All boys school/I am losing it!

[Anonymous]

Pp, I wouldn't say single sex schools are a deviation from the norm. I grew up on England and it WAS the norm to be educated in a single sex environment. I don't know anyone's age, from England who wasn't.

[Anonymous]

Pp again. I don't want to undermine your experience. However, I would be curious to know why you think your education in an all boys school led to your divorce. If you don't mind sharing of course

[Anonymous]

Plus one

[Anonymous]

My husband went to all boys schools K-12 and then an all male college. He's normal and we have a great marriage with 2 sons. We are now hoping to send our oldest son to an all boys high school next year. I wish we had done it for elementary. In the early grades, the boys are hanging from the ceiling and the girls are sitting there drawing pretty pictures. We were lucky and had a great teacher in k and 1st grade who would say that our son was just like the other boys. Crazy, but fine. However, later, we didn't have teachers as understanding. We even had our son tested for ADHD b/c the teacher was "concerned". She was actually concerned with all of the boys. We had our son tested and he was perfectly fine. The doctor told us the problem was the school, not our son. We changed schools. He's been great ever since.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're right on about those mixers. I would not consider them valuable coed opportunities, rather just big, loud, sometimes wild and pseudosupervised parties that often involve kids from several different upper schools. Coed classes, sports and arts opportunities would be better in that regard, but if that's that important to you, you'd want to inquire how prevalent those opportunities really are. Eg, if your son is not necessarily a track/xc guy or not likely to act in school plays, those coed options aren't going to do much for him. Of course, those are not the boys who could most benefit from working and learning alongside bright girls

10:40 again. How do you know boys not in coed sports or activities are the ones who would most benefit from exposure to working and learning with bright girls? Being bright or wealthy or part of the DC private school "family" crowd doesn't make a girl a lady, attractive, kind or some one a guy would want to date or consider a girlfriend.

One might suggest the opposite at times. On the other hand, one friend removed their daughter from a top top NoVa public school for a private school because there was too much money at the public school.

[Anonymous]

I have no attachment to single sex education, but pp, it sounds like your parents' parenting skills may have impacted you more negatively than the single sex education they provided for you. To have this much sourness toward them 32 years after h.s. graduation?

[Anonymous]

"... She was actually concerned with all of the boys. ..."

We had this same situation with a number of teachers, at the elementary school level, and it is too bad because not all teachers are this way at all. But, when you run into one of these with this kind of outlook, a whole school year can turn into torture for the boy students, and the girl students are inadvertently taught, by observation, some weird concepts about boy behavior.

[Anonymous]

I went to public school. Hated it. Some of my college/law school friends went to all boys prep schools - seems like an intense environment but one that prepares them well for the future (strong bond with classmates, high levels of social confidence). Probably not right for every kid, might have been right for me. Mixers sound fun.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the kid. I went to an all girls school and loved it. My brother went to all boys school and hated it. My husband went to all boys and loved it.

[Anonymous]

We struggled with this, but for our daughter. Utimately we decided that in the real world she'd be interacting with boys so why create an artificial atmosphere for her. It's funny to think about this when our schools are all about inclusion and diversity and how that can shape your outlook. I think having boys and girls around each other is even more important.

[Anonymous]

I am 50 years old and I have vowed never to talk to my parents again for forcing me to ho to an all boys high school. I hope for you sake that you are making the right decision. You don't have to be right when you provide a normal education environment but when you deviate from the norm, you had better be right. Academics are the nearly the same everywhere, but you will be depriving you son of a normal environment during a critical developmental stage of his life. My wife (of 16 years) and I separated a couple of years back and I firmly believe that my education in an all boys school in some way contributed to our separation and my current feeling of hate towards my parents. I would be very careful if I were you. Unless there is some reason to deprive you son of a normal high school experience I would not do it.

Reality check here. By the time your reach 50, you should have learned to take responsibility for your own actions. Blaming your parents for high school smacks of gross immaturity to me.

[Anonymous]

I went to an all-boys high school, my wife went coed. We sent both DS and DD to single-sex schools starting in 6th grade. This timing seemed great, because the hormones are running then and the boy-girl interactions get a little crazy, with some kids pairing off and other feeling left out, and perceived crises all the time. Middle school interactions are nothing like interactions in the adult workplace, so I don't buy the notion that it's necessary to be immersed in all that.

Anyway, there are plenty of extracurricular coed opportunities at a single-sex school. It's just really nice not to have social issues intrude into the classroom. And I think everyone's ability to be himself or herself is part of why people bond so closely at single-sex schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 50 years old and I have vowed never to talk to my parents again for forcing me to ho to an all boys high school. I hope for you sake that you are making the right decision. You don't have to be right when you provide a normal education environment but when you deviate from the norm, you had better be right. Academics are the nearly the same everywhere, but you will be depriving you son of a normal environment during a critical developmental stage of his life. My wife (of 16 years) and I separated a couple of years back and I firmly believe that my education in an all boys school in some way contributed to our separation and my current feeling of hate towards my parents. I would be very careful if I were you. Unless there is some reason to deprive you son of a normal high school experience I would not do it.

My gosh, WHERE did you go to school? Were you abused there?

[Anonymous]

20:58, I'm with you on this.

[Anonymous]

Op here --

Since someone resurrected this old thread, I will add that I decided not to send my DS to an all boys school for now. We will see when he reaches high school.