For those who went to a jewish co-ed school

So DDs school (local Gush Etzyon regional Mamad) runs from 1-3 grades and classes are mixed gender. Which is perfectly fine with me and even preferable IMO. I think the classes are more balanced this way and I agree that kids should be comfortable with the other gender.
The next stage local Mamad had been mixed gender with separate classes, it runs from grades 4-8, but this past year the school has gotten so big that they split it into two separate entities, one for boys one for girls, I think they may be sharing the same campus but I'm not sure.
High schools are completely separate.
I myself went to an elementary school (1-6) that was mixed gender but separate classes, recess, assemblies, tiyulim, etc. were mixed but the actual classes were not. Again, I have no problem with this.
During my sherut leumi (national service) I gave short educational programs in many many religious elementary schools all over the country, ranging from mixed-gender-mostly traditional student body, to Talmud Torah-mostly chardal student body. So I got to experience very different types of schools.

My conclusion is, it's better to have mixed gender classes in younger elementary grades than separate classes/schools (girls are b**y and boys are crazy wild - when they are together they balance each other out). In higher grades (fifth grade and up IME), better to separate, there already is a concept of bf/gf, girls and boys either trying to impress the other gender or shying away from each other.

Any older grades - I think it's totally unhealthy to be together in a school setting, I think even research has shown that girls and boys perform better scholastically in separate gender environments.

However, I do think that girls and boys should be allowed to learn to socialize normally. In my world, youth movements are mixed, and many other after school activities are mixed. Also families do not avoid other families with teens of other genders.
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גשם, גשם בוא!

In the gender segregated schools, does anyone worry about the kids being not-tznius with each other? Is that an "issue"?

After what I've been through, I'm just really worried about putting my boy in a segregated environment again. Gosh, if he's going to mess around, at least let it be with girls.

I am putting this real fear out there. Please tell me what you honestly think. I know it's crazy to even say these things. But I'm practically paralyzed with this decision for next year. What if the yeshiva has a pedophile? I just don't know if my boy can handle any more of this!! Or if I could handle it either!!

Diamond Member Joined: Nov 30 2006 Posts: 2595

Not tznius with each other? why? either they are tznius, or they aren't (and then they spy or even c'v meet and date the ppl of the local opposite gender school).
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"You will have many many children and make successful shidduchim beh", rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
"It's all cultural, disagree respectfully", me

Gold Member Joined: Feb 12 2008 Posts: 2386

I don't think it is a fair or realistic to expect adolescents in a mixed environment to be "shomer negiah". Healthy hormones are going to make healthy teens want to touch. Teva of the world.

I may be an oldie now, but I went to public school and many had not kissed yet. In a charedi environment it should be a given there is a separation in body. In a Mo environment it is expected that friendship can happen but as my MO rav says, if one of them notices something bad he must break the friendship.

Is it fair to expect your kids to dress tznius or keep CY OOT? some expect it. I say they are right to follow their minhag. The Torah of life is meant to live with it, not be bubble wrapped in it.

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 28 2010 Posts: 4874