount co-ed sports.... although I am sorry that you've had bad experiences with them.

~Dagger~ [/B][/QUOTE]

Well, it was a bit different. I was playing basketball and it was just with some of my friends. Too many things get happening to the girls.

[Heaven's Cloud]

[color=indigo]Many of the all male or female private high schools in America are steeped in tradition and prestige. Attending one of these schools certainly can open opportunities for students that may not have been otherwise available. For example, I attended Landon, a private all boys school on the out skirts of DC, for a year before moving to North Carolina. The year that I attended the entire top twenty percent of the graduating class was accepted into Ivy League colleges. Although I doubt that all of them attended Ivy League schools it is a shocking figure, especially considering that no one from entire public high school division was accepted into an Ivy League school, although quite a few applied.

Granted, this example has more to do with prestige than lack of members of the opposite gender, but overall, I remember attending Landon and being absorbed in academics. At the public high school I attended I was much more concerned about what the pretty girl in the corner thought of me than my grades and my studies. I think, and this thought is based purely on personal experience, that most adolescent boys would probably learn more in a class that lacks females. At all male schools there are usually plenty of chances to interact with girls, actually it forced me to approach them because there is so much pressure to ask girls to dance or talk at mixed school functions. The little amount of social grace I developed from being forced to converse with women helped me tremendously in coping during high school.[/color]

[Nats]

I know this totally sounds so so so so stupid but I'm going to post this anyway just to annoy everyone. When I took my entrance exam to and all-girls' school I made sure I got a few quetions wrong so I could get a boyfriend more easily.


And on my second day of school I already had a crush! :sweat:

I hate my feelings! :heart:

[Maully]

[color=green]I don't really matters. I think CHarles had it right when he said that separating genders is as silly as raacial segregation. It doesn't make much sense, in my opinion. Having been a girl in a co-ed school, I will tell you that I found the girls much more distracting than the boys, actually. I always got along with the boys fairly well, but I always felt the girls were conspiring something against me. That goes to my own experiences though. I find that there are a lot of other issues that are more "distracting" in schools than those of opposite gender. [/color]

[MissWem]

There are a lot of good points, but from what I see I suppose it only really depends on the person. Some people do better in co-ed schools, other in single-sexed schools.

For me going to an all girls school works for me and I've never had any problems talking to guys, they're just people.

[outlawstar69]

Keep in mind that it's not about segragation, it's about preserving the modesty of girls (and boys too I guess). These are more prominint in other countries that don't have the same "free" society that we do. By free, I mean that they are more closed when it comes to public displays of affection, clothing, etc. So it's not about segration I think.

[Guest PhoenixFlame]

well ya dont always learn something from every day encounters but ussually it does develop social skills better.whether you know you learned something or if it changed your personality.cause every small thing to some extent changes your personality...and the more you do one small thing the more your personality changes...off topic i know...