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Would You Send Your Daughter to an All Girl High School?

Mr. G and I had a meeting with the head of the Upper School (that’s middle school for you folks who don’t have kids in K-8 schools) and the Head of Admissions (who is very involved in high school placement). The meeting was to discuss which High Schools Jane should apply to. We talked about the area schools, which would be academically challenging without crushing her, religion, the number of students in a classroom, philosophies, how “Hollywood” they are, and if they were all girls or co-ed.

I know Jane’s first choice school is Catholic and all girls. It’s NAIS accredited so it’s academically sound, great even but I’d sort of had this fantasy of sending my kids to a completely secular school. I’m so very very tired of Chapels and prayers and I don’t even GO to school. I just sort of cringe… it’s like we finally escaped Temple and now my kid is asking for prayer.

Prayer and no boys.

Her second choice school is also all girl but it’s secular and her third choice school is secular and co-ed but has Kardashians as graduates…. they went Ivy League, right? Oy.

When Alexander walked on that campus for the first day of Kindergarten I remember overhearing parents talking about where their 8th graders were deciding to go to High School. I remember thinking to myself, “Do NOT take parenting advice from these parents. Who lets teenagers make these sorts of decisions?” I do. I let my teen make the decision. It seems so logical now to give Jane control of this, she’s only looking at great schools and if she can get herself into one of them then I’m prepared to support it.

I know there are 8234823297 studies about how girls excel in an all girl environment and recently a high school physics teacher told me that all science teachers in co-ed schools have a bias against girls (even if they don’t think they do) so maybe my daughter intuitively knows what’s best for her.

Here’s hoping anyhow.

 

 

 

9 thoughts on “Would You Send Your Daughter to an All Girl High School?”

  1. No. I went to an all-girls college (2 of them actually) and it did not prove to be a positive or worthwhile experience. While I understand the argument for them, I get it–I also come from the perspective that you do not learn how to develop your sense of self in that environment appropriately. It is sheltered and in many ways, shut off from a reality that doesn’t actually exist. I also think the world does not give girls, and women, enough credit. We are capable of so much more if given the chance. I don’t want to learn how to speak in public, I want to learn how to roar like a lion and have my voice heard. For this, I need to know my competition so to speak. I need to know that my sexuality is okay. That my voice is okay. I need to learn how to stand in a society that just teaches me how to fall.

  2. I had a fantasy about attending Wellesley College. Something about the all-girl environment sounds empowering. I hope she is happy with where she goes!

  3. I went to a large all girls Catholic school and loved it. Our graduating class had just over 400 girls! Unfortunately our area didn’t have a choice between public and private schools, so you are very fortunate that you have a number of options for her to choose from! 

  4. Definitely.  I went to an all girls school up to eighth grade and if I could, I’d send my daughter to one too.  Boys are fantastic, but a classroom without them can also be fantastic.

  5.  I almost attended an all girl college and fully believe in the benefits of an all girl school especially in terms of exploring STEM careers. But either way it will be her choice.

  6. There are some fabulous all-girls independent secondary schools in LA, and from my visits, experience working with students, and faculty/administrator feedback, I’ve definitely handpicked some favorites. Let me know if you’d like to discuss. :) (I went to Chaminade in the valley, which was/is fabulous, and I think you’d be surprised by how ‘secularized’ some private parochial schools in LA have become – and this is based on my vantage point, which is already pretty liberal, and, um, gay.)

  7. I went to an all girls school from the 5th grade on…Marymount (New York). I would not have hesitated to send my girls to an all girl school, Catholic or secular if they had wanted to go.., Catholic schools can be somewhat secularized these days in order to stay alive financially. 

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