It is the 19. april, 9am. Our
Seminarkurs enters the catholic St. Dominikus Gymnasium in Karlsruhe. It is a nice building. Inside there are some artworks of students. Busy students are running around because the next lesson is just going to start. A normal school just like any other school without the thing that only girls come here.
About 720 girls are visiting this school compared to the Albertus-Magnus Gymnasium where 429 girls out of 921 students come every day.
My concern was to find out, why this girls chose a only-girls school and where they see the advantages instead of visiting a school for both sexes.
We started the mission in the principal´s room (of course she was a women;) ) and she told us something about her school. compared to our school the girls are really advanced. First of all in science because it is well-known that boys usually dominate in science.
After a little talk with the headmaster we were allocated into differnet classes.
My friend Janine and I were visitors in a 5th grade. After we introduced ourselves we took a seat in the back row and followed the lesson. The girls were quiet and listened to the teacher. The topic of the lesson was "poems". The girls started a groupwork
and had to find out (buy talking with each other and using a encyclopedia) what kind of job the author of the several poems could also have.
While the girls were talking in groups they were listening and really into each others suggestions. The whole groupworking was quiet and the girls were all working. While presenting their work the others were listening and if someone had a question they just put up their hands without screaming.
After the lesson was finished we interviewed the girls and asked them why they chose a school just for girls:
-"I already had some fiends here"
-"I don't like boys, they amuse me."
-"In primary school I usually was too shy to talk in class because I was afraid of talking infront of boys"
All in all we noticed that the girls prefered a school without boys because they were afraid talking infront of them or because they were amusing them.
We also asked the girls if the have more male or more female friends and all of them answered they have more female friends, because they go to a school just for girls but they also have male friends.
The break did already start and Janine and Me were watching the girls. They were sitting all around us and wanted to talk. They were interested in us and were really pleased to answer our questions.
None of them were running around and screaming like we are used to in our school.
Then we followed them to their next lesson: Sports.
The girls changed their stuff quiet quickly (probably too much talking in the changing rooms) and then they met in the sports hall.
Then all of them met with the teacher in the middle of the hall..EVERYONE was quiet, no talking, no wispering...nothing!!
They had to do some exercises with a rope and they all gave the best they could.
Later on we had the chance to interview some teachers. We asked them why they chose an only-girls school. Most of them said it is much easier to teach here. The girls are more quiet, they listen and they are pleased to learn something.
Still some of the teacher mentioned that they miss the boys in class. It is fact that different sexes express different, have other ideas and think in a different way.
All the teachers agreed and said it is proofed that the girls learn more and better without the boys, because they're not amused and they can show what they know without hesitating. Also special teaching methods can be used for the girls.
But now: the crucial question: Does it make sense to visit a school just for girls?
Well it is obviously proofed that girls learn better whithout boys because they can also dominate in sciense. Also special learning methods can be applied for the girls and so a selective learning is promoted.
But on the other side we all know that there is no wolrd without boys. The girls are going to have work with them and to cooperate with them, too.
At least it is to say that there are clever girls who go to a school just for girls and there are clever ones who visit a normal school for both sexes.