The Glass Castle Essay

By: Angelli Gonzalez

Question: How does adversity create strength?

The glass castle includes numerous memories of trauma and abuse in which many people have dealt with at a young age. Childhood is a big part of someone’s life span and when you are in need of protection from primary leaders as a youthful person for your success including your health, it is very difficult to care for yourself or make good decisions. As a child, Jeanette always depended on her parents and which led to trauma because she never put herself first. Adversity can create strength because adversity Is capable of teaching you lessons that would assist you in preparing you for your next mistakes or problems.

Adversity can affect someone’s life terribly, but it can turn into something great once you get past it and learn from it. In the book, Jeanette’s family really struggled with money and always ran away from their problems so she didn’t really have a home or a good childhood. “Dad squatted in front of us, one knee to the floor, his arms folded across the other knee, cowboy style. “So what happened here?” He asked. “It was self-defense,” I piped up. Dad had always said that self-defense was a justifiable reason for shooting someone. “I see,” Dad said.” In this page, Jeanette was in danger and all the dad was worried about was them having to move because of the police. Her parents never cared about how she was feeling or if anything traumatic happened to her. That was what all of her memories were like and still she feels sympathy for her parents because they were the only people she trusted as a child.

The number one step to a healthy family is to trust and care for each other no matter the circumstances. Adversity created strength in Jeannette because she chose to stop communicating with her parents and although she felt guilty, it was for the best. Jeanette did not have a healthy relationship with her parents and she had to start putting herself first before she was put in more danger. “At home I looked up the word in the dictionary. Then I looked up the words that explained it, and though I still couldn’t figure it out completely, I knew it wasn’t good. Usually, when I didn’t understand a word, I’d ask Dad about it, and we’d read over the definition together and discuss it. I didn’t want to do that now. I had a hunch it would cause problems.” This is an example of an unhealthy family relationship because even though it does take a while to talk about a traumatic experience, she was more worried about causing problems than her own danger.

Education is a huge part of success and if you don’t work hard you are more likely to fail financially. Jeanette’s family never really worried about paying bills or their children’s education. “When he got bored or was cried or the unpaid bills piled too high or the lineman from the electrical company found out he had hot-wired our trailer to the utility poles—or the FBI was closing in—we packed up in the middle of the night and took off, driving until Mom and Dad found another small town that caught their eye.” Her dad really just enjoyed traveling, but it was not good for Jeanette because that rarely gave her the chance to make friends or enroll in schools. “We might enroll in school, but not always. Mom and dad did most of our teaching.” Even though her parents tried to teach her as much as possible, they still never put effort in her education because without enrolling in school, they would never get a scholarship for college which is also very important and a big part of success.

Every family has their problems and does eventually grow from them, but an unhealthy family relationship is bad for your mental health. Jeanette has been through so much with her family and she still took some time to work on her own future and live in her own house. She also still managed to check on her parents even though they aren’t her responsibility and should’ve made better decisions. Adversity helped Jeanette grow as a person and realize she is the only person she needs to worry about.

Narrative

As she continuously giggled to herself in the other room, aggressive footsteps began coming her way and she immediately feigned tears.¨Are You okay?¨ says her neighbor, Allison Jones. Mary starts her show of grief ¨I just wish I can hug him one la-¨,¨ oh just stop with your desperateness of sympathy, no one is falling for it¨. Mary is in shock and stays completely silent. Why would anyone show so much disrespect to someone who lost a loved one? Unless, she knew what really happened. What do you know, Allison Jones? ¨ I don´t understand, I think you found the wrong person¨ Mary says, hoping Allison will leave her alone. ¨ I know you killed him¨. Mary gets so pale and immediately goes with her first instinct. ¨You dont know what you are talking about, I loved Patrick¨. ¨Please stop, you are so pathetic. I have recorded proof that it was you and can turn you in right now if I wanted to¨. ¨ Please, I have a child to take care of¨, Mary says as she´s sobbing for forgiveness. ¨Relax, I won't turn you in¨. Mary sighs of relief and feels the tenseness in her body disappear. ¨If you have $10,000¨ Allison makes direct eye contact with Mary and has a smirk on her face. As Mary thinks things could not get worse, the cops come bringing their dishes to the kitchen. Allison walks up to them and begins to greet them. ¨Oh hello officers, you guys must be so tired.¨ ¨Yes, but we will not stop working. We need to find the murderer¨. All of the officers nod after Officer Pete speaks with confidence. ¨Yes, the killer must be so selfish and crazy to murder such a great man¨ Allison says while staring at Mary. Mary is so full of guilt and cannot take the judgement anymore, so she finally steps in. ¨Alright, you guys can go get some sleep for tonight. I need some right now and it's getting late¨. The officers start leaving, but Allison stays exactly where she was waiting for Mary´s response to her offer. ¨Okay, I will get you the $10,000 by tomorrow, but not one word can be said to the police¨. ¨Good night, I will see you tomorrow at 3:00 p.m¨. Once Allison finally leaves, Mary is still trying to process how everything has changed in one night. What had she done? She lays on the couch and tries to fall asleep, but just stares at the ceiling.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The alarm clock goes off. Mary wakes up and looks at the time. It's 2:15 p.m! She rushes up stairs and puts on some clothes. She had about 30 minutes to get $10,000 from her bank account and rush back home before Allison turned her in. When she arrives at the bank, she quickly deposits the money from her account and runs to her car. SHe drives back home and gets there just in time. She parks her car and she sees Allison on the front porch. They both get in the house and Allison starts speaking right away. ¨ So, I assume you have my money¨. Mary pulls the money out of her purse and shoves it into her hands. ¨Here, take it and leave¨. ¨Delete the footage and you cannot tell the cops I murdered him. Understand?¨ Allson smiles and yells¨ You heard her, take her away officers!¨ Mary starts shaking and sobbing. ¨I paid you, why would you do this?!¨ ¨It's my job, I am an undercover detective and your actual neighbor said she witnessed you murder him¨. They arrest Mary and she has the same repeated image in her mind. She murdered Patrick.

Final Draft: Why are people Motivated To Do Bad Things

Bad decisions are made everyday and some people will never even notice how bad it can affect you in the future. No matter how big or small the bad decision can be, it will always affect you long term. According to Maria Trimarchi, bad decisions have even happened with music records such as decca records not signing with the beatles. This decision was based on money and they expected the Beatles to not be a success, but clearly they were wrong. People may believe that bad decisions are not always because of self interest, but self interest can come in many ways such as vengeance, wealth, and even supplying for loved ones or relatives. People are motivated to do bad things because of self interest or benefitting from it, the feeling of power, and vengeance.

People are motivated to do bad things when it comes to self interest and benefits because when you have the chance to get what you want with an easier process, but is considered bad, you would still think about making the bad decision. It is everyone's first instinct to put your own interest before others depending on how desperate you are.¨ That I’d like for us to go to Europe. Like for us to have a cottage on the island. Like for us to have a nicer apartment, nicer furniture, nicer clothes, a car. Like for us to finally have a baby, for that matter”(Matheson, 137). Norma would benefit from pushing the button because she would be given money that gives her more opportunities to do activities she desires. Self interest is also included because she did not care about the fact that she was murdering someone. Her desires took over her mindset and she didn't even respect Arthur´s(her significant other) morals.

People are motivated to do bad things when they feel like they are dominant or have power because the feeling of control represents respect which is a goal many people have. Respect makes you feel like you have the privilege of getting what you want or to have the feeling of getting more than others. ¨Things that were permitted including harassment, the withholding of food, and the deprivation of privileges at the guards discretion¨(WeirdHistory, 1). The Stanford experiment describes the feeling of power very well because the guards had no experience in being brutal to others, but immediately got used to harassing and starving the prisoners. People tend to forget about their morals or respect to others when they feel like they are more important. They lose their mind without even realizing how bad things can get.

People are motivated to do bad things when feeling the need of vengeance because it is similar to the feeling of power. The feeling of anger and disrespect becomes the first thought in your mind and you struggle to control your actions. Vengeance is mostly needed when the people are used to having power and respect because they feel like all of their problems are more important than they should be. “Whoever broke into my closet last Winter and stole my liquor will probably try it again once we are out of here,” he went on, “only this time he’ll wish he hadn’t¨(Demille, 11). This example represents the desire of vengeance because Judson was planning on murdering someone who stole from him, which shows that people give the biggest consequences for little reasons. Vengeance will take over your mind when you feel hatred towards someone and feel as if there is nothing else you can do if it will affect the respect others have for you.

Others may believe that people are not motivated to do bad things from self interests, dominance, and vengeance because bad decisions are usually made when in peer pressure of others or not putting any thought into actions. Overthinking about the decision will most likely stop you from making the decision because you will realize the consequences. That can be true, but people will need a reason to consider making the decision in the first place which mostly comes from self interests. Either way the decision will get you what you want and it will motivate you to continue looking at the pros of the decision instead of the cons. The excuses will push you to continue making bad decisions and victimizing yourself when it comes to being confronted about it.

Self interest which can be specifically explained as vengeance, benefits, wealth, and the amount of power felt when making these decisions are why people are motivated to do bad things. Self interest is a big part of making bad choices because people usually make excuses to justify it as a good idea or make themselves seem like an innocent person. In reality the person does deep down know it is a bad idea and they are just doing it to benefit themselves in some way. It is difficult to tell right from wrong when there is something you can get from it, but bad decisions will negatively affect you in the long term.

2[Conclusion]

Works Cited

Trimarchi, Maria. “10 Of the Worst Decisions Ever Made.” HowStuffWorks, https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/10-worst-decisions.htm.

Matheson, Richard. “BUTTON, BUTTON.” Commonlit, June 1953, https://www.commonlit.org/en/students/student_lessons/9582510.

“The Stanford Prison Experiment Was One of the Most Disturbing Studies Ever.” Weird History, 10 July 2020, The Stanford Prison Experiment Was One of the Most Disturbing Studies Ever. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RyeQwA0IJurUixpG5-6oyMsECdVoDBEF/view

Demille, William. “RUTHLESS.” Commonlit, 1945, https://www.commonlit.org/en/students/student_lessons/9510617.

Writing In Steps

Topic: Is in person education easier than online education?

People always struggle to focus in school and find many of the topics or subjects taught difficult. Getting an education online did not become an option until 1989 when the University of Phoenix created it.Students are more likely to fail when getting an online education because it is more difficult to pay attention, it is harder to communicate with teachers when in need of help, and you are surrounded by more distractions.

Online education is more difficult to pay attention to because you would be learning in a more comfortable space which makes you struggle to have the motivation to complete work and put effort into your work. For example, When Covid 19 started, more students were failing and teachers were trying to get at least 3 students to participate. It made teachers' jobs involve more work to help students learn and be prepared for the next year even if they weren’t trying. Students have no problem failing when doing online school because they don't have to deal with confrontation from teachers in person. Paying attention comes with effort and if there is no one forcing you to learn while at home, then you won´t.

It is harder to communicate with teachers when in need of help because teachers have a lot of responsibilities which can make them not realize how many people need to communicate with them. For example, most teachers do not offer the option of discussing things privately on a google meet and a lot of students do not have the courage to say their issues in front of all of the other students. So, they would lack communication because a lot of teachers also do not check their emails. With no clear or specific form of communication, students would have to complete work without even being sure of what they are learning. School is all about learning and it will not be beneficial if you don't understand and cannot get help, also causing stress.

You are surrounded by more distractions when getting an online education because the place you would be learning in is the place you are used to doing activities you find interest in which can easily distract you from focusing. For example, when at home, you have access to everything you usually do for entertainment purposes. If no one is making sure you complete work, you will most likely start using them during school hours which makes it difficult to focus. In person school is way easier because you are watched while completing your work to make sure you stay in focus. The teachers do know students have trouble with not getting distracted and they cannot really do anything to prevent it. The harder the subject gets, the harder it is to focus.

People may believe online education is an easier way to learn because it causes less anxiety and pressure. In person school can be more likely to cause panic attacks or trigger mental illnesses, but it can also be triggered from online school because of the stress you are put under when you don't understand lessons and cannot communicate with teachers. The less attention you are given can actually affect you in negative ways because your first instinct is to search up answers which will not teach you anything and leaves you less prepared. If you put your effort into school, you can easily learn, pass tests, and get through the year with no struggle. In person school is a simple way to learn and you can easily manage work and timing.

Online education should only be used if there is no possible way you can go to school in person. You will not learn the right way while doing online education because you can easily stay unmotivated. You may think you can do your work and be independent, but you can easily get distracted by personal issues or just simply social media. Education is the first step to success in the future and you would not be able to follow your dreams without at least a little basic knowledge. Not everyone has the opportunity to get an education so it's best to take advantage and work hard by going to school in person allowing you to focus more. Online education is so much more difficult than In person education.

ELA Baseline Writing

Topic: Does the internet have a negative impact on our thinking process?

People depend on the internet for everything because as it continues to improve over time, the more they will rely on it. Although technology has a great impact on our everyday lives, I believe it does negatively affect our thinking process. It has a negative affect on our thinking process because it will stop you from being able to work on activities yourself decreasing your knowledge and intelligence, it will distract you from learning a more effective and memorable way, and it causes people to procrastinate knowing that the internet is a faster and easier way to get things done. It may take more time to use your own thoughts and opinions, but most importantly it will help you prepare for future challenges.

Being independent is very important because there are times when you have no choice, but to do something with no help. Relying on the internet for education or work purposes will decrease your own knowledge and you will begin to automatically choose the internet's answers over your own. For example, in the text it says ¨Heick had intended for his students to take a moment to think, figure out what type of information they needed, how to evaluate the data and how to reconcile conflicting viewpoints. He did not intend for them to immediately Google the question, word by word— eliminating the process of critical thinking.¨ The students in Terry Heick´s class did not even give themselves a chance to try and think about it, but instead chose to search it up because it is now very normalized. As you get older, things will only get harder and if you don't know what you're learning, you will eventually fail. You will have to work hard and pay attention, so you can actually know and memorize what you were taught.

Education is a very huge and free opportunity we are given to prepare for our future and will lead us to success. We are taught many things that we will actually need when we start working and if you don't know what you specifically learned, you are simply not ready to begin a future and take more responsibility. Dozens of studies by psychologists, neurobiologists, and educators point to the same conclusion: When we go online, we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning. Even as the Internet grants us easy access to vast amounts of information, it is turning us into shallower thinkers, literally changing the structure of our brain. ...¨ . Searching for answers online will rush our learning process, not giving us enough time to acknowledge or memorize what you ¨learned¨ about. Every student will always want to go to school and get it over with, but you´re not appreciating the amount of help you are getting.

As you continue going to school every year gets more frustrating and you will just want to give up because you think it's a waste of time. Students will give up and not complete assignments because it is too difficult, but they don't realize it will actually get harder when you put no effort into your education. ¨ Some argue that with easy access to information, we have more space in our brain to engage in creative activities, as humans have in the past. ...¨ . We will only learn and memorize what we are taught if we actually engage in the work and be creative over our assignments. Procrastinating will never get you anywhere because you aren't going to pay attention to the work, you´re going to pay attention to the amount of time you have to complete the work. If you don't take your time and understand anything, it will only negatively affect you.

Many people might disagree with my argument and believe that since technology and websites are more advanced, they are giving you an accurate amount of information and helping you learn. It may be more advanced with information, but it does not improve the knowledge in your brain. A lot of people can agree that online schools are way more difficult than in person schools because you don't 100% know that the teachers will respond to emails and questions. There are times when you are going to be confused and if you don't have any help, you won't learn the right way. ¨Michele Nelson, an art teacher at Estes Hills Elementary School in Chapel Hill, N.C., seems to share Carr’s concerns. Nelson, who has been teaching for more than nine years, says it was obvious with her middle school students and even her 15-year-old daughter that they are unable to read long texts anymore.¨ You will simply forget everything you learned and it will make it difficult to do simple things.

Education is taken advantage of and searching things up will just be taking the easy way out of what is actually right for you. You should always be confident in your own thoughts and actually pay attention so you can be successful. The internet does have a negative effect on our thinking process and more students should actually read and think about anything you find interesting because you are decreasing your creativity and knowledge.

Why the Black Lives Matter Protest Became Violent

Racism is an ongoing issue that activists have gone through many struggles to get rid of, but still goes on today. People of color have been discriminated against for a very long time which is why they felt the need to fight back and take action. Rosa parks is an example of creating a non violent protest in 1955 when she would not give up her bus seat for a white person. Racism can be shown in many ways, but in 2020 the protests were influenced by the death of George Floyd. George Floyd was a 46 year old man who was suffocated to death by the police instead of just arresting him. He was accused of using a fake 20 dollar bill to buy cigarettes. People believed he needed justice and did everything in their power to get what he deserved. The Black Lives Matter protests became violent because of the aggression police used against the protesters, the benefits people had when they got the opportunity to steal and destroy stores, and the expectation for protestors to stay quiet and give up.

The Black Lives Matter protests became violent when police began using more aggression towards the protesters because the protesters goal was to make each and every movement of theirs as peaceful as possible. They are discriminated against and killed for no reason, so the last thing they would do is put themselves in a situation where they deserve to get injured and killed by the police. ¨more than 500 of instances of police using less-lethal rounds, pepper spray and teargas, 60 incidents of officers using unlawful assembly to arrest protesters, 19 incidents of police being permissive to the far right and showing double standards when

confronted with white supremacists¨(Thomas et al 1). Officers would use everything in their power to put an end into these peaceful protests, including violence. There has been footage released of protesters getting attacked by police for simply raising their voice, which they have the right to do. The police increased the amount of protests and destruction because of the violence they influenced.

The Black Lives Matter Protests became violent when people found out they had the opportunity to steal because they felt as if the protests were a pass to get items for free whenever they felt like they needed to. ¨LOS ANGELES -- Two-and-a-half minutes, in and out. Just 150 seconds to smash a store's glass door or window with a hammer, fill up a suitcase with designer sneakers, jewelry, cash or cellphones, and run outside to a getaway car¨ (Dazio 1). The protests were even said to have people who did not care or know what the protests were about, but still raided and stole from random stores. This proves that many people were simply looking for ways to benefit themselves when there are bigger issues going on. George Floyd was murdered, but people still chose to put more lives at risk with causing more violence. These protests were killing people.

The expectation for protesters to stay quiet and give up caused violence because they were being ignored and underestimated when trying to start no new problems and ending old ones. ¨The weight of the crowd soon sent officers sprawling backwards. A marcher punched an officer. An officer punched a Trump supporter, and the march became a riot. The police ran back towards the Capitol building, with the mob running close behind(Greenberg et al 1). When the trump supporters violently broke into the capitol, they were not stopped, but if people of color throw a peaceful protest, officers immediately depend on brutality. The police system is and was corrupt which is why people believed they should take action and gain respect. They needed to fight back without getting murdered. That's what the non violent protests are about.

Some people believe that the Black Lives Matter protests were not made to be peaceful and were partially blamed on police for doing their job. People could have simply wanted revenge on police and wanted to ruin their title. They were planned to be peaceful because violent protests would immediately risk the lives of many people participating in them. Police will be expected to target them because of their race or racism. Discrimination is the reason for the protests and people were already aware that police will immediately target them, so they had to try their best to be careful. The police were doing their jobs, but they did it in the most unreasonable way. Protesters were not fighting or harassing police, so they should not have been injured and killed for no reason.

The Black lives matter movement overall was a very hard and violent time, even though they were not meant to be. Police brutality and discrimination is an ongoing problem for people of color and is the reason why people were motivated to begin protests in the first place. Some people were also partially to blame because of the raids and stealing, giving others opportunities to steal without even caring what the protests were about. Police made it clear they just wanted the protesters to give up because many did not believe George Floyd deserved justice jue to the color of his skin. Protestsare made to let people voice their opinions and bring awareness to things that deserve attention. No one should be harassed and attacked for doing what they are given the right to do.

Works Cited

Thomas et al. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/29/us-police-brutality-protest

Dazio 1

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/56-arrested-crimes-los-angeles-floyd-protests-72634324

Greenberg et al

https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2021/the-difference-in-police-response-to-the-black-lives-matter-protests-and-the-capitol-assault/

Annotated Bibliography

ABSTRACT

The bibliographies written below will speak about the websites found supporting the claim that single gender schools negatively affect students and their futures. These websites and sources will show the pros and cons of single gender schools and may include examples of how students feel in different types of schools to see what the students themselves actually consider a good school. Many people have very opposing viewpoints, but these opinions could have to do with the gender or age of students. The cons will outweigh the pros because it will negatively affect them in the long run.

Conley, Mikaela. “Single-Sex Schools Have Negative Impact on Kids, Says Study.” Abcnews.go.com, Abcnews, 22 Sept. 2011, https://abcnews.go.com/Health/single-sex-schools-negative-kids-study/story?id=14581023#:~:text=A%20new%20report%2C%20published%20in,boys%20or%20all%2Dgirls%20school.

This website explains that single gender schools encourage sexism because of the bias students will have on the gender they attend school with. Gender stereotypes become more believable to people who have not interacted with the other gender which is why they struggle to adapt to the real world. The website also compares the situation in separating genders to past segregation encouraging racism."We know from the history of our country that separate is not equal," said Liben. "There's no reason to divide along the lines of biological sex." The negative impacts this brings children outweigh the positive ones, which is why the website represents a bias with one opinion instead of explaining both.

Performance by Marie Sauvey , and Kelly Schweda , Single Sex Classrooms at Chappell Elem., WLUK-TV FOX 11, 17 Sept. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlq8H8yBixI. Accessed 23 Jan. 2022.

This video shows how single sex schools can actually be a good decision for some children who work better and focus more when sharing a room with the same gender. This video represents the claim that students will be biased towards the gender they tend to be more around, making them oppose and stay unprepared to speak to the other gender. The students explain certain actions the other gender makes that they do not like. ¨Talking about barbies, and makeup, and all glitter glosses, stuff like that¨. This describes how students will be taught to believe the stereotypical personalities for the other gender instead of actually realizing that not everyone's the same.

Saunders , Jen. “The Disadvantages of Schools Segregated by Sex.” Https://Education.seattlepi.com/, Jen Saunders, https://education.seattlepi.com/disadvantages-schools-segregated-sex-2074.html.

The website states that people who do not completely believe equality and stick to stereotypical ideas of genders would most likely agree with the idea of single sex schools. ¨If you believe a woman’s place is in the kitchen when she isn’t spitting out babies, you may be a supporter of schools segregated by sex.¨ Many people believe that people should be treated differently depending on the gender also because of certain stereotypes, such as boys crying are seen as weak. The pros and cons are both listed in the website and can be compared to see how effective each reason is long term.

.

Brummelen, Indi. “TOXIC BEHAVIOURS SITTING UNCHECKED IN SINGLE-SEX SCHOOLS.” https://hatch.macleay.net/toxic-behaviours-sitting-unchecked-in-single-sex-schools/

This website uses a student's experience with Coed education as an example of how it benefits students. The student was named Casey Barton and she said positive comments on the students she knew in school, including boys. This proves that opposite genders can build relationships that are platonic and not the stereotypical way. ¨Unfortunately this was just the first of a string of bad experiences Casey had with boys from single-sex boys’ schools.¨ Boys from single sex schools are less likely to know how to respect women in the future. Coed schools teach students to respect one another regardless of gender.

Eliot, Lise. “Single-sex schools: Could they harm your child?” The Conversation, Lise Eliot, 21 December 2016, https://theconversation.com/single-sex-schools-could-they-harm-your-child-69962. Accessed 23 January 2022.

This website specifically compares the idea of segregation of gender to racial segregation to explain how the outcome will never represent equality. Segregation in general is made to treat people differently based on a certain category which is why they are separated in the first place. ¨The Supreme Court asserted that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” The court’s decision was based on social science evidence that separating and emphasizing differences between groups of people breeds stereotyping and discrimination.¨ Students are supposed to be treated the same when it comes to education and separating them sets opinions on the opposite gender. They will also not be educated for the future which is also a big part of school.

Elstub, Kerri, et al., directors. single-sex schools. Performance by Shelly Horton, 9Honey StickySituations

.https://honey.nine.com.au/parenting/single-sex-schools-why-i-wont-send-my-daughters/73eea02b-da66-4ed8-afd4-22d1b3ca67f4

This video link brings a mothers perspective or opinion to whether or not single sex schools are beneficial. Jo Abi stated that her son learned more from the girls in his school than she could teach him because he was able to learn how to respect girls which prepares him for the real world. Coed education is needed for every student to realize that life isn't only about certain subjects like math, but also to prepare you to become independent. Life does have drastic changes and single sex schools just teach students to wait and learn to become independent the hard way.

Angelli Gonzalez

Mr. Combs

809

03 February 2022

Single Gender Education Impacts the Lives of Students

Single gender education has never specifically been proposed as an idea or considered as a beneficial opportunity to better the students lives. The segregation of genders when it came to education began from the bias of men only being allowed an education while women were not seen as intelligent enough. They eventually began separating students from both race and gender until students were eventually allowed to take classes in the same room, making Coed and single gender schools options. Many people may believe that Single gender schools can get students to focus and increase their learning, but it is not as beneficial as it may seem. Single gender education negatively affects the lives of students because they will not learn to interact or work with the opposing gender, students tend to believe stereotypes of the opposing gender which encourages sexism, and it will make students with a confusion in their gender and pronouns feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in the school environment.

Single gender education can negatively impact the lives of students because of how inexperienced they would be when it has to do with communicating or socializing with the opposite gender. This can affect a child's life long term because of their future´s involving interactions with the opposing gender, whether it may be work, relationships, or friendships. ¨Casey Barton only has good things to say about the boys she spent her formative high school years with at a co-educational school. The boys were able to co-[exist] with the girls because they [were] around them 24/7,” she said. “They were able to be friends with girls with no other motive and were… respectful of their female counterparts.”She couldn’t say the same for the boys she came across when she transferred to an inner-Brisbane single-sex school in 2013 for years 11 and 12¨(Brummelen, 1). This example proves that boys will grow to be less trustworthy and respectful when they don't experience any time around girls. Boys and girls are extremely different which is why students should learn to communicate and get along with people who aren't like them. ¨The Supreme Court asserted that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal”. The court’s decision was based on social science evidence that separating and emphasizing differences between groups of people breeds stereotyping and discrimination¨(Lise,1). Separating the children based on their genders will not represent equality because they are learning in different ways. Sexism will become popular around the world if single sex schools increase.

Single sex schools can negatively affect a student´s life because of the sexism increasing as more stereotypes of genders are made and more children believe them. Stereotypes can really affect the way a student may view the opposite gender because of the differences they supposedly would automatically have, such as what their interests or hobbies are. ¨Talking about barbies, and makeup, and all glitter glosses, stuff like that¨(Sauvey et al). These are the usual stereotypes people may believe about girls because they are all seen to automatically have all feminine characteristics. The sexism influenced around schools can make students only feel comfortable around their own gender and not become prepared for future connections. "Kids' own occupational aspirations are going to be limited, and there could be long-term consequences where, for example, girls are used to being in roles only among other girls, then they have to face the real world where that's not the case." Sexism can change opinions on each gender and can make people confused about their gender uncomfortable.

SIngle gender schools can change certain aspects of a students life in negative ways because it can make some students feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in the school environment. Since students are around just one gender, they are more likely to stick to the expectations or follow the lead of their surroundings instead of being themselves or in other words, comparing themselves. ¨We're living in an increasingly gender- neutral world, where stereotyping according to gender is becoming less acceptable; where children, teenagers and adults can choose which gender they want to be; and where that choice has legal protection, prohibiting discrimination. A key moment for an individual determining their gender is clearly puberty, which puts secondary schools at the forefront of the new gender reality¨(Johnston,1). Schools are beginning to realize how non binary or transgender students may feel very uncomfortable when feeling as if they arent welcome into a school because of the way they are. ¨ Everyone should be able to access great education, but in my case, it came at a major cost: my gender identity went against the most basic prerequisite of admission. I was not a girl. I’m a nonbinary trans person. My required religion classes made it clear that LGBTQ+ people were to be loved but that we were sinners who needed to repent and change in order to get to heaven ¨(Holtz, 1). Students will be less likely to fit in and find friends that relate to or make them feel comfortable.

Single sex schools may temporarily help students focus and learn in an easier way, but an important part of school is to prepare students for the hardest parts of their lives which has to do with adulthood. Students taking the easy way out will leave them unprepared for new relationships made in the future and the inexperience can cause them to confuse toxic or abusive relationships with good and respectful ones. All students should also feel accepted and welcome no matter what school they attend and single sex schools don´t allow that to happen. The world has fought hard to overcome sexism and get people to work together representing equality, schools showing respect for only one gender represents the opposite of that. All students can cooperate and teach other socializing and working skills, no matter what gender they are. Single sex schools can negatively impact and change certain aspects of a students life.

Works Cited

Brummelen, Indi. “TOXIC BEHAVIOURS SITTING UNCHECKED IN SINGLE-SEX SCHOOLS.” https://hatch.macleay.net/toxic-behaviours-sitting-unchecked-in-single-sex-schools/

Eliot, Lise. “Single-sex schools: Could they harm your child?” The Conversation, Lise Eliot, 21 December 2016, https://theconversation.com/single-sex-schools-could-they-harm-your-child-69962. Accessed 23 January 2022.Conley, Mikaela.

Performance by Marie Sauvey , and Kelly Schweda , Single Sex Classrooms at Chappell Elem., WLUK-TV FOX 11, 17 Sept. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlq8H8yBixI. Accessed 23 Jan. 2022.

“Single-Sex Schools Have Negative Impact on Kids, Says Study.” Abcnews.go.com, Abcnews, 22 Sept. 2011, https://abcnews.go.com/Health/single-sex-schools-negative-kids-study/story?id=14581023#:~:text=A%20new%20report%2C%20published%20in,boys%20or%20all%2Dgirls%20school.

Johnston, Fiona Mckenzie. “Single-Sex Schools in a Gender-Netural World.” Tatler, 13 Oct. 2016, https://www.tatler.com/article/single-sex-schools-gender-neutral-policy-transitioning-teenagers.

Holtz, Jenni. “Don’t Just Change Single-Sex Schools, End Them.” Autostraddle , 28 Aug. 2020, https://www.autostraddle.com/dont-just-change-single-sex-schools-end-them/.