http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/tbozick/6840 An article in the New York Times Magazine, "Teaching Boys and Girls Separately," discusses a new trend of all-girl and all-boy classrooms in public schools. Theorist and author Leonard Sax convinces parents that single-sex education is the way to go, based on differences in biology of the sexes. He adjusts wall colors and volume of teaching according to gender. He assumes boys love action while girls love color and nuance. He holds up Foley Intermediate, a school in Foley, Ala., as a great example of success. The article describes how the boys' teacher reads Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet" while the girls sing "Always Sisters" and experiment with how oil and water don't mix, much like the grease floats on top of the water when doing dishes. The author of the article explores the problems of teaching based on gender and how segregation may develop into unequal teaching. She ends on the discussion that co-ed education helps develop a sense of tolerance and community -- essentially, social skills. For me personally, I loved reading the "Hatchet" in elementary school and I would have hated to miss that because my gender says I like something different. Sure, experiment with teaching styles. Single-sex education has worked for many in private schools. But I'm a little afraid of a gender-based curriculum. What are your thoughts? An article in the New York Times Magazine, "Teaching Boys and Girls Separately," discusses a new trend of all-girl and all-boy classrooms in public schools. Theorist and author Leonard Sax convinces parents that single-sex education is the way to go, based on differences in biology of the sexes. He adjusts wall colors and volume of teaching according to gender. He assumes boys love action while girls love color and nuance. He holds up Foley Intermediate, a school in Foley, Ala., as a great example of success. The article describes how the boys' teacher reads Gary Paulsen's "Hatchet" while the girls sing "Always Sisters" and experiment with how oil and water don't mix, much like the grease floats on top of the water when doing dishes. The author of the article explores the problems of teaching based on gender and how segregation may develop into unequal teaching. She ends on the discussion that co-ed education helps develop a sense of tolerance and community -- essentially, social skills. For me personally, I loved reading the "Hatchet" in elementary school and I would have hated to miss that because my gender says I like something different. Sure, experiment with teaching styles. Single-sex education has worked for many in private schools. But I'm a little afraid of a gender-based curriculum. What are your thoughts? en-us Every time we make strides in equalizing the playing field, some idiot comes along with a plan for shooting that progress in the foot. There are distinct advantages to separate sex education, but it centers around distinctions other than curriculum. The pressure of peer reviews, especially across the sexes, is extensive in school. I believe I read that the Atlanta schools want to try this for the advantages of different learning trends. Boys are acting out for the girls attention; girls are afraid to appear too smart; girls are thought to learn at a quicker pace than boys, but this may not necessarily be true if the sex factor is removed. You are quite correct, however, in the curriculum distinction. Since it is generally believed boys are better at math than girls, do girls stop at long division math and boys go on to algebra and calculus? Boys get the science classes; girls get home ec? Boys get sports and girls get cheer leading? Girls get English Literature; boys get Remedial Reading? That is just silly. I agree with you. I'd rather read a supermarket tabloid than a Harlequin Romance. Neither inspires me. Robinson Crusoe was much more exciting than Little Women. You could not be righter, Tara.   http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/tbozick/6840/#c_40909 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/tbozick/6840/#c_40909 Every time we make strides in equalizing the playing field, some idiot comes along with a plan for shooting that progress in the foot. There are distinct advantages to separate sex education, but it centers around distinctions other than curriculum. The pressure of peer reviews, especially across the sexes, is extensive in school. I believe I read that the Atlanta schools want to try this for the advantages of different learning trends. Boys are acting out for the girls attention; girls are afraid to appear too smart; girls are thought to learn at a quicker pace than boys, but this may not necessarily be true if the sex factor is removed. You are quite correct, however, in the curriculum distinction. Since it is generally believed boys are better at math than girls, do girls stop at long division math and boys go on to algebra and calculus? Boys get the science classes; girls get home ec? Boys get sports and girls get cheer leading? Girls get English Literature; boys get Remedial Reading? That is just silly. I agree with you. I'd rather read a supermarket tabloid than a Harlequin Romance. Neither inspires me. Robinson Crusoe was much more exciting than Little Women. You could not be righter, Tara.   The problem with same-sex public education is that it isn't even an option.  http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/tbozick/6840/#c_41004 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/tbozick/6840/#c_41004 The problem with same-sex public education is that it isn't even an option.