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April 2, 2008
Yesterday I had the delightful experience of joining the dynamic duo of Cathie Hartnett and Annette Meeks for an hour of conversation aired by FM 107.1 radio. The topic at hand was single gender education. A favorite topic of mine, of course.
While this was a wonderful opportunity to speak about the benefits of an all-girls educational setting for grades 7-12, I also appreciated the chance to reinforce Visitation’s belief that a co-educational learning experience in the early years provides developmentally appropriate social growth between boys and girls. And then as the students grow into adolescence, our young women have that wonderful opportunity to learn in classrooms filled with girls, just as most of our young men have a parallel experience awaiting them next door at Saint Thomas Academy.
Certainly there is a growing body of research that points to the considerable, measurable advantages of single-gender education. At Visitation we readily observe the degree to which our young women concentrate on the business of school. As they have this opportunity to be their authentic selves, they grow in confidence and courage. As one young alumna recently said, “We are sent off to college feeling quite brave, actually.” And based upon their accomplishments in college and beyond, we are ever reinforced in our belief that single-gender education is wonderfully beneficial.
Often asked how we measure success at Visitation, I point to numbers and stories. The strong numbers are many, such as our sending all of our graduates to college, or our excellent SAT scores. But the numbers are merely one piece. The real measures are embodied in the generations of accomplished women who are Visitation alumnae, whose stories speak to making this world a better place in countless ways.
Yesterday I had the delightful experience of joining the dynamic duo of Cathie Hartnett and Annette Meeks for an hour of conversation aired by FM 107.1 radio. The topic at hand was single gender education. A favorite topic of mine, of course.
While this was a wonderful opportunity to speak about the benefits of an all-girls educational setting for grades 7-12, I also appreciated the chance to reinforce Visitation’s belief that a co-educational learning experience in the early years provides developmentally appropriate social growth between boys and girls. And then as the students grow into adolescence, our young women have that wonderful opportunity to learn in classrooms filled with girls, just as most of our young men have a parallel experience awaiting them next door at Saint Thomas Academy.
Certainly there is a growing body of research that points to the considerable, measurable advantages of single-gender education. At Visitation we readily observe the degree to which our young women concentrate on the business of school. As they have this opportunity to be their authentic selves, they grow in confidence and courage. As one young alumna recently said, “We are sent off to college feeling quite brave, actually.” And based upon their accomplishments in college and beyond, we are ever reinforced in our belief that single-gender education is wonderfully beneficial.
Often asked how we measure success at Visitation, I point to numbers and stories. The strong numbers are many, such as our sending all of our graduates to college, or our excellent SAT scores. But the numbers are merely one piece. The real measures are embodied in the generations of accomplished women who are Visitation alumnae, whose stories speak to making this world a better place in countless ways.
1 comments:
Dr Nichols,
Thank you for your fine representation of Visitation, again. I count my education at Vis as one of my most valuable life blessings, and now as a parent of a 9th grader, we have been blessed again.
Thank you for your continued work for authentic Christian education rooted in Salisain spirituality.
Mary Norby
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