Single-sex schools benefit education in both girls and boys. There has been a controversy between whether or not both genders should be in the same classroom and if single-sex institutions are beneficial. In my opinion, I find that single-sex establishments can have a positive effect on both students’ social and educational highs. Co-educational classrooms are found to have flaws: both genders distract the other from achieving their education; the scientific fact that boys and girls develop at different times and speeds and in some cases, that teachers can favour their own gender. Another point of controversy is that children need to be exposed to the opposite sex in preparation for later life which has been proven not to be the case. Both genders have a diversity that needs to be appreciated and has to be able to grow in circumstances where they are around people with the same liking.
Firstly, in high schools and higher education there has been a clear divide in social standing of boys and girls. In adolescence when their hormones are at their peak, both genders tend to distract the other from their education. As peer pressure can lead to an array of bad choices, class bullying and competition of the sexes has reached an all-time high. For example in my school, presently there is a running rivalry about preliminary results. This has led to people feeling disheartened when someone depicts them as being “stupid”. Although some teachers find the competition between the sexes valuable, it in fact is unhealthy for the recipients and only adds to the unhappiness and worry among frailer students. A single-sex atmosphere is therefore a space where teenagers can learn without feeling hassled by the opposite gender.
In addition, it has been proven scientifically that boys and girls develop at different stages of their lives. Co-educational schools have attempted to create equality in the teaching of genders. In both sexes, they both advance in separate points of their childhood. It is said that girls mature more quickly in emotional control, physicality and in their ability to grasp things immediately. However, boys mature in a slower fashion until after puberty where their intelligence is more noticeable along with their physical attributes. ‘The Christian Science Monitor’ acknowledges that “They do not develop in the same way or at the same time. For example, most parents who have them know boys develop more slowly in everything from vocabulary to penmanship, even the simple ability to sit still”. This knowledge has been overlooked and that is when you see a decline in either genders performance. Hence, if they were taught in a school, where teachers know this information, then the curriculum could be tailored to suit the needs of either gender.
Furthermore, it has recently been proved that teachers in co-educational classes frequently favour their own gender. For example, males can dent the progress and confidence of females by refusing to choose them to answer questions or demonstrate in class. A prime example in co-educational schools, including my own, is the refusal of choosing girls in PE demonstrations. Male teachers choose their own gender instead of picking two females to exhibit a certain move in a sport. As I have said, girls mature physically faster than boys and not all sports are about brute strength, so why not pick girls? As a result, girls tend to fall behind their male equivalents. If they were situated in a single-sex class, then they would have no choice but to call upon the gender present which would not decrease the stamina and self-confidence of pupils.
One argument that I disagree on is that children attending schools need to be exposed to the opposite sex for later life. This is quite inaccurate as when they are at a tender age, they should be around those they are comfortable with which might not necessarily be the opposite sex. Between the ages of seven and fifteen, you tend to settle towards your own gender socially and in classrooms. This action is completely natural and should be fortified and is easily done in single-sex institutions. Attending a single-sex school does not isolate you from the opposite sex as you will have experiences with them outside of school and occasionally through family and friends. Additionally, teaching subjects at the best level in single-sex classrooms are often preferred as topics can arise such as morality, gender issues and possibly sex education which could silence pupils of their opinions.
Influences of single-sex schools have grown in the last few years. Young-adult novelists, like Ally Carter and Louise Rennison, have created a setting where the protagonist attends an “all-girls” or “all-boys” school. Avid readers are intrigued about enrolling in said schools and then do research which shows that they are beneficial. There are so many positive aspects of these schools: like higher self-esteem; having more confidence in abilities; having a teacher who knows your genders strengths and how their minds work at each stage of development. I think that being present at a school where only your gender are your classmates would put you at an advantage as it would allow you to branch out of your comfort zones without the scrutiny you often receive from the opposite sex.