There are many reasons to
go to boarding school. The academics, the athletics, extracurricular activities,
personality development are just a few considerations. Here are the 10 top
reasons why you should go to boarding school.
Why should you
consider sending your child to boarding school? Wouldn't he/she do just as well
at day school? This is a common question for parents to ponder as
they review their Boarding School options. You have made the decision to send
him to a Boarding School in principle. Now it is just a matter of working out
the details.
There are many reasons to go to a boarding school.
The academics, the athletics, Swimming, Horse Riding and the extracurricular activities
are just a few of the considerations. But there's more. Much more. Here are the
10 top reasons why you should go to boarding school.
1. It's cool
to be smart.
This is probably
the best reason to go to boarding school. In a day school the kids who really
want to learn frequently end up being social outcasts. Not so in boarding
school. It's cool to be smart in boarding school. With exposure to dining,
dressing etiquettes, communication skills, leadership qualities, personality
development, EQ, IQ, SQ , clubs, hobbies and sports, they are finishing schools
in themselves.
2. The classes are
small.
If you are in a Day School
with 50-60 students to a class, chances are that you will just be a number,
unless you are very smart or very bad. You will probably get lots of attention
either way. In a boarding school, on the other hand, classes typically are 30-35
students. You cannot hide in a class that small. You have to participate. You
will get called upon for your response. You will never just be a number in a
boarding school. Boarding schools, as a rule, are not very large. Yes, some have
a student population in the 350-600 student range.
3. You will learn to
be responsible for yourself.
Taking a lot of little
steps towards maturity is one of the intangibles of going to boarding school.
You have to learn to get along with others because it is a community. You learn
to be responsible for your actions because you are bound by an honor or discipline
code of some kind. The lessons in life learned in boarding school will lay a
solid foundation for adulthood.
You will make friends for life. Most boarding
school graduates look back at their years in school as a time when lasting
friendships were established. Coupled with that is the building of a network of
friends and acquaintances who know you and care about you. Isn't that what life
is really all about? Being surrounded by people who understand you and care
about you is affirming and encouraging. We all can do with a dose of
encouragement now and then.
4. The libraries/media
centers are well-stocked.
The older, more
established schools have traditional library facilities which in many cases are
better equipped than those at many schools. Libraries have morphed over the
years into media centers. The typical boarding school library will have the latest
technology available, in addition to all the usual print materials. Apart from
school libraries boarding schools have mini libraries in the boarding houses as
well.
5. You will be
surrounded by classmates who want to be better prepared for life.
Your classmates are in
a boarding school because they want to be there. They want to learn. They want
to be successful. The reason you go to boarding school is to learn. Most
schools are rather selective about who they admit. Being willing to work hard
in class and play hard on the playing field is all part of the college prep
package boarding schools offer.
6. You will be
stretched by the amount of academic work you have to do.
In a day school, you
might read one Shakespeare play in a year if you are lucky and it happens to be
relevant to the test. In a boarding school, you will read three or four
Shakespeare plays and enact them into dramatics which is a serious activity.
Teaching to the test is virtually unheard of because boarding schools only have
to be concerned with getting you into a college. As a result, the depth and
breadth of the academic courses in most schools is remarkable. This applies to
traditional and progressive high schools alike.
7. You will get to
live at home away from home.
It's never easy to
leave the nest. But, doesn't it make more sense to make the move a few years
before college? Of course, it does. You will learn how to cope with life and
all its many high and low points within a community of your peers who are going
through the same things you are. All of this is happening in pastoral care
under the watchful eyes of your teachers who are mentors, not baby-sitters. A
regimented life builds character.
8. You will have great
arts & hobbies programs, clubs and hobbies.
Theatre, dance, music,
fine arts, in short, anything and everything artistic is part of the
opportunity which awaits you at most boarding schools. Several schools have
magnificent performing arts centers. Music, bands, orchestras, will give you
many opportunities to use your musical talents. Clubs & hobbies like
photography, culinary arts, wood crafts, Astronomy, arts & crafts gives
exposure for skill development.
9.
You will have great sports and extra-curricular facilities.
Most
boarding schools have amazing sports facilities. The range of sports and teams
is mind-boggling. You will find everything from swimming to horse riding, cricket
to basketball. So are equestrian facilities. Many boarding school fitness
facilities make commercial fitness establishments look tame. The school teams
travel regionally and nationally to compete.
10.
You will get great teachers who love to teach & provide pastoral care.
Boarding schools traditionally hire teachers
with degrees in their subjects. As well a large number of these experienced
teachers have advanced experience in their fields. Typically, all are
passionate about their subject and love to teach it to young people. Because
discipline is rarely a problem in boarding schools, these talented teachers get
to teach without having to be traffic cops or paper pushers like their day
school counterparts. Apart from teaching, Boarding School teachers are trained
and have a big role to play in Pastoral care and personality development of the
boarding students.
Don't put off starting
the process of choosing a boarding school to the last minute. You will need at
least six months before the next session of the year in which you want your
child to be in school.
The
Boarding school should have a substantial strength in boarding houses to have
organized sports and activities, inter-house activities, etc. Even Indian Public
Schools’ Conference (IPSC) has changed its constitution of giving membership to
IPSC. Now a school has to have not less than 250 students in boarding for IPSC
membership.
It
is rightly said in the Book – ‘LETS PRAY BEFORE OUR MEAL’ Life in a Boarding
School,
authored by Js Mann
“Life in a Boarding School
starts after Lunch”
