5 ms·

Schools are failing our daughters as well. My daughter complains that the 'boys are stinky and loud' and that's why she doesn't go into computer lab more often

Schools are failing our daughters as well. My daughter complains that the 'boys are stinky and loud' and that's why she doesn't go into computer lab more often. She says that the majority of the boys in the lab are 'playing games' and are 'obnoxious'. If you've ever been in a computer lab with a bunch of middle schoolers, you will undoubtedly agree with her statements. Simple solution? Build a partition down the middle of the computer lab and make one side for the girls and one for the boys.

jessaustin 12y ago
Wow that's a bad idea. If you're a woman, do you like the fact that you have to wait in a long line to access the restroom at crowded public events, while the men just waltz right in? At least some argument, however half-assed, can be made that public restroom facilities should be segregated by gender. Good arguments can be made that primary and secondary schools should cater to just one gender. However, having some portion of a popular resource at a coeducational facility reserved for each gender is just asking for trouble. Computers aren't expensive. Buy one for your daughter.
- kordless 12y ago
  > Wow that's a bad idea. And then you go on about waiting in line for a restroom. Last time I checked, men are faster at peeing because we have different plumbing. Your argument is vague and not helpful when applied to the classroom environment. > Computers aren't expensive. Buy one for your daughter. Stop rendering bad advice based on assumptions about me. She has last year's 13" Air, a Nexus 4, my old iPad2 and an Amazon Fire. We weren't on the front page of the NYT for nothing.
  - jessaustin 12y ago
    When I read "schools are failing our daughters as well", I didn't picture such a childhood of technological privilege. No child I know has access to all of that stuff. Maybe next time I ought to catch up on NYT reading before responding to random entitled helicopter-parent whinging on HN?
dreamweapon 12y ago
Why not just enforce a policy of no raised voices in the computer lab (and no coming to school, period, without practicing proper hygiene), regardless of gender?
- sheepmullet 12y ago
  Why ruin the computer lab environment that a lot of the students clearly do well with and enjoy? At my sons school they have a reasonable balance where the computer rooms are a bit "free-for-all" and the library is a quiet zone. Both have plenty of computers. And on the hygiene topic you sound a bit clueless. Parents, for the most part, aren't sending their boys to school smelly and grubby. They get that way while at school.
  - kordless 12y ago
    All us boys are smelly. It's called testosterone, and it's 100% normal. Girls can have their opinions though!
  - dreamweapon 12y ago
    OK fine, then: they raise them predisposed to become smelly and grubby.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
yaddayadda 12y ago
Why separate by gender instead of environment. For example, have a subdued side and an energetic side? While there may be more girls on the subdued side (like a classic library environment) and more boys on the energetic side (like a busy internet cafe environment), it wouldn't enforce gender stereotypes but would provide all students both options.
- kordless 12y ago
  I like the idea of setting the mood in the space to attract different types of users. Good suggestion!
MadManE 12y ago
Segregation hasn't really worked so well in the past. . .
- kordless 12y ago
  I said partition, not segregation. Suggesting boys sit on one side and girls on the other isn't segregation. It's simply efficient resource management. Segregation implies enforced separation. You and others responding to my comment need to stop jumping to my conclusions.
scobar 12y ago
I agree that schools are failing all students, but I don't believe your idea of segregation will help resolve the diversity problems in tech. Perhaps it would be better to treat computer and coding skills like science, math, history, etc. and make it a mandatory subject for the entire class.
- Crito 12y ago
  When I was in school in the 90s, computer classes were mandatory, but not scheduled as regularly as math, science, or history classes. Rather they were scheduled like gym, music, or wellness/personal-health (all also mandatory, but each only taking place once or twice a week.) Because the schedule plainly indicated how important adults thought those courses were relative to others, those courses were considered jokes by me and my peers. Regular and frequent scheduling would probably be required, but even as a professional developer I think that wouldn't be the best use of student time. Students would probably benefit more from math, english, and history courses. (Particularly english and history, since there is a lot that is broken with how we currently teach children mathematics.)
Kluny 12y ago
Er, how about make one side the "quiet" side and one side the "noisy" side? Address the actual difference rather than unrelated side effects.

jessaustin 12y ago

Wow that's a bad idea. If you're a woman, do you like the fact that you have to wait in a long line to access the restroom at crowded public events, while the men just waltz right in? At least some argument, however half-assed, can be made that public restroom facilities should be segregated by gender. Good arguments can be made that primary and secondary schools should cater to just one gender. However, having some portion of a popular resource at a coeducational facility reserved for each gender is just asking for trouble. Computers aren't expensive. Buy one for your daughter.

kordless 12y ago
> Wow that's a bad idea. And then you go on about waiting in line for a restroom. Last time I checked, men are faster at peeing because we have different plumbing. Your argument is vague and not helpful when applied to the classroom environment. > Computers aren't expensive. Buy one for your daughter. Stop rendering bad advice based on assumptions about me. She has last year's 13" Air, a Nexus 4, my old iPad2 and an Amazon Fire. We weren't on the front page of the NYT for nothing.
- jessaustin 12y ago
  When I read "schools are failing our daughters as well", I didn't picture such a childhood of technological privilege. No child I know has access to all of that stuff. Maybe next time I ought to catch up on NYT reading before responding to random entitled helicopter-parent whinging on HN?

dreamweapon 12y ago

Why not just enforce a policy of no raised voices in the computer lab (and no coming to school, period, without practicing proper hygiene), regardless of gender?

sheepmullet 12y ago
Why ruin the computer lab environment that a lot of the students clearly do well with and enjoy? At my sons school they have a reasonable balance where the computer rooms are a bit "free-for-all" and the library is a quiet zone. Both have plenty of computers. And on the hygiene topic you sound a bit clueless. Parents, for the most part, aren't sending their boys to school smelly and grubby. They get that way while at school.
- kordless 12y ago
  All us boys are smelly. It's called testosterone, and it's 100% normal. Girls can have their opinions though!
- dreamweapon 12y ago
  OK fine, then: they raise them predisposed to become smelly and grubby.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]

yaddayadda 12y ago

Why separate by gender instead of environment. For example, have a subdued side and an energetic side? While there may be more girls on the subdued side (like a classic library environment) and more boys on the energetic side (like a busy internet cafe environment), it wouldn't enforce gender stereotypes but would provide all students both options.

kordless 12y ago
I like the idea of setting the mood in the space to attract different types of users. Good suggestion!

MadManE 12y ago

Segregation hasn't really worked so well in the past. . .

kordless 12y ago
I said partition, not segregation. Suggesting boys sit on one side and girls on the other isn't segregation. It's simply efficient resource management. Segregation implies enforced separation. You and others responding to my comment need to stop jumping to my conclusions.

scobar 12y ago

I agree that schools are failing all students, but I don't believe your idea of segregation will help resolve the diversity problems in tech. Perhaps it would be better to treat computer and coding skills like science, math, history, etc. and make it a mandatory subject for the entire class.

Crito 12y ago
When I was in school in the 90s, computer classes were mandatory, but not scheduled as regularly as math, science, or history classes. Rather they were scheduled like gym, music, or wellness/personal-health (all also mandatory, but each only taking place once or twice a week.) Because the schedule plainly indicated how important adults thought those courses were relative to others, those courses were considered jokes by me and my peers. Regular and frequent scheduling would probably be required, but even as a professional developer I think that wouldn't be the best use of student time. Students would probably benefit more from math, english, and history courses. (Particularly english and history, since there is a lot that is broken with how we currently teach children mathematics.)

Kluny 12y ago

Er, how about make one side the "quiet" side and one side the "noisy" side? Address the actual difference rather than unrelated side effects.