Posted on 05/31/2011 9:33:26 PM PDT by TheDingoAteMyBaby
TAMPA - In a classroom at Phillip Shore Elementary in Ybor City, 22 girls work together. The 5th graders, share ideas, listen to each others' thoughts and generally get along.
"They've learned how to have relationships with other girls. Instead of that constant competitiveness, they are really a tight knit family," said Angela Nerti, their teacher.
That may not seem like a big deal. But their teacher says in most co-ed classes, girls hold back.
"They lose their focus a lot more because they try to impress the boy in the class instead of just focusing on what we're asking them to do," Nerti said.
Shore Elementary is one of a handful of schools in Hillsborough County that have a few single gender classes. But the district feels they've been so successful, they have even bigger plans for next year. Ferrel Middle School will become an All Girls Academy, and Franklin Middle will become an All Boys Academy.
And John Kirtley loves the idea. So much, he's putting up money.
"I'm here to announce today that I am going to commit, $100,000 of my own funds to the Boys and Girls Academies," he told a group of school board members and media, invited to a press conference at district headquarters.
The money is being matched by the Walton Family Foundation, better known as the Walmart family.
Kirtley is chairman of Florida's Step Up program, which provides scholarships for low income students to attend private schools or public schools out of their zoning.
He says it's crucial to allow parents choice, no matter who's providing it, private or public school.
"We should do everything we can to make sure a low-income parent can find the right school, no matter who runs it," Kirtley said.
Kirtley knows the single gender schools won't be right for every child. But says that's the point of choice. Parents have the option.
"It may not be the best solution for all students. But for some girls and boys, this will be a game changer," he said.
Yeah,
what the world needs is the opinion of brainwashed 5th graders.
On the surface of it it seems fine, but there is one school that may not remain exclusive.
White male.
Girls and boys,blacks and whites would get along better if we focused on respect, instead of cloistering ourselves away in exclusive schools.
Why can they not just say “all girls school”?
We’ve become so clinical in order to appease the unusual while completely neglecting the wholesome. I despise the agenda that aims to disrupt the affinity of natural order.
Hah, a sex change operation at school!
Please. Girls are doing better in education than boys, more females are graduating college with degrees too. Neutered, males are being left behind.
Shira schools?
The problem is the sexual tension at that age often gets in the way of learning respect, especially with the hypersexualized media. Some teens make it through regular high school unscathed, but single-sex should be an option.
I am a product of public school, 1-12, except for 8th. I have never attended a ‘fancy’ or exclusive school. I was blessed to have a four year college education at a state school, which at that time was allowed to be single-sex, all girls. I basically hated school until I reached college. I found it stressful, boring, and tedious. In the all female environment of college I felt I could be myself. I was aggressively academic. And I did not mind voicing my very conservative views among more liberal students. It was also in the day before PC persecution and extermination efforts by liberal professors (at least where I was.)
In the years since, I have mourned the loss of the all female learning environments. I believe it to be one that is less vulnerable to indoctrination than the mixed classroom. There are a host of reasons that, I as a woman, perceive this. But I won’t elaborate now.
Suffice to say, I would like to see the option of single sex education widely available, particularly at the high school and college level.
Mrs. Esopman, who by-the-way, chose home-schooling for three daughters (K-12) before they went on to excell in college.
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