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  Case: Cannot Cooperate
Aisha is known as a responsible and smart student. I have known her for the last two years, but this year is the first time she is taking one of my classes. She is in my 10th grade US History class. Recently, I started using small group projects in my class. I simply want my students to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce the project together. Although Aisha is willing to take part in these small group projects, she does not want to be in groups with male students because of her religious beliefs. When she told me about this, I told her that she was in the United States and that she had to work with whoever she is in a group with. In the first group project, Aisha was in a group with three males and one female students. She simply did not participate in any of the group activities. I wonder if should reconsider my original position on this issue and accommodate Aisha by having her work only with girls. Would I be doing her a disservice? What should I do?
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)

I would allow her to work in a group where she is comfortable. I don't think it would be doing her a disservice by only allowing her to work with boys. She would still be getting the activity accomplished and learning the material in the process. If she was in the group with boys and did not participate, she would not be completing the activity and would not be learning the material. Students need to feel comfortable in their work / classroom environment. They may be an underlying issue with males or a something personal with a male may have happened that's caused her to feel this way. We as teachers need to take this into consideration and make sure that she is comfortable in the classroom and is able to learn in a positive and inviting environment.