Single Gender Schools: a Better Learning Environment?

For years, educators have searched for better and more effective ways of teaching. Their efforts have resulted in the specialization of instruction according to the specific needs of different students. Therefore, we have seen specific classes for dyslexic children, special instruction for visual learners, teaching methods targeted at non-native English speakers, etc. At a more basic level, however, the separation of our educational efforts by gender has proven to be controversial at best. I believe that grouping young students according to sex provides a better learning environment and is more conducive to group cohesiveness.

In fact, every student ought to have the opportunity to enroll in a single-gender school.

First and foremost, there seems to be less distraction while learning in a single-gender environment. We currently notice that many junior high school and high school adolescents choose their outfits because they want the opposite sex to notice them. Daily, we see talk shows featuring teenagers explaining that they dress the way they do to be noticed and admired. They focus on aspects that have nothing to do with school, while at school. A majority of students "dress to impress". They do this in order to be popular, an aspect irrelevant in a learning environment. Students seem to be at school to socialize with the opposite gender. In a single-gender school, dress attire seems to be unimportant because there is no one to impress. Students think that since the opposite sex is present, it is the perfect time to form romantic relationships and go on dates, an impossibility in single-gender schooling. Single-gender schools allow students to focus more on the task at hand, which is learning.

When playing on any sports team, the team must form cohesiveness to function as a whole. Attending a single-gender school promotes this cohesiveness. All members work together fostering a sibling-like bond. Students in a single-sex school during young adulthood learn to trust each other and cooperate instead of compete. They seek to aid each other in any way possible. There is no competitiveness to outshine the other for the opposite sex's attention. Being at a single-gender school does not neglect socialization, but it becomes less common, thus leaving social activities where they belong: outside of school. Bonding in a similar environment establishes the foundation for long-lasting friendships because students experience trials and tribulations together during their formative years. These experiences act as a bonding factor, making schoolmates feel like family. Studies have shown that a common "enemy" also serves as a bonding factor. In this case, the school itself is the "enemy," making it easier to talk about school-related situations as everyone is experiencing the same challenges. The pressure attending school brings is significantly eased when one can speak to a friend who is more like a sister or brother about their problems.

It is common in this day and age to be in a support group. People are in support groups because they need someone to talk to. There are support groups for many aspects of life. These include women's support groups, alcohol deterrence support groups, and abuse support groups, to name a few. The people who join these support groups have something in common with each other. I believe that a person is in a similar situation when they are in a single-sex school where everyone is the same gender and roughly the same age. The support comes from friends who like to talk about the opposite sex and who are in the same class as you, struggling to understand what is going to be on the test. Through talking with schoolmates, a person realizes they have many aspects in common and can discuss difficult situations with a friend when in doubt. Peer counseling allows for guidance when an underclassman speaks with an upperclassman. The upperclassman thus offers guidance through times of uncertainty and difficulty because they have been through the same situations. Just like families work things out, same-sex schooling has the tendency to do the same.

I am an alumnus of St. Augustine Catholic High School, the only Catholic all boys high school in San Diego County. I was fortunate enough to have gone and experienced what I thought was a first-rate learning and brotherhood experience. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to attend summer school at a public co-ed school and note the differences between the two. Unequivocally, I can say that the learning environment was much better for me. My classmates, with whom I was able to form strong friendships, would also support my belief.

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