I'm so glad you wrote about our call. It was very enlightening for me. I had no idea that this was such a big issue.

Sarah, I'm so glad you wrote in, it was a little difficult to get everyone's contact info on the call so I didn't remember Good Squad. I've added the link now though.

I had read that a few schools were doing it, but wasn't sure how many or how people would respond.

The whole thing just makes me nervous. I can completely see the upside of single sex schools (or classrooms) but I fear that the gender stereotypes could overwhelm the curriculum.

I've been thinking about the call and how there were so many intelligent, well-educated women on that conference call and how we were all taught in mixed gender classrooms. It seems to have worked in the past.

I think al girl or all boy private schools are fine if that is what the family has chosen. It is the idea of mandatory public schools doing this that makes me ill at ease.

I'm curious to know if the methods were different in the two math classes. In the Kentucky case, the girls' math class whizzed by the boys' - it could be that the "girl" method of teaching math is be more effective.

In which case - would/did the boys respond differently?

The interesting part, for me, is not "can they abuse gender segregation and hold a gender back?" Duh, of course they can. Someone can abuse any situation there is. Period.

But, maybe the gender experiments are telling us stuff about teaching methods. Maybe the way they teach math is TIRED - for everyone.

Maybe it's not just boys who need to get up and move and will learn better that way - maybe it's everyone.

News flash - the girls may be willing to sit still for longer because they're highly trained through generations of passivity - but it's not FUN for them either.

I think there are gender issues to explore in education.

I want to know more.

I'm so glad you wrote about our call. It was very enlightening for me. I had no idea that this was such a big issue.

Sarah, I'm so glad you wrote in, it was a little difficult to get everyone's contact info on the call so I didn't remember Good Squad. I've added the link now though.

I had read that a few schools were doing it, but wasn't sure how many or how people would respond.

The whole thing just makes me nervous. I can completely see the upside of single sex schools (or classrooms) but I fear that the gender stereotypes could overwhelm the curriculum.

I've been thinking about the call and how there were so many intelligent, well-educated women on that conference call and how we were all taught in mixed gender classrooms. It seems to have worked in the past.

I think al girl or all boy private schools are fine if that is what the family has chosen. It is the idea of mandatory public schools doing this that makes me ill at ease.

I'm curious to know if the methods were different in the two math classes. In the Kentucky case, the girls' math class whizzed by the boys' - it could be that the "girl" method of teaching math is be more effective.

In which case - would/did the boys respond differently?

The interesting part, for me, is not "can they abuse gender segregation and hold a gender back?" Duh, of course they can. Someone can abuse any situation there is. Period.

But, maybe the gender experiments are telling us stuff about teaching methods. Maybe the way they teach math is TIRED - for everyone.

Maybe it's not just boys who need to get up and move and will learn better that way - maybe it's everyone.

News flash - the girls may be willing to sit still for longer because they're highly trained through generations of passivity - but it's not FUN for them either.

I think there are gender issues to explore in education.

I want to know more.