Private School to Boarding School

classicalmama
Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:13:21 +0000

As a full-pay family, your child will no doubt get into a good boarding school as long as he casts a reasonably wide net. If you go to visit schools, it’s almost as sure a bet that he will fall in love with a school.

The real question is whether the diversity of the boarding school population (and I think ChoatieMom’s assessment of that diversity is right on) is a good trade-off for sending your kind off four years early, all other things being equal. It’s hard, when you’re looking at those beautiful buildings and that diverse student body, to really see the donwsides.

Now, obviously, we made that choice for one of our children, and for that kid, it was absolutely the right choice as he so clearly needed something different–he was really miserable at home, and there were not local options that would have improve things for him. So the amount we miss him is more than balanced out by how much happier he is there. If he had been reasonably happy and challenged at home, though, as his brother is, I think I would have looked to fill in the gaps in a less drastic way. By the way, I can completely relate to the lack of diversity you describe–we’re right there with you, geographically and demographically. But travel and immersion into a culture through study abroad might just achieve that end for you better than four years of boarding school, for the reasons ChoatieMom describes so well above.

(Me after observing a Parent’s Week-end History Class: That’s so cool the way you had a South Korean girl in class who could speak personally about the reasons why the U.S. siding with her country after the World War was so important.

Child: Huh? Yeah, I guess. That girl is really quiet…aaaaaa, where’s my book?! See that guy? He’s an amazing swimmer…)

Have you read through the downsides of boarding school thread? Given that everyone there is happy with the choice, that’s a good thread to read before you visit, to balance out the relative pros and cons of boarding and day school.