Op-Ed: All-boys public school in Toronto?

The Education Director of the Toronto District School Board, Chris Spence, is pushing for a public school for boys only. Perhaps an all-boys school would alleviate some of the pressure the boys feel and allow them to communicate more openly.

The “Male Leadership Academy” is the proposed name for the school. I try not to get distracted by the somewhat laughable name; however, I do find myself thinking intently on the subject. As a high school teacher and college professor, I have observed first-hand the learning styles of members of both sexes (as young as 14 and as old as 52). After days of considering the matter, I find myself still undecided. I think to myself, “So, is it a bad idea? Do we want a school full of boys – who are reportedly more aggressive, less communicative, and slower developmentally – to come into effect? Won’t they end up dropping the school’s overall grade-point average and terrorizing each other? Well, probably not.” Some people are concerned about boys’ lower grade scores, and their short attention spans, and their…what was I saying? The fact is that boys are not less intelligent than girls – it’s that they learn differently. I have asked question after question in classrooms, and more often than not, a girl is the first to put up a hand to answer it. The boys may know the answer, but they won’t let on that they do. Is it that they don’t want people to know they’re smart, or is it more that they’re terrified that they might be wrong? Or is it that it takes them a little longer to figure out the answer? The girls seem less afraid of looking “stupid” in front of the boys, and they have time on their side. Perhaps an all-boys school would alleviate some of the pressure the boys feel, allow them to communicate more openly, and get more involved in their education – which they desperately need to do. I start to think that Dr. Spence is on to something here. On the other hand, I picture one of my own classrooms, and what would happen if I took out all the girls. Would the boys suddenly come to life? Would they snap out of their blank stares and suddenly care wholeheartedly about my lesson? Again…probably not. I think the only energy they would expend would be in order to complain about the female exodus. The problem lies in the matter that it might work for some boys, but it won’t work for others. Some boys will be able to focus and will find the drive to be better learners. But others, I fear, will have their frustrations and aggression magnified by the very lack of the thing they crave: girls.