Saturday 14 May 2022

Life in a Boarding School

 

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”

 



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