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if we shelter our kids til they are 18, we are not preparing them for adulthood- we see this time and time again,,,,sheltered kids go to college, or worse, out in the work force, and they cannot handle adversities-molehills are mountains, and they are overwhelmed and shell-shocked.
the world is co-ed , its best to let kids grow up in a co-ed school...
I don't have any experience with single-gender education, so I can't legitimately compare, as I suspect is the case for many of us. Public education in the U.S. Is overwhelmingly co-educational.
which is better in your opinion? Would you feel differently if your child was a boy or a girl?
Unless you plan on forcing your kids into a cloistered monastery or convent once they get out of school they will encounter the opposite gender at some point. One would be doing them no favors by sheltering them from the rest of the world and installing unneeded fear of half the population in them.
And differently than a boy or a girl? Why would that even matter?
As an ideal single-sex schooling without a doubt. That would be my preference for my daughter or son if he comes along. Based on what I have read both boys and girls do better academically when they are in single sex classrooms. Although I realize there are opposing thoughts in the literature to be clear.
Personally, I am not on board with the public, or private, school system being a social venue that contributes to my children's primary social sexual development with the opposite gender. School should be like the workplace imo. I don't expect my workplace to be a dating pool or even good time with friends for that matter nor would I expect (hope) school to operate like that. Socialization of that nature takes place after school and on the weekends.That was my approach in college (focused on academics and activities related to professional pursuits).
With that said, I don't know if I will be able to afford to send my daughter to a private school. Plus I don't know where and how she will shine. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I went to an all-girls school through 5th grade, and for me it was a disaster.
I got along great with females, but the absence of boys from my classes caused me problems in middle school and high school. For one thing, I grew up in a rural neighborhood with no other children around. Plus, my father was older and so the men I associated with were a bunch of old guys who treated me like their little sidekick. I hung out with a lot of old rednecks. Then add on top of that the fact that my severe undiagnosed ADD caused me to be very socially awkward.
When I transferred to a co-ed middle school, I was a mess. I had no idea how to associate with a mixed group of peers. It was very painful and traumatizing.
It was not until I was in my early 20s and living with my first serious boyfriend that I learned how to really interact in a comfortable way with the opposite sex.
If I had been exposed to male peers in Kindergarten through 5th grade, it might have been a different story. (Interestingly, I was quite the tomboy, and in preschool, most of my friends were boys.) If I did not have a learning disability that affected my social interactions, it might have been a different experience. But overall, I think I really needed that co-ed aspect to my socialization, and the fact that I didn't get it caused me a great deal of misery.
It's the process of learning your society's customs and norms. If you live in a co-ed society, a single-sex education can delay that process.
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