Coeducation versus Single Sex Education
Single-sex girls’ schools give girls a chance to really flourish without having to compete with boys, and without boys taking charge of an area, or ‘breathing up the oxygen’ in the activity. It is not that the boys mean any harm. One might equally say that single-sex boys’ schools give boys a chance to flourish without having to compete with girls. And flourish they do.
Single-sex schools where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.
After church on Sunday, I watched one of our granddaughters playing with a group of boys. They were bouncing a hard rubber ball against a wall and diving and jumping about trying to catch it before it hit the ground.
The boys were all ‘in the zone’, competing in fun and laughter, but with a high level of competitiveness to catch the ball. Our granddaughter is very nimble and quick. She doesn’t lack in physical agility. And yet, she couldn’t compete with the boys in the ball-catching stakes. They were stronger and faster than the bouncing ball.
I watched her try to compete on their terms.
Then I saw her switch. She is quite articulate. She started to use words to try to alter the game so that she had a better chance. Her secret superpower, she thought, was language. But it didn’t work.
The boys just kept playing! They were not rude. They were not aggressive. They just ignored her pleas. They were ‘in the zone’ and she was ‘on the periphery’.
I thought of two things. This isn’t great for the boys because they need to learn to listen to girls. And I thought that it wasn’t great for our granddaughter, who ultimately said the words: ‘This isn’t fair’ and left the game.
What would it have been like if she was playing with girls?
I go to sports at PLC Sydney most Saturdays. I see girls loving their sport, and competing on their own terms. They become very good at their sports.
The same is true across the College activities. Single-sex girls’ schools give girls a chance to really flourish without having to compete with boys, and without boys taking charge of an area, or ‘breathing up the oxygen’ in the activity. It is not that the boys mean any harm. One might equally say that single-sex boys’ schools give boys a chance to flourish without having to compete with girls. And flourish they do.
I am very impressed by the overall levels of calm and purpose in our students.
There are definitely times for girls and boys to be together. And there are excellent reasons for keeping them apart during their school days.
We need a variety of schools where young people can think freely, feel connected to others, where their own beliefs are valued, where they know a few friends, or where they can engage in different approaches to learning. Individual students will flourish in different settings. This is why it is good to have government, Catholic and independent schools, single sex girls’, single sex boys’ and coeducational schools in our society.
Dr Paul Burgis
Dr Paul Burgis
PhD (UNSW), MEd, BEd, Dip Tch (Eng/His-sec), Dip Div/Miss
Dr Paul Burgis is the current Principal of the Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney. Paul is married and has three daughters and lives in Drummoyne, Sydney. In his leisure time he enjoys reading history, theology, philosophy and poetry, supporting the Cronulla Sharks and wild bird photography. He worships with his family at Drummoyne Presbyterian Church.