Single-Sex Education

My position is that there should be a heavy emphasis [updated position below] on single-sex education within a coeducational structure. There is so much to be learned by simply interacting with students who are different, and there are huge differences between males and females. I also agree with the argument that coeducation can prepare heterosexual couples for future marriage. All of this being said, I do think it would be very difficult to have single-sex classes within a coeducational institution. There are obvious subjects, like health class, that could be made much more beneficial if taught to each gender separately, but I remember learning a lot from a guy friend by simply seeing his facial expressions (shock, horror) when we learned about the birds and the bees for the first time in the sixth grade.

            Therefore, I believe that some classes, like health, need a mix of coeducation and single-sex education (I know, that would require a lot of resources and careful management of the children’s time) and that other classes should be single-sex or coeducational as a rule. Picking those classes would have to be at the discretion of whoever makes the curriculum. I, for one, would probably make math and science classes single-sex and toggle between each way for courses like history and English. I think foreign language students would benefit most from mixed classes. I very much agree with the argument for single-sex education, but I believe the social benefits of coeducation is too great to ignore in a structure as social as school.

            I think that the argument that gender specific schooling is similar to segregation is one that cannot be ignored in a politically correct environment. Why should one child be treated differently in a classroom because of a different racial history? But where do you draw the line? Should children that require special education be forced into normal classes because they should not be treated differently? And now should all children be taught together because gender should not play a role in learning? I believe children should not be taught differently because of race but that educational styles can vary wildly from child to child and that separating the genders is one way to create a learning environment that encourages each child to learn in the best possible way.


Updated position: I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up mixing all classes (or at least a large majority of them) because it will be complicated to separate the students. Maybe they should be split some at the lower levels instead? I think high school especially should be about discussion and responding to different opinions, so mixing boys and girls would be a positive thing.