Single Sex Classrooms Essay, Research Paper
Dear Miss King,
Your article introduces us to the new idea of having single sex classrooms as well as single sex schools. This examines the experiment that has been implemented in Mountain View California where they recently opened a middle school for girls. This school is primarily geared towards higher levels of math and science, which in the past have been viewed as male dominant subjects. Taking measures this far is just ridiculous to separate girls from boys. This not only creates an issue for their futures, but is also unnatural and detracts from what could be learned in a coed classroom.
You argue single sex classrooms give girls an added sense of confidence over their male counterparts. If these girls learn at a young age not to accept male’s help or knowledge, they will have a very hard time in the real world. Whether we like to admit it or not, you can never ignore or avoid having to coexist or work as a business partner with the opposite sex. Getting along with the opposite sex and having the ability to negotiate is a learned skill. Certain situations that girls can comfortably avoid in these all girl schools will later have an effect on their adult careers. Guys and girls communicate differently and have different needs therefore girls should have the chance throughout their young life to learn skills that will help them in their later life. If they are surrounded by people that think the same and respond the same to situations, they will not learn more about themselves or how the other half of the world functions.
The system has worked thus far, why change it now? In any given school there will not be one class that says a girl cannot be a part of except male sports for obvious reasons. Others argue that if a girl did want to take classes such as welding or classes deemed as male oriented, she would be discouraged from doing so by peers. Well, if a person cannot get past what others think and always are given things on a silver platter, what does that teach them about life? Nothing. In many of these classes, girls are actually helped by guys and visa versa. Guys have always been challenging girls brains with thinking of things in a different way and girls have always challenged guys brains by making them think of things in a different way. Yes, girls will be more challenged and academically advanced than boys if they are given such hands on experience and a focus in the sciences, but wouldn’t anyone?
In many cases, girls are happier around guys. Sometimes it is easier to get along with guys than girls and taking this away would only cause people to be upset and not as happy. Also, they say that taking guys away from the classroom would help girls not be distracted as much. I’m sorry but if you pull something as natural as a guy away from a girl; you can only be sure that their desire for them will increase. If a girl lets guys distract them that much, they will be real distracted when boys are not present and that is all that consumes the girls thoughts.
In conclusion, I think the only logical answer to single sex schools is to not have them. These schools will only cause unsolicited problems instead of improving the community. If a problem is avoidable, why not take those measures to not have to deal with that particular problem.