We stumbled upon a great blog post yesterday on PopSugar—Everything You Need to Know About Sending Your Child to Boarding School. Author Eleanor Sheehan is a boarding school graduate and provides 8 reasons why boarding school was a “positive choice” for her. In her words:
- There are a lot of rules
- Academics are rigorous
- Discussions in class are encouraged
- Team sports are high valued
- Relationships are more intense
- Expulsions are common
- It’s rich in tradition
- The food is good
As a boarding school graduate, a mom, and someone who works in the industry, I read her piece nodding my head in agreement to most of her thoughts. She touches on some big selling points of the boarding school option including structure, top-rate academics, the forging of lifelong friendships and mentors, and learning to thrive and survive in order to prepare for the world outside of the boarding school bubble (namely…college and life).
But she also makes two excellent points in her introductory paragraphs that I wish more folks knew.
- We often hear the word “sent” — such as “I was sent to boarding school.” As if it’s a punishment or a sentence. Really, we need to coin a different term. These days we often find that kids are the instigators of this decision. They are opting in, asking for an incredible opportunity called boarding school.
- “…parents can still parent without being present…” — this is huge! While I’ve never parented a boarding school child (I’m still parenting toddlers), I can say as an alum that I saw my parents all the time. And, my friends whose parents lived further away—they even saw their parents and spoke with them frequently.
What was your experience?
