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Section One - Summary The best thing in life is having a choice to do whatever you please. In the essay, "Another Kind of School Choice," Susan Tarves argues two different aspects of single sex education, and what choices one should make. Single sex education has both positive and negative effects on its students. Single sex education offers different approaches to teaching students. For instance, a female school offers teaching methods that are specific to the female sex. In coed schools, teachers tend to call on boys and activate boys in class more than girls. Girls are shy and are reluctant to answer questions in class. Women are also reluctant to pursue careers in science, management, and economics. Single sex schooling offers a comfortable, less embarrassing atmosphere. When females participate more in class, the students don’t have to worry about impressing the opposite gender and can focus on his or her studies with out distraction or interruption (Tarves 40). Some argue that single-gender schools protect students from the real world. The schools isolating students in a way causes social disservice to students. For instance, they (the children) have a tough time interacting with members of the opposite sex. This poses a problem because it hinders development of life long skills that need to be gender diversity developed (Tarves 43). Section Two- Three Points Single gender education provides a more enhanced learning atmosphere for its students by offering a variety of gender specific learning techniques. Because girls learn differently than boys, the result of gender specific learning techniques is higher academic performance. It allows the students to obtain higher self-esteem both socially and intellectually. It also allows for more faculty interaction and verbal aggressiveness. (Tarves 40) They also gain the higher academic degrees then in single-self education. Higher academic degrees such as focusing more on studies and achieving better grades, participating in honors programs and pursuing careers in business, law, or college teaching. Also, curricular variety is optimized. For example: quality of instruction, friendships, and faculty relations are all enhanced. (Tarves 41) All in all, this leads to higher academic performance among students. Teenagers go through a phase of increasing gain of interest in members of the opposite sex. Also, teenagers constantly strive to be accepted by their peers. Attending a single sex school makes things more comfortable for adolescence because it steers clear of the any peer pressure (Tarves 42). Some argue that single-sex schools pose some problems for its students. It prevents students from the "real world." Students are unsure and uneasy on how to interact with members of the opposite sex. Also, single sex schooled students find it hard to relate to students of the opposite sex too (Tarves 43). Section Three- One Quotation Susan Tarves concludes her essay by writing "In the end, a decision about which kind of school is best perhaps depends on the individual child. (Tarves 44)" This saying offers options of all schooling choices to be considered and infers that there should not be one answer. There are many answers because every child is different in every way and every child learns in his or her own fashion. Therefore, every schooling choice depends on the individual child. |