I went to an all-girls Catholic high school. When I was in seventh grade and first started looking for high schools, the thought of not going to a co-ed school was appalling to me. However, I quickly fell in love with the school itself; the academics and extracurriculars it offered, the teachers, the student body, even the building all made me feel at home. Truthfully, the fact that it was all girls didn't bother me once I looked into it. I saw no reason to deprive myself of the education I knew I would receive just to go to a co-ed school. However, many people were confused by my decision. When I got to college, people were shocked when I said where I had gone to high school. I know I am not the only one who's bothered by the many assumptions that go along with being a graduate of a single sex school.
1. Ask me how I survived without boys.
It's easier than you think.
2. Assume I'm now unable to talk to boys.
Boys are just people. They're not a special breed of human. There's no secret code required to communicate with them.
3. "I would never have been able to wear a uniform every day!"
It's actually a lot easier to wear the same thing every day. You don't have to worry about picking out your outfit for the next morning. No one can judge what you're wearing because they're wearing the same thing.
4. Ask if everyone at my school was a lesbian.
This one always get a hardcore eye-roll from me. In any large group of people, odds are good that not everyone is straight. There were LGBTQ+ people at your co-ed school, too. You just didn't know it.
5. Ask if I'm gay/if going to an all girls school "made me gay."
Nothing can "make you" a certain sexuality. You are what you are.
6. Insult nuns in front of me.
Do not disrespect nuns in my presence. I will have some very un-Christian like things to say to you (except I won't actually say them. The nuns taught me to turn the other cheek).
7. "But girls are so catty!"
Not true! Being mean isn't exclusive to one gender. Forget about the "mean girl" stereotype you've been fed by the media. Embrace your sisters.
8. Assume I didn't have any male teachers.
My school may be run by nuns, but not every teacher was one. I had many male teachers who I respected and admired.
9. "How did you do theatre without boys?"
Most theater departments have trouble finding males to cast anyway. We invited our male friends and family to join the cast and borrowed from all boys schools when necessary. Male teachers and their sons also got involved. We make it work.
10. "So you're like, a feminist now?"
We should all be intersectional feminists. Feminism makes the world a better place.
I'll be the first to admit that I didn't love every girl I went to school with. Some of them, I flat out did not like. However, I feel a connection to everyone in my graduating class, and to all the girls who also walk the halls of the school. I know I received the best education from my school, and I made my high school experience meaningful. If I had to go back and do it again, I'd make the same choice of high school every single time.
