I was fortunate enough to get a flavor of both kinds of schools- co-educational (where boys and girls study together) and an all-girls’ school. Hence I was sure it has to be a co-educational school for my daughter. Being in all girls’ school was lovely but there were some things which I could only know/learn in a co-ed. So, for the benefit of all parents who are sending their girls in a co-educational school, it surely has a lot of advantages!
- Opposite genders attract each other: This universal fact was clear to me right in my primary classes. No matter how much we protect our daughters from this, it is such a natural reaction that sooner or later they would understand this. So, why not let them start their external world orientation in an environment where it’s absolutely normal to sit beside boys, hold hands with them while making a circle, and also learning to slap them back when they hit you.
- Your body needs to be protected: This was the biggest lesson learnt in a co-ed I would say. Girls wore tunics to school. Hence it was quite normal for our tunics to fly away in all directions while playing or dancing. Our teachers kept scolding us to be watchful of our tunics. And it became a practice to hold our flying dress! This was especially true while walking up the staircase of our school. We realized quite early that someone who is in the staircase below ours, can easily peep inside our tunics.
- Boys are vulnerable too: When I moved to a girls’ school in class 9th, I was surprised to see a God like image of boys in the way some girls talked about them. Thankfully my spending almost 8 years in a co-ed school had shown me the complete vulnerable side of boys. They can cry, like real bad. They can get hurt emotionally. They gossip about their best friends. They hang out with friends even if they don’t like them. They are normal human beings. The tough exterior has the same wiring beneath.
- Boys like playing different games: So it was initially difficult for me to understand why the guys wouldn’t want to play ghar-ghar or stapu (games common in Indian household). I understood quite early, that they liked playing football or cricket or basketball during free periods. Since we were all close friends, we had to spend time together and hence I also would play with them at times. Guess that’s a reason my husband and I don’t fight for remote when a cricket match is on. Yes, we do fight whether Federer should win or Djokovic!
- They want to be like their father: Mostly, the boys I grew up with wanted to be like their father. This meant they had a career in mind right in their primary days. I want to be a doctor, a businessman, a lawyer. The thoughts of a career started developing in my mind right then. I also need to have a dream. And being a housewife like my mother is not what the ideal answer should be.
- Boys are also good and bad: Mostly in all girls’ school, the perception of a boy was either good or bad. Someone who has had a good experience with boys had categorized that breed as good and likewise. I had seen both versions of boys. There are nasty boys too, who like being destructive, who throw pranks, who laugh at you when you fall. And then there are gentle boys-who can teach you dance steps, who can help you play a bongo, who would take away the laughing boys away from you when you fall. So, I didn’t grow up either in awe of boys or in complete hatred of them. I grew up with them.
- Competition with boys: While girls and boys competed separately in sports, during practice we would have mix teams. What this made us do was, realize the fact that boys are physically stronger than us and it needs an extra edge to beat the best racer in the class. Beating girls was no more fun, beating boys in competitive games brought a different high. And that’s what has in some way shaped my career success. I am not a woman employee who needs reservations and benefits. I am an equal, who knows how to beat you.
Be the first to comment