A Girl's Side And A Boy's Side. Wtf?

[Guest amie]

I drove past where I attended grade school the other day and the thought occurred to me to mention the place on this forum. When I attended the place, we actually had a girl’s side and a boy’s side on the playground. Right down the center of this blacktopped space was a yellow line of which both genders were forbidden to cross. I always felt this to be rather disturbing and ill-advanced. What a fouled up message to convey to a child’s first impression of true social interaction, huh? My memories are primarily those of wanting to be on their side for it looked more fun and far less chaotic. In fact, I often got in trouble for sneakin’ over there and had to sit on the wall as a result. Hahahahahhah!

Gotta thought or two on this?

[Guest Evan_J]

We didn't go to the same grade school did we? lol Just kidding. But at mine the playground was a large concreted space eclosed by an enormous chain link fence subdivided inside in the shape of plus sign by 4 other chain link fences. There was older girls, younger girls, younger boys and older boys. How's that for separation.

Yeah, I often looked at that other side wistfully. However, I got lucky since a couple of boys I had beef with liked "sneaking" onto those other sides so I was still able to beat up the one I mainly hated lol.

[Guest Sofiadragon]

I have heard of schools doing things like that but I have never attended one like that. The first elementry school that I attended was called Loma Verde Elementry & they just had the playground seperated from bigger kids from the smaller kids just so that the smaller kids didn't get hurt, & the second one that I went to was called Descanso Elementry & there was no seperation @ all.

[Guest Elizabeth K]

I learned to play jacks by sneaking over. There was a building we could hide behind if we were careful. I had totally forgotten all that. I never saw girls sneaking over to our side... hummmmmm. It seemed so arbitrary at the time - why not let us just play. If they were afraid the smaller ones would be beat up by the older, or something - they coulda put monitors out there. Geneder segregation just insured the smaller 'boys' (or ones like me that didn't quite fit in) would get beat up by the older 'boys' - no girl influence to stop it. We had to pass through the 'girls side' after lunch to reach the 'boys side' - I completely forgot about this, but I would wish I had on a dress so I could stay where I was.

Goodness gracious - TS thoughts at grade 1 thru 6!

[Sally]

Hey,

That's where I learned that there was a difference, I thought all kids played the same games - it wasn't until Elementary School that I found out- if there wasn't a chance of severe injury - it wasn't for boys!

The girls played on a paved terrace and the boys played dodge ball in the sticker patch - great planning and even better grounds keeping!

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Evan_J]

Elizabeth (sigh) let the record show I did try that "sneaking over" thing before (feelin sick just remembering it). There was a reason purported "girls" did not do it the way boys might. That one attempted sneak cost me not only a punishment but staying indoors a day also and teachers who weren't even present verbally annihilated my feelings about myself if I "thought that was something I could do", they also contacted my mother. They felt "that I was having some problem understanding the correct behaviour for a girl". It went on for like 4 days..Boys did the same thing every day. They got grabbed by the collar, shook around a little bit, and sent back to the side they were supposed to be on. The fact is, in those days, if a girl "didn't behave as deemed appropriate" the response was muuuuuch more extreme than if a boy didn't. His behave just broke a given rule. Her behavior was automatically seen as trying to not accept being female itself; it was considered "unfemale" to not cooperate, to not defer without question. And personally, I think thats why you see a lot of the "less assertive" or "less decisive" behavior some natal, nontrans women of a certain age exibit.

I was lucky in a sense, I didn't get in trouble at home when I wasn't that way at school. Actually, that fight I mentioned? I actually broke that kids arm. It was second grade and he had it comin don't judge me. But aftewards the kids mother, who would have been mad if he'd had the same fight with another natal male and got it broke but wrote it off "two boys fighting", lost her ever lovin mind and raised holy you-know-what because "you are just going to let a girl do that and get away with it? I won't stand for it. She will be expelled and she will be expelled now...." It didn't go that way, but only because my mother went psycho back and threatened the school if they did.

[Guest amie]

Elizabeth (sigh) let the record show I did try that "sneaking over" thing before (feelin sick just remembering it). There was a reason purported "girls" did not do it the way boys might. That one attempted sneak cost me not only a punishment but staying indoors a day also and teachers who weren't even present verbally annihilated my feelings about myself if I "thought that was something I could do", they also contacted my mother. They felt "that I was having some problem understanding the correct behaviour for a girl". It went on for like 4 days..Boys did the same thing every day. They got grabbed by the collar, shook around a little bit, and sent back to the side they were supposed to be on. The fact is, in those days, if a girl "didn't behave as deemed appropriate" the response was muuuuuch more extreme than if a boy didn't. His behave just broke a given rule. Her behavior was automatically seen as trying to not accept being female itself; it was considered "unfemale" to not cooperate, to not defer without question. And personally, I think thats why you see a lot of the "less assertive" or "less decisive" behavior some natal, nontrans women of a certain age exibit.

I was lucky in a sense, I didn't get in trouble at home when I wasn't that way at school. Actually, that fight I mentioned? I actually broke that kids arm. It was second grade and he had it comin don't judge me. But aftewards the kids mother, who would have been mad if he'd had the same fight with another natal male and got it broke but wrote it off "two boys fighting", lost her ever lovin mind and raised holy you-know-what because "you are just going to let a girl do that and get away with it? I won't stand for it. She will be expelled and she will be expelled now...." It didn't go that way, but only because my mother went psycho back and threatened the school if they did.

Evan scored a TKO. Suuweeet!

[Guest stephphorever]

Being a nonop mts, i think everyone has both

[Guest Emily1]

Being a nonop mts, i think everyone has both

I think they were talking about sides of the playground, not sides of your personality

[Guest Elizabeth K]

... let the record show I did try that "sneaking over" thing before (feelin sick just remembering it). There was a reason purported "girls" did not do it the way boys might. That one attempted sneak cost me not only a punishment but staying indoors a day also and teachers who weren't even present verbally annihilated my feelings ...

I think thats why you see a lot of the "less assertive" or "less decisive" behavior some natal, nontrans women of a certain age exhibit.

Yes - we forget the trama sometimes goes both ways - and the reaction of the mother? What a jerk - you shoulda broken her arm too... grin. That you remember all this so vividly shows the effect it had on you. Bless your heart - maybe someday the world will change, but don't bet your ... ummmm... jock st**p on it!

Was that macho enough for ya? Haaaaaaa

Boys side - girls side? I wonder how many people came out of that, warped about the world order? It definately showed one side was inferior to the other and needed protection - which is which is probably open to debate now days with women flying jets, fighting wars, and being about whatever they can be.

(Playground advice: watch out boys - some girls will bust your arm if ya pick on 'em- but back then you were really a guy so it doesn't count - grin).

Old memories sometimes reveal what we really were - and we were so young!

Amie, dear great topic

[Guest stephphorever]

Oops haha, well the playground thing is messed up lol

[Guest sara w.]

Bless your heart - maybe someday the world will change

actually the world has changed, when i went to elementary i played with the girls alot and no one said a thing, that is until grade 5 when we saw the main differences between males and females, althought i did still play with the ones who didnt mind it, the only time they seperated anyone was in grade 4 whomever was grade 4-6 had to play on the "junior side" and the younger grades played on the "elementary side", my school was great they wern't that strict they didnt discurage anything exept for swearing and fighting, as long as you didnt do anything rude or against saftey you werent going to get in trouble

[Guest Liam]

Hey. Guess what? I'm playin' on the girls side of the playground right now. Whatcha gonna do about it? Huh? Neener neener neener. *sticks out tongue*

Naw, just teasing.

My elementary school separated younger kids from older ones, but not boys from girls. I never really played on the playground, though. I usually just sat on the benches with a couple other "weirdos." We had more fun, anyways.

[Guest OneOutOfnOne]

I attended a preschool that had no physical separations, but the playground clearly had its social boundaries, and they marked off four sections: white girls, white boys, black girls, and black boys. (Although the black children were quite a bit better about intermingling between genders.) I only fit one of these physically, and didn't fit any of these socially, but I was perfectly content to exist in my own world by myself. Other children never understood me anyhow.

[Guest SanctuaryKitten]

High school was the worst ever for me. They had a rolling wall to separate the girls and boys in the gym for P.E. I had to learn how to play aggressive male oriented sports like football (which i never did too well, as i was always scared of the ball and being hurt), while the girls learnt uh, i guess i'll never know thanks to the wall separating us! LOL.

We had co-ed like once a month or something though, and we all came together to play a game like volleyball. That was the only day i ever liked P.E. My teacher felt sorry for me and had to bump my mark from under 50% to let me pass the grade 9 course ( obviously, i never took it the folllowing year, and am still horribly depressed they didn't have co co-ed teams back then except for track and field.