HOW GIRLS LEARN DIFFERENTLY at Mount De Chantal

article and interview by: Jean Israel

With all of the school tragedies and issues surrounding our public schools these days sometimes you have to sit back and wonder what the best and safest options are for your child? Yesterday I met with a very nice woman who heads a school with a different approach to learning for girls.

Mrs. Sharon Campbell, the Interim Head of School at Mount De Chantal Visitation Academy in Wheeling gave me a bit of information about the school and also some really interesting information on the difference in the way that boys vs. girls learn.

Mount De Chantal was established FIFTEEN YEARS before the formation of the state of West Virginia! The Academy was founded in 1848, and in 1865 the academy was transferred to a newly constructed building which is still to this day the main building on the campus. (I have to add that this is a magnificent building. Walking into the main building and seeing all of the original Victorian styling was breathtaking.) After the move to the new site, the school, originally named Wheeling Female Academy, was renamed Mount De Chantal to honor Saint Jane Frances Fremyot de Chantal, former co-founder with Saint Francis de Sales or the Order of the Visitation in Annecy, France in 1610.

Mount De Chantal has students from not only the Ohio Valley, and not only all over the country, but these girls come from all over the world! Approximately half of Mount De Chantal's students live on campus and the rest commute to school, but all of them share the same happiness and pride in having the ability to be a part of this wonderful learning community.

Mrs. Campbell discussed with me the way in which girls and boys do not learn the same way and scientific research has shown this to be true. According to scientific studies, the brain develops differently depending upon gender and is just simply "wired differently". Certain areas of the female brain develop at different times than that of the male. For instance, in a girl's brain, the language areas develop earlier than the areas used for geometry or spatial relations. That being stated, a female student may believe she is "no good" in math, when in reality, the areas of her brain that would comprehend that subject have simply not fully developed yet. The opposite would be true for a boy having problems in a language course taught too early for his development. (http://www.whygendermatters.com/#1 )

Mount De Chantal has recognized the difference in learning for girls and boys and feels that due to those things, teaching one curriculum for both together would not be beneficial and could actually be very detrimental to a student's overall feeling of accomplishment and self worth. Mount De Chantal takes girls and teaches them in the way that a girl's brain develops, therefore, the ability for the student to learn is greatly enhanced and these girls have the capability and self- confidence to enter the adult world well educated and ready to make a difference in society.

Right now there are eight Sisters at Mount De Chantal, several of whom actually went through school at the Academy, left to go to college and then came back to dedicate their lives to their faith and to helping other girls grow into intelligent and independent women.

At this time Mount De Chantal is getting ready for an Estate Sale Auction. People from all around the area who strongly support the Academy have donated SO MANY things for this auction to help the school raise money. Today there is a free walk through where silent bids can be made on items and then on Saturday the auction is going to be held. The auction will have hors devours and refreshments and many, many things to bid on! This is a great way to take a look at the Academy and support a system that works for so many young girls! If you have the time, I encourage you to stop in at Mount De Chantal and have a look for yourselves...this is a very beautiful campus and an academy that truly makes a difference!

Finally, I want to thank Mrs. Campbell for her time in helping me to be able to put this article together and I want to wish her and everyone at Mount De Chantal much luck with the auction and a very happy holiday season. Here's wishing you another 160 years of success!