2 Types of Schools
|
How to plan and apply for Traditional Boarding School
Selecting the right boarding school for your child
Many boarding schools are referred to as military academies or military schools. These schools usually offer all of the benefits that you would expect from a traditional boarding school. Many times the term "military" in their school name is there because of the history of the school or an added emphasis on discipline exists.
After deciding on a boarding school or specialty boarding school
depending on your teens unique needs. For a traditional boarding school
applications determine who will or will not be allowed to enroll. In
specialty boarding schools there are still factors determining if a
student will be admitted but it is usually less severe than
traditional boarding schools. If you feel your child may be better
suited with a specialty boarding school then this criteria is most helpful.
Before the school selects its students, the students / parents select
their schools. The process is unique for each student, as unique as the
student and his or her family.
No one school would be right for everyone. The school should meet the
student's current interests, yet offer the opportunity to explore new
interests as well. The only "best" school is the one that best suits a
particular student's needs, as judged by the parents, the school and
the student.
In a sense, the whole family attends a boarding school. For traditional
boarding school conduct your search as a family. It is extremely
important that your child be involved in the entire process. For
specialty boarding schools oftentimes the student is not at a maturity
level to be involved in the specialty boarding school decision.
Realize that you can't act intelligently without the necessary
information. The school is an extension of your views and supportive
environment.
Questions to ask for traditional boarding school:
1. What does the student need?
2. Where does your student stand academically, and what is his or her potential?
3. What are your goals? What do you want of the school? Your child's
input is important in answering this. But sometimes a student says just
what he or she thinks is expected. It's important to discuss this
openly, and to build on a foundation of genuine interests.
4. Get moving. Visit, submit applications, and let the student take the
lead. The student, not the parent, should be the star in every part of
this process. That includes the interview. After all, the school
is interested in the student, not you.
5. You can learn a lot just by applying. The application process
requires personal insight and self-examination. Take advantage of this
process. It may come in handy even many years later.
6. Trust your impressions. School is more than facilities and numbers.
Will your child find academic and social peers there? On the other
hand, will everybody be the same? How much exercise will your child
enjoy? Does the school retain its teachers long? Do the teachers live
on campus? Is it "homey"?
Remember, as a noted secondary school chemistry teacher was fond of
saying, "'prestige' is just 'egitserp' spelled backwards." The
placement ratios of many lesser known schools are every bit as
impressive as those of more prestigious schools.
Factors to consider when evaluating boarding schools:
- Size
- Social scene
- Location -- if your child is a city kid, he or she may
prefer a school with a relatively urban setting. How far is the nearest
fast food? Other students may prefer a location suited to sports, or
nature. Some campuses include farms.
- What are the facilities like? For example, is there sufficient opportunity for
privacy?
- College placement -- will your kid be in the top 20% of the
senior class? That's the level expected of applicants to the most
selective colleges. Ironically, attending the most prestigious school
may not be a benefit if your child is likely to wind up in the lower
half of the class.
- Workload
- Academic and other requirements
- Does the visit "feel" right? Trust your instincts.
- What support services are available? Counseling? Emotional
guidance? Sports and other physical education? Library facilities?
- What are classes like? If possible, sit in on a few.
- Also look for:
- A safe environment, free of abusive influences, yet
encouraging students to take reasonable risks in their academic and
social pursuits?
- Teachers that work with students and tend to treat each as an individual?
- Respect for the student? Fair disciplinary practices and
well-supervised dorms. A good boarding school enables the students to
learn from their mistakes.
- An understanding of adolescents. A collect professor is not the same a s a prep
school teacher. And should not be.
- Opportunities for the student to develop leadership qualities.
- A global awareness of social issues.
- Promotion of family values.
Ready to enroll in a traditional boarding school? learn more here.
Do you feel a specialty boarding school will work better for you?
A specialty boarding school encompasses many of the positive aspects of
traditional boarding schools while giving more focus and specialization
to character building TM, emotional growth and development, manners, leadership, confidence and helping
teens learn how to make good decisions.
|
