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11
ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
My brother
is at a boys’
school
and he’s
completely
freaked out
by girls.
Boys can be mean. In groups, they can feel
intimidating. But friends of mine who are boys
are equally intimidated by groups of girls. The
important thing is that our understanding grows.
It’s much healthier to tackle this at an early age.
There are
differences
between boys
and girls. Boys
like joking
around and
they don’t
realise that it
can be hurtful.
They need to
learn that girls
can be more
sensitive, and
girls need to
learn that
boys aren’t
always being
serious about
what they say.
A Head of a girls’ school
wrote in the
Oxford Times
recently that girls find it
harder to contribute to
class discussion in a co-ed
school. This is not typical of
my experience at Teddies.
I would say that, in general,
girls tend to be more
focused – a group of boys
can disrupt a lesson. But
teachers and fellow pupils
are always ready to jump on
inappropriate behaviour.
Girls definitely have equal
access to leadership positions at
Teddies and they are respected.
A younger pupil would have
equal respect for female and
male Prefects.
My brother is at
another co-ed boarding
and day school where
pupils are really pushed
hard – too hard.
One boy in my Shell year talked to girls really inappropriately at the
beginning of term but the community addressed it. Older pupils and
prefects talked to the boy and explained that this sort of behaviour doesn’t
go down well at Teddies. Pupils are connected - via sibling relationships,
friendship groups, sports teams and activities. They look after each other.