Boarding school is a unique opportunity provided to students who want to grow academically and individually both inside and outside of the classroom. The residential campus environment ensures that students are immersed in an educational world where learning is central to all activities. It’s a unique setting that promotes common experience, camaraderie, friendship, trust and honesty between children and adults.
Apart from these, there are some myths about boarding school.
Boarding Schools Myths:
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Myth 1: Diversity is rare at boarding school.
More than a quarter of all boarding students are either students of colour or international students. Boarding schools are generally more diverse than public schools – they actively seek diversity and draw from many geographic areas whereas local schooling options are dependent on neighbourhood living patterns where populations tend to concentrate along ethnic or socio-economic lines. Also, boarding schools create more meaningful opportunities for different students to interact with one another. Students represent different races, ethnicities, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and they speak many different languages. Further, these students often exhibit a wide range of academic, physical, and social abilities or skills.
Myth 2: Boarding school is for kids who are having trouble at home or school.
Sometimes, people may get confused and can cause misperceptions that boarding schools are only for kids who are having trouble at home or school.
But in contrast, Boarding schools are often ideal choices for students who are already doing generally well at school and at home but would simply like to find new challenges. The key objective of boarding schools is to prepare students for college through rigorous academics. Boarding schools are for making child self-dependent, to learn to share, getting more social and many more qualities.
Myth 3: It will be hard to keep in touch with my family.
Boarding school students and their families are fortunate in that it’s easier than ever to stay connected. Years before, yes it was hard to keep in touch, but nowadays the Internet, in particular, is redefining how boarders and their families communicate. Boarding schools offer Internet access for their students, with most schools having access in each boarding house, and some in each bedroom. While Internet access is regulated for use between certain hours, students can often be in daily contact with their parents. Depending on the school and its policies, cell phones can also be helpful in keeping families connected.
Myth4: Boarding schools are for the rich
A family does not have to be wealthy to send a child to boarding school. But since they are private institutions and not free public schools, there is some cost involved. Many families believe the sacrifices they make to pay for the education is well worth it. Boarding schools also encourage students to apply for grants, bursaries and financial assistance if the family qualifies. These schools are melting pots of diversity. It’s not unusual to have several multinational students attending along with students from lower-income families as well.
Myth5: Boarding schools are all about academics
While a boarding school will follow a certain curriculum, it does have a curriculum that extends beyond the one that traditional public schools follow. The schools not only focus on studies, but on sports, extracurricular activities, and individual development. A student’s day is not only filled with classes, but also with sports, field trips, and often excursions. Students are given homework in accordance with the curriculum the school follows. But a boarding school experience is much more than constant study with no free time or entertainment. In one word we can say, “It is a place where at every step you learn something.”