I think a major problem is not in gender separation but in IQ separation, my mom, who lived in communist Czechoslovakia ti'll the fall of communism there, said that after middle school there was big testing to see who would get to highschool, about 50% failed to get in but they went on to immediately learn a trade such as gardeners, factory workers becoming productive members of society instead of rotting in highschool for years, the rest of the people went on and eventually if they got accepted went to college.
No. IQ separation as thus is illegal in almost all modern western states, including America. That is definitely not what I mean. Also, I don't have sources to cite, but I did see an article in a magazine (it was either TIME, NAT GEO, or that political one that comes semi-weekly) that showed that underachieving children do poorly in classrooms where they are forced to be compared to the smart ones, or what the teacher thinks is acceptable. These children improved once this negative influence (the smarter kids) was minimized or removed. Children learn best when they are with people they can associate with; that is why IQ separation is fine with me.
As for homeschool, I have nothing against it, though I don't think it would be any better than a public school, since parents aren't trained teachers, and don't necessarily know these things as well (not saying yours don't, but most people who ask their parents to explain quadratic functions will probably find that they can't remember) and don't have the resources that teachers have.
I agree. Homeschooling can have highly negative effects. For example, my cousin is homeschooled, and I had to debate with him to get him to understand that the earth is 4.5 billion years old, not 3 million, which was what he thought. I don't know where he got that number, but he is older than me and I know I learned that number and more in September of 6th grade. Most teachers are, however, able to get their kids to pass the standard tests that they have to take, given the recent standards lowering in the schools. For example, I don't know how well homeschooled people do, but kids in my class can get a grade of 65% and pass. That means that they got only 2/3 of the test problems right.
As for boys vs girls, I don't think either are necessarily better. Looking at my school, there's about an equal number of boys and girls who are very smart or very not-so-smart. Its all in the individual. I don't think gender has anything to do with how smart you will be.
No. It is not like that. Look at my sources and you will see what I meant. Girls are not necessarily more IQ smart, but they are able to learn better in many curricula in America at least, because of the heavy reliance on textbook learning. I know that some european countries and canada have some schools which are experimenting with better methods. In America, girls do better in school, and if the test scores don't show, you should see how easily they soak up the reading. I pride myself as a good reader, and a 99% student, but I know kids who have to work really hard. Girls are typically held back by the old stereotype that they are stupid, unable to learn, et cetera. This is loosening in everywhere but the middle east, and in that region it is loosening somewhat.
In my opinion, if I could afford it once I get older, I would have my kids all tutored. That is, in my opinion, the best way because it is personal, engaging and the tutors are able to gauge the level of their pupils achievement, detect weak areas, and keep the attitude positive. Then, of course I would send them to some great school out east, or even oxford if they are good enough.
