by Heather Bothe

Created on: May 20, 2008

From a personal standpoint and comfort level, being a student in a learning environment with all women was the perfect milieu to foster exceptional learning. Girls are nurturing and forgiving of each other's vulnerabilities when they are taught the proper etiquette and respect for self, staff, and all others. I can attest to the fact that single-sex education works from my experience attending an all girls' school for four years. We at the school then socialized with all boys' schools for a good balance in our overall education.

We women were fiercely competitive without being overbearing or rude. When boys and girls are thrust together in the delicate atmosphere of trying to grasp a concept, master a skill, or be authentic, something suffers. The one thing that goes by the wayside when attending a single-sex school is self-consciousness. When everyone is basically the same, dressed the same, on the same intellectual playing field, and focused on learning and studying, something wonderful happens. Cohesiveness is a byproduct of the assembled group.

Granted a single-sex educational atmosphere is a cloistered environment that is not repeated in the world. However, that said, why does one need disruption and discomfort in the learning environment? What purpose does it serve to know that strife is present? It is preferable to gain strengths in an atmosphere that encourages solid skills and risk taking among fellows one trusts than to sit like a shrinking violet in a classroom full of students that are not on the same page due to biology. Students are better equipped to face the challenges in the world if they have a solid base from which to operate. When one knows better one does better. Training is everything. When individuals have the proper tools then they can apply them to any situation. That is what education is. It is preparation.

The days of single-sex schooling are a memory for the most part albeit a heartwarming one. There is something inherently honorable when an individual learns to stand when an adult enters a room, uses impeccable manners, respects herself before he or she learns to respect others, and applies stringent rules of conduct across the board. What transpires is a community of positive individuals who will then go out and duplicate the lessons learned in the productive environment that nurtured him or her. Single-sex education is a culture of its own and produces gems that may not otherwise be discovered in a public setting, but the culture is that of excellence and social conscience. That is difficult to beat given the climate in the world today.

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