Oh my, that’s really expensive! Costs about twice as much as my uni. No wonder my mom didn’t want to send me away!
@sidura my school is about $29,000 per year.
Very late on this, but I wanted to chime in.
I would never send my child to boarding school - I would move before I sent my child away to basically be raised and educated by someone else, that’s my responsibility and I don’t care WHAT the level of academics are, I think it’s a cop out and I refuse to do it. (Only in a very extreme situation would I ever consider it). I also do not like the environment or ideals that are often enforced in those types of establishments. (Basically being surrounded by the very rich, not the type of people I want my kids to be surrounded by in general - I don’t share the same political / religious / social ideals that they, in general, tend to have). Here in the US (I can’t speak for elsewhere), the level of diversity at such places is basically slim to none and I am sorry, but that is something that is VERY important to my family. I don’t care if you can teach my child advanced algebra in the 3rd grade, if there is zero diversity in the people then it’s useless, [name]IMO[/name].
Before I taught at one I might have considered it, but knowing what I know now about what goes on and how little supervision it is possible to have I would not send my children to a boarding school. I saw too many good kids end up down paths I don’t believe they ever would have taken had they been in more traditional situation.
There was great diversity at my school- over 50 countries represented- and yet I felt that the culture was more one of wealth than of any particular nation. Plus kids tended to hang out mainly with other people who spoke their own native language (not that I blame them. It is exhausting speaking a different language all day!) so it didn’t feel as diverse as it sounds.
I know plenty of kids go to boarding school, have an awesome experience and turn out fine, but I personally couldn’t take the risk having seen what I have seen in the school in which I worked.
But I recognize that there are situations in which it can be the best option for a family. For example, I taught one girl who’s dad was a diplomat in a dangerous place and her mom was a reporter in Iraq during the war. Spending most of her time at a school in Europe is probably a good call in that case.
Zaelia, may I ask where you taught? (If you don’t want to specify school, can you at least say which country?) [name]Just[/name] interested as we most likely will send our children to boarding school. (Or you could pm me, I just want to rule out schools before I (at some point) start wooing.)
I guess I’m in the minority, but I high school is too young to move away from your parents. I think public school was great for me, and I wouldn’t want to be away from my family. And younger than high school, well, I just think I would have felt like I was being sent away.
I didn’t go to boarding school though most of my family did at one point. Considering that I have a host of LD’s boarding school would probably have been detrimental to my educational career. [name]Even[/name] in traditional school environments, the number of kids go undiagnosed and unsupported is scary. Most children only succeed through school because they have a parent help them advocate for themselves. This type of advocacy is a consistent and constant process of monitoring and reaffirming standards set. Honestly most college kids have problems with this and find it difficult to stand up for their rights against professors who disagree. (Seriously the number of professors I’ve had in grad school ask if my accommodations were really necessary after handing in the appropriate paperwork from the neuropsychologist and university department is rather ridiculous.) So… basically what I’m saying is that it depends on the student. a “normal” well adjusted kid could do really well at boarding school, I also think that students with LD’s but very absent parents could benefit but, I think that for students like me it could be more hurtful than helpful. (But then again I was always very independent and found the transition to college easier than most of my hall-mates).
I went to Swiss boarding school for a year (I was 14), but then I dropped out and went back to my school in my hometown, because I really missed my family and my friends and the school system wasn’t really for me (too much rules, not enough freedom, too small town - no place to go), although I loved the school itself (the students, the teachers, the education and especially the activities and the nature).
I think it’s good for other people and bad for others. I was too young to go there, it was too hard for me to live without my parents and I was homesick all the time. There were some other people younger than me and they were perfectly okay so… well, yea, that really depends on a person themselves.
I went to boarding school for a few years. Loved it. I don’t know about sending my kids quite yet. They’ll probably go to the private school I teach at.