Should Boys and Girls be Taught Separately?

There has always been private all male or female schools.  The advantages and disadvantages can be debated.  Eliminating the distractions that may occur in coed classes can improve performance of the students in those classes.  Learning to adapt to the different learning styles of different genders might be a sacrifice of being in a single gender class. Many public schools are now considering using this strategy to improve learning for all students, especially in the core areas. Read the article by Laura Marquez from ABC News. The article gives the perspective from both side of the argument. There seems be some legal roadblocks, but as the pressure is put on schools to produce a better product, more creatively needs to be considered.  The arguments for single genders classes are growing louder. Is it time for a change?

I am intrigued by the idea.  I don't believe having math or literacy in a single gender class is going to diminish a student's ability to get along with different genders. There will still be many opportunities to associate with the opposite sex and build relationships necessary to be successful in the future. I see more positives than negatives.  Maybe it's worth a try.

What do you think?  Be sure to defend your answer or response to a post with evidence from the article or another source.  Your opinion matters, but it matters more when there is a professional standing behind you.

Bullying: Boys vs Girls

When it comes to bullying, There seems to be a difference in the strategies and reactions of the bullies and their victims across gender lines.  In an article in The Florida Times Union by Joy Batteh-Freiha the author states that boys bullying more often will result in some sort of physical confrontation and may be short lived.Whereas girls bullying will be more emotional and tend to be drawn out including more deviance and planning drawing more on friends and social cliques.

I found another resource from ABC News: What Would You Do? Watch this amazing video. I know the issue is girls being bullies, but there is so much more going on here. The reactions of the bystanders says a lot about the problem of what to do when you see bullying.  One of the issues we discussed was that the silent acceptance of bystanders is a major motivator for the bully to continue their torment.  If kids and adults had the courage to stand up to the bully, would there be any bullying?  Wouldn't all bullies stand along?

I know there is a lot here, but what do you think? Is girl bullying worse than boys? Do some research. Respond by stating what you think and try to include an article or blog that supports your opinion.

-Mr. Kohl

How Far Will You Go to Stop Bullying?

Plastic surgery to stop bullying? 

Doesn't that mean the bullies win?

We have been discussing bullying throughout the past few months, and we all agreed that parents need to play an important role in helping their kids deal with bullying.  We read about parents that picketed the school, confronted the bullies themselves, and one even attacked the bullies on a bus.  The following covers an issue that was missed in all of our research.

It seems like the issue of bullying, and how to deal with it, has evolved throughout the years into a complex ordeal that may require drastic measures to reach a solution. A recent current event assignment that was handed in to me contained a blog by Andrea Bennett, published on August eighth of this year. Check out her blog by clicking on her name.  Is plastic surgery a possible solution?

Watch the CNN video to get the whole story of 14 year old Nadia Ilse being interviewed by Sanjay Gutal.  You might agree she looks better.  I do, but at what cost.  I'm not talking about $40,000 price tag for the surgery.

Is this a parenting problem or a sample of how society has molded our perceptions? Maybe you are comfortable with this idea. Tell me what you think.

-Mr. Kohl

Holiday Outlook

Holiday Tablets

BY JOE HELLER, GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE  

Experts have used Christmas spending as a great economic indicator that will let us know if the economy is turning around.  The confidence in the public to spend money on higher priced items will tell us if the new year be easier on the middle and lower classes, decrease unemployment, and improve our economic outlook.  

Do you think this political cartoon by Joe Heller of the Green Bay Press-Gazette supports the idea of economic growth? What message is the artist trying to make? Can you make any connections to this cartoon?