Same Gender Classrooms

I would love to try same gender classes! I think that they will get enough social interaction with the other gender in other areas of their lives and as they get older. Please let us know how you like the class.

First of all 5th grade is one of the most important grades. It is the year they also learn organization, and study habits. The girls tend to pick these ideas up much quicker than the boys and tend to get more advanced than them and get farther ahead.
Socially, in 6th grade, Junior Assembly is an extracaricular that mixes the boys and girls in learning how to dance together (it is so cute with the girls in white gloves and boys in ties).
Somehow, starting in 5th grade, boys and girls are boyfriends and girlfriends. Not in the sense as we know it, titles only. No one actually goes out together or anything. and then there is the phone calls...teepeeing...
It doesn't matter that the class has only one gender in it, they find each other. Through friends, sports, and siblings.
You can't go wrong in an all girls' class for 5th grade.

My first year of high school was spent in an all girls school. At that age, you WANT the distraction of boys! So I didn't love it b/c of that. But I realized the next year, when my school closed and we joined with our brother school, the positive aspects. I cannot tell you how much more open, willing to try, relaxed and how much more "themselves" the girls were without the boys around! This month's Mothering Magazine has an article on raising strong girls and it points out that girls are often unwilling to answer incorrectly. They are too afraid to try unless they have the correct answer, which means they're not really trying. They are too afraid to be wrong. This starts in jr high and carries through. I think it would be a great experience and confidence booster, esp. in the areas of math and science.

Sorry, the social development argument just holds no merit with me, so I'm not sure how to respond. Unless you keep her locked in a closet, she'll get plenty of socializing. And, honestly, I wouldn't want my girls learning from boys that age!

Go for it! It's wonderful! What an opportunity! She's not been nor will she be completely isolated from boys in the world. I think it's an excellent option. People often say homeschooled kids have no social skills yet they are some of the most polite, well-behaved kids...your daughter being with other girls the rest of the day is going to be a positive experience.

I went to an all girls school for years and loved it. There were less boy hijinks and we were allowed to focus more on our studies. That being said, girls did take over the role of being a class clown and acting up, but it almost added a level of confidence that girls don't usually have. We interacted with the all boy school down the street and were able to get our boy fill that way. I would do it again in a heartbeat and if it is something your daughter is willing to try, you should. She will gain so many benefits and love it.

It has been proven that same gender classrooms are beneficial. Your daughter will have plenty of other opportunity to learn how to work things out. Your daughters self esteem is a hugh issue in developement right now. When the boys are around it adds more competition and challenge for the girls. It takes away the need to impress the boys with make up, clothes, hair, etc and allows them to focus on school. It takes added pressure off of each other to be a certain way. Your daughter will naturally move through social developement. I believe she will me a more whole young adult. She can figure out who she is and where she belongs without the pressure of boys. If I were you I'd be grateful and not think twice. Good luck, and hold on for the ride.

E., Just a few thoughts from a mom who went to regular public school but was very active in Girl Scouts. I was willing to try anything in scouts but found that when I got to college in a co-ed enviorment and was asked to try adventure sports (my major) that I was much more apprahensive. This where activites that I had tryed or could have with scouts. I think that gender specific classes are a dream come true. I hope you get to see your daughter build self-confidence and independance next year. Good luck.

I read the book, "Raising Boys" by Stephen Bidulph and he recommended same gender classrooms for many of the reasons listed in the other responses, especially the fact that boys and girls generally learn at different paces and in a different manner. The book dedicates a whole chapter to education, but it's geared towards raising boys, obviously. Anyways, he's an advocate of same-gender classrooms for both genders.

E., I think it's wonderful! Who needs the distraction at that age. There is plenty of time for the kids to "learn to interact with the opposite sex". May I ask which school your daughter attends?
S.

I think this is a wonderful opportunity for your daughter, especially since this is something she wants. I remember 5th & 6th grade being the hardest socially, and focusing even less on my schooling because of all the “changes” everyone is going through. This is a great age to remove those distractions as much as possible. Let’s wait until the boys catch up a bit before we bring them back into the classroom, they will never be out of the picture entirely.
I agree with Tania, that it is your husband, not other boys that will influence her opinion of them, and teach her how she should be treated. How he treats you, and the attention he gives her will be what influences her relationships with boys.

In high school I had one girl only class (it was a fluke only girls signed up for it the first year.) It was the greatest class ever. all the girls were relaxed & open. We supported each other & help fuel one another's learning. The next year boys joined the class and it was not any fun the atmosphere changed girls didn't want to look dumb or weird so we really did nothing. It was sad. I would recommend if your daughter wants to go for it then let her. She will still be able to socialise with boys else where like it should be not in the class room.

I have 3 girls, and although non of them have been in same gender classrooms, I have had friends with kids who did. The only negative feedback I've heard is that in the girls classrooms, there seems to be heightened drama and cattyness. My oldest is in fifth grade this year, and I'll tell you the girls can be VICIOUS!!! I think having boys around helps break up the cliques and gossip. My daughter's best friend is a boy and she'd be crushed if she was in a class without him!

Just wanted to say that the one girls-only class that I took in school was one of the most incredibly fun and liberating classes of my entire education. It's got all the blessings of friendship and social interaction without all the tension and competition of mixed-gender classes. If I could find it, I would totally put my kiddos in same-gender classes. They are wonderful!!

My husband went to an all boy school his entire life, and he wouldn't change it for the world. He turned out GREAT! A little shy when we first met in college, but still a terrific guy!

That's a tough one because I can see valid arguments for both sides. I have two boys (not school-age yet) and I've always heard that they tend to learn at a slower pace and have a harder time focusing than girls. For that reason, I can see why separating the sexes for the learning experience could be helpful for both. The girls can learn at a pace that is appropriate for them while the boys might need a few more breaks during a lesson etc.

I do see your husband's point about the social aspect. Is there going to be any interaction with the boys at all? Maybe for recess, assemblies, PE, lunchtime? I think it's important for boys and girls to learn how to get along and depriving them of that experience could possibly be detrimental. If the situation permits, maybe you could have your daughter try out the new, separated approach and see how it goes. If you don't feel it's going well, maybe she can go back to a standard setting.

Forgive me, E.. This is not directed at you - or any other person in particular.

Oh, good grief - how absurd! Don't even our youngest kids have to deal with enough cliques and gender biases? ("You can't talk to him/her; he/she has cooties!") My three kiddos are homeschooled and have tons of social opportunities. And I love that they're not just thrown into a classroom with the same type of people (only girls, only boys, only children with the same year of birth) all day, every day. They love to talk with people of all types, ages, genders, styles of clothing, social class, etc. and they're good at it. So many strangers tell me what great little conversationalists I have (although I admit that's not always a smileable thing...lol) and how well-mannered they are. I think it'd be a shame if they were pressured to be less friendly and more isolated than is in their nature.

Besides that, are there same-gender swimming pools or same-gender colleges or workplaces? (Generally speaking, I mean.) Let's not sacrifice our kids' natural socialization experiences for temporary behavioral convenience.

I had never heard of this schooling option before, and I wish the pleasure had been indefinitely postponed.

I'd choose it for my daughter! I've read a number of studies on this and the general consensus is that same-gender classes are great for girls, not so great for boys. The studies suggest that girls will be more outgoing and participatory without boys as a distraction and without worrying about what boys might think if their ideas.

The same studies seem to still have questions about boys - it seems they do well in same-gender classes because they do learn differently, but that being in an all-boys school long-term does have the potential for boys not learning to work well with females and not seeing females as peers and colleagues. Boys seem to get more benefit from coed classes whereas girls benefit from all-girl classes.

I think it's great to have the option of some same-gender classes without having the draw-backs of all girls or all boys schools.

I WENT TO ALL GIRLS' SCHOOL UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL.....I THINK IT WORKS OUT VERT WELL, NO DISTRACTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM DUE TO BUDDING PUBERTY ISSUES (!!!!) FOR ONE. tHE AVERAGE KID HAS PLENTY OF INTERACTIONS WITH OPPOSITE GENDER KIDS AT HOME, SOCIALLY, SPORTS, RECESS, ETC, INCLUDING AT CHURCH AND THE MALL. BELIEVE ME THE KIDS WILL GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SEEK ONE ANOTHER OUT. GO GIRLS' CLASSES!!!!! AND BOYS TOO OF COURSE! K. RN

Where do you find a school like that? I am interested in learning more about it. We are in Gilbert- do they have any high schools like that that you know of?
Toni in Gilbert

There is so much attention given to social development during these years. With the distraction of boys aside and all the endless things girls do to impress them, girls can truly concentrate on learning. I have found the strongest females I know went to all girl schools. A few classes? It could only be a bonus.