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This statement, and the h.s. principal’s succinctly sum up why all boy schools work for lots of boys. I have one of those little boys & I’m trying to work on the odious part! I was at a hockey game with him this weekend & he greeted a friend with the following: “Hey Bob, thanks for forgetting to brush your teeth this morning…are you trying to kill me?” An 11 year old girl would be horrified at this exchange with a friend. But Bob laughed heartily & traded an equally “witty” retort. This teasing & repartee are very important to boys’ development & socialization. It’s common for male teachers at all-boy schools to lead the way in this sarcastic communication style, almost as a substitute for physical one-upmanship.</p>
<p>Ambr3: HandyAndy was not putting down girls at all. At least I didn’t see it that way. He was speaking of his OWN comfort level in discussing integers in a lively, even passionate, way. Like mythmom’s son keeping his violin hidden around the guys, HandyAndy may feel the geek label isn’t something he wants the girls to stick him with. Single sex schools are very freeing for kids of both genders.</p>
<p>Captain mentioned gangs, and that caught my eye. I think in a very basic way, an all-boy school takes much of the boy need to form groups & assign a strict hierarchy, complete with alpha male. But the gang leader is usually a brilliant, no-nonsense Jesuit priest who won’t take any crap. The gang instincts are thus controlled, or at least funneled into productive actions, like academic, athletic & artistic competition.</p>