News Story about separate math classes rubs me wrong way. Bit of a rant.

[gopher101]

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/M...periments-With-All-Boy-Classes-451688663.html

It is not the fact, they are separating the classes. If it helps the kids learn I am all for it.

It the fact they keep saying the girls are distracting the boys. They even laugh like it is some big joke. Like the girls are causing the boys to not succeed. So what is it the girls fault because they are daring to sit in the same room and learn also. With everything coming out about sexual assault, why are we still saying things like this. Why can we not teach the boys to pay attention and not ogle the girls. The girls want to learn just like the boys. It is part of that mind set that help set up bad things like, you cannot say anything, it is your fault just by being a girl/women. It is really grating to me and kind of pisses me off. I know once again it is suppose to be tongue in check.

Does this grate anyone else the wrong way?

 

[sonnyjane]

I went to a unisex high school so I might have a different thought on the subject. I do believe that there are less distractions...in both directions. The problem isn't the separation (sounds like this was done as an expirement and not mandated) but rather in the coverage. Is there an all girl class? Have they seen the same benefits? Boys are just as distracting to girls at that age as the reverse. And "distracting" doesn't mean you're sitting there ogling and not paying attention necessarily. It can be little things like not speaking up because you're afraid of talking in front of a crush, or worrying about how you look that day instead of focusing on academics, etc.

 

[gopher101]

Oh it I not the class rooms I have a problem with. I think if they work, great lets do it.

It was the coverage, all the way. They could have found much better ways to phrase it. Instead it seemed like they just wanted to blame girls for being in the classroom. I don't like the way the reporter covered it, that is what rubbed me the wrong way. Not the actual experiment.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Doesn't "grate" me at all. Even the news anchor started off by saying "It's no secret that boys in middle school can be distracted by girls." So she, a grown adult woman, agreed with the premise.

I didn't see anything that indicated, as you said, "the girls are causing the boys to not succeed."

 

[L&Lfan]

I've always been under the impression that boys and girls do better in school when segregated. Less distraction. I usually hear this argument to justify separate classes, especially in math and sciences, for girls. I was a closeted gay boy when I was in school in the '60s and '70s but I wasn't distracted by anyone. The girls didn't interest me and I didn't dare pay undue attention to the boys.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

.........

 

[dish rag]

I have no problem with it at all. My daughter had all girl classes in middle school and it worked well. The teachers said how the classes went so much better that way.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

I have no problem with it at all. My daughter had all girl classes in middle school and it worked well. The teachers said how the classes went so much better that way.

Same, my high school was all boys, classes were all boys obviously. The only class where we had issues was freshman art. For some reason, my school decided it would be a good idea to hire a smoking hot art teacher who had just graduated.

 

[IAHFTPT]

This should be fun.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm fine with optional separate classes. And I don't think the coverage "blamed" the girls. They interviewed the boys, who seemed to me to be taking responsibility themselves for being distracted before.

But I actually think the classes work for a different reason. Not every boy or every girl fits this pattern, of course, but quite often, boys like to learn competitively and girls like to learn cooperatively. It can be hard in a mixed class to make everybody really comfortable, but I expect this setup lets the teacher specialize things more.

Also, when my son was in middle school, he definitely had an impression that "the girls are the smart ones". This was probably left over from comparing himself to girls who ready for reading and advanced in schoolwork before he was way back in elementary school. If he'd been in this class, he might have gotten past that more quickly.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Well, if you looks at school dress codes, there's definitely an element of girls clothing being distracting to boys. Because it's all the girls' fault, doncha know. I have no problem with classes separated by gender, so long as the same material is covered.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

The only issue I have is have is how the reasoning is presented. Yes middle schoolers are very distractable. But sometimes when I see things laid out this way it sounds like they’re saying “boys can’t be responsible for their own behavior so let’s just separate them/enforce a strict dress code etc....”

So OP, I agree. The story itself runs me the wrong way, but not necessarily the content... if that makes sense.

 

[ronandannette]

Hip hip hooray for separate boy/girl classes. Probably more productive for everybody IMO. Unless things have radically changed in the few years since my DS was in jr. high (or kids here are very different than kids there) the girls were almost always more interested in the boys than the boys were in them at that age. Adolescent girls can be loud, shrill, flamboyant and very prone to attention seeking.

Although I never sat in on a math class, I was in the school setting quite a bit and observed teachers and supervisors frequently have to "deal with" one or more girls I order to keep things on track. Assuming all girls are paragons of scholarly diligence in a classroom and boys lack of focus can only be due to their nefarious instincts is biased and wrong.

 

[mjkacmom]

As a mom of 3 girls and 2 boys, including b/g twins, this is off the mark. Middle school girls are way more distracted by boys than the other way around. Why are t they reporting back on the girls’ math scores?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I can't decide how to feel about this. Does having single-sex classes help deal with problems regarding unconscious sexism in the classroom? Or would it make it worse?

I also don't like the fact that they are focusing on the boys, who traditionally do better in math and science to begin with. How are the scores in the girls classes? Did the boys scores go up from last year, individually? Because you just can't compare one class to another. You compare each student to that student's scores from the previous year.

Notice they are separating the students for all core classes, not just math.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Well, if you looks at school dress codes, there's definitely an element of girls clothing being distracting to boys. Because it's all the girls' fault, doncha know. I have no problem with classes separated by gender, so long as the same material is covered.

Heck some of what the girls wear distracts me and I'm not a teenage boy. I don't think it's the girls fault at all. They just have great bodies and look good in what they wear (I'm talking HS here), especially if it's leggings and a form fitted shirt. It's going to get attention but that doesn't make it wrong in what she is wearing.

 

[gopher101]

The only issue I have is have is how the reasoning is presented. Yes middle schoolers are very distractable. But sometimes when I see things laid out this way it sounds like they’re saying “boys can’t be responsible for their own behavior so let’s just separate them/enforce a strict dress code etc....”

So OP, I agree. The story itself runs me the wrong way, but not necessarily the content... if that makes sense.

It's the layout of the story for me also. It's the classes themselves I am actually all for

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I'm all for it. I've read studies that state the kids do better when separated by sex. My ex SIL went to an all girls catholic high school for 10-12 grades. She liked the experience much better for many reasons.

I think both sexes get distracted. It's not just a boy or girl issue.

 

[monsterkitty]

There have been studies that show middle and high school girls do better in math and science when boys are not in the class. Why? Because they don't want the boys to think they're smart. The girls are afraid that boys don't want to date smart girls. There were more than a few schools around the country that tried separate classes so the girls would be more comfortable asking and answering questions.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Well, if you looks at school dress codes, there's definitely an element of girls clothing being distracting to boys. Because it's all the girls' fault, doncha know. I have no problem with classes separated by gender, so long as the same material is covered.

I mentioned the dress code thing to DS on the way to school this morning. He seemed to feel the boys would be held to the same "no short-shorts, no tank tops" rules in his school as the girls, but the boys simply haven't challenged it to find out.