Gender separation splits AHS

October 17, 2011
Filed under Academics

Students in their Arabic class choose voluntarily to sit at opposite sides of the classroom based on their gender.

According to the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, about 500 schools nationwide offer single-sex classes. Even in AHS, students sit separately based on gender in some of the Arabic classes. As more studies and reports detailing the advantages and disadvantages of single-sex education are published, the debate over whether this method of education is effective becomes more heated.

This raises the question: should AHS adopt single-sex education?

“No way” senior Justine Niner said.

“Yes and no. I think it would be more effective at the lower levels like elementary school and middle school,” counselor Carrie Schaefer said. “But at the high school level, we are trying to treat you like the adults you are becoming and because of that, I don’t know how successful single-sex education would be here at AHS.”

Ola Layaly, the Arabic teacher at AHS, does not forcibly separate her students based on gender, but she has classes in which the students decide to sit separately.

Based on Layaly’s experience with both types of classes, she prefers the mixed classes because “that way [the students] don’t talk as much,” Layaly continued, “As a matter of fact, I want them to sit boy-girl, boy-girl. Girls, when they get together they tend to talk outside the class work. They tend to chit-chat about makeup and plans for the weekend and boys, oh yes, the same thing.”

Ola believes that single sex classrooms will not help in preparing student for the future.

“I want my girls to feel comfortable talking to boys because in the outside world people are not separated by gender,” Layaly said. “That is my whole philosophy to get my students prepared for the outside world.”

Some students present similar arguments, pointing out that single-sex education would not prepare students for what lies ahead after high school.

“Single-sex education would make us ignorant about anything that doesn’t correspond with our gender,” senior Kayla Meadows said.

“It would make future interactions between boys and girls uncomfortable,” senior Jessica Hotter said.

Many students also believe single-sex education would not be to the benefit of AHS students.

“Being without diversity limits our ability to learn,” freshman Jack Curtin said.

“I do not think it would be good because looking at girls gives me motivation for the school day,” junior Brody El-Achi said.

Although many AHS students would prefer classes to remain in the same format, there are some arguments that highlight the possible benefits of single-sex education.

“It could give students more confidence to participate and ask questions without having to worry about being embarrassed in front of the other sex,” senior Abdul Fares said.

“While I do not necessarily agree with it, in a single-sex education environment, it would be easier for students to focus on their academics rather than paying attention to the cute boy or girl they’re interested in,” junior Laura Hackfeld said.

“With single-sex education, students would be more focused on their schoolwork rather than the distractions that the opposite sex gives off,” senior Andy Tran said.

“It would be a good idea because people wouldn’t always have to be worrying about what they are wearing or how they look because they don’t have to impress anyone,” sophomore Erica Johnson said.It is evident by looking at these differing opinions that this issue is not likely to be solved or decided on easily. Single-sex education is becoming the trend lately among many schools nationwide with varying results, so don’t be surprised if the debate grows about whether AHS should change to this format.