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Is boarding school beneficial or detrimental?


Sunflowerr

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Thats a good question and before I answer....Merry Xmas :) .

Boarding school looks like a great opportunity to make friends for a lifetime and become independent. But this is only if the student can handle being by them selves , able to manage them selves and able to cope with living with other people. The thought of living on school grounds 24/7 scares me, it would almost feel like going on school field trips " Cant do this, cant do that". I think girls find it more easier (big generalization), they can quickly group and can share emotions between themselves with out being called 'pansies'.

Great Age I would say would be 16-18, JUST WHEN YOUR DOING IB.

Also may be a good time to get rid of distractions and knuckle down.

But life with parents is short , I dont know if I want to miss memories etc.

Drew Row

Edited by drewrow
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For me, I think that life in a boarding school is both beneficial and detrimental. However, the negative part is only minor and do not affect much compared to the benefits that one get. My experience enter a boarding school at the age of 16 had teach me a lot about being independent. I admit that the first few weeks in the boarding school did give me the feeling of homesick. But the feeling does not last long as it is filled with a new family. My friends, and we share many common things. Leaving together make our relationship more tighten. It is like a second family.

Thinking back about my school life, I remember how I enjoy to be with friends. Walk together, wake up together, chit chat before sleep, even being scolded together. :)

It is kind among my best memories. Other things is that, live in a boarding school enables one to develop many skills that we cannot get anywhere. The skills wont be the same as if we were to just enter daily schools.

However, being far from family might trigger someone to do something that is wrong as it is out of the parents control such went outing to a concert or somewhere.

After all, it is back to us on how we decide to live our life. It doesn't matter whether it is boarding school or not, as long as one know how to control his/her life, success will be there... :)

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i've actually been to a boarding school- but only for year 7 and a part of year 8. i can tell you that there are lots of good and bad sides about boarding school. It all depends on your attitude to it and your personality. Drawing on personal experience, the first years of boarding school may not be too beneficial for your studies. A group of teenagers don't tend to get as much studing done as when your by yourself- trust me your fellow boarders won't let you. so if you are one of those people who need to put the time and effort in, maybe boarding school isn't really a good idea. The good sides are that you are independant, and you get to do a whole heap of things that you never would do by yourself. So if you are really social and active boarding school is going to be great. Unfortunately if you love quiet time and privacy, you should just give it up. that doesn't happen until year 11 and 12- and even then it is compulsory that you be dorm monitor for the crazy littlies- (at the school i went to).

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  • 1 month later...

depends if the child wants to go or not, I worked in a summer camp last summer, and I had soem kids who were absolutley miserable because they liked being at home and around their fmailies. if they're going to be in a mood about being away from home, it'll definitely affect them

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I feel like boarding school is very detrimental to a child... i have 3 siblings that went into boarding schools and sure it taught them alot of things and at the end they became very disciplined, but interaction with the outside world was limited. It was school every single day and even though they did not go to school on weekends, they were still in the school and they saw the same people and were basically isolated from the world

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I feel like boarding school is very detrimental to a child... i have 3 siblings that went into boarding schools and sure it taught them alot of things and at the end they became very disciplined, but interaction with the outside world was limited. It was school every single day and even though they did not go to school on weekends, they were still in the school and they saw the same people and were basically isolated from the world

Isn't a disciplined child a good thing? Also when they grow up they're free to do whatever they want.

Edited by Eternal.
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  • 3 weeks later...

I would say that boarding school is more beneficial than detrimental. I think the biggest harm for a child's development is the coddling they receive from their parents. There is certainly a difference between love and doting. Of course, doting almost always entails love and love almost always entails doting but the truly successful parents love their children without spoiling them. Boarding school gives a child an opportunity to slowly adjust to society. The school environment is never exactly hostile (although occasionally stern for disciplining purposes). A child who is educated in this kind of environment, imo, will have an easier transition into the real world and into university because they are already accustomed to these kinds of lifestyles. They know how to take care of themselves. :D

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I've always been in a normal school, and I don't like the British way of sending children to boarding school when they reach age 13; so many of my friends were packed off by their parents to England for the next 5 years. Their parents didn't even live in the same country as them, and so the children only saw them once every few months. What kind of a bond does that build? It's the mentality of "children are in the way and should be seen, not heard".

And not to generalize, but most of the boarding school people I've met have been snobs. The British boarding schools in Kenya had grand facilities like stables, their own forests and lakes and huge sports fields, and the students there looked down on day school students in cities. When I was on a hockey trip in England and I was hosted by 2 families, they were quite snobby to some of my friends, asking them what they thought of the 18-hole golf course at the school. Fine, so your parents have the money to send you to a private school; don't brag about it.

Basically, I don't have a very good picture of boarding schools. A girl from the year above me left to one in England and came back hooked on cocaine. In the Kenyan newspapers there were several reports of men walking in to the school grounds of all-girls boarding schools and raping them at night. Boarding schools might enforce discipline, but parents should really be able to do that at home. And why have kids in the first place if you're going to send them away? The only situation I'd consider acceptable for doing so would be if you live in a country where the level of education isn't high and your parents send you away to school so you can get a better education. But parents should take responsibility for their children and not thrust them upon others so they can enjoy their lives without their kids.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I go to a boarding school and have attended this school since 6th grade. In my opinion, boarding school is more helpful then harmful. Sure your away from your family, but soon you are going to have to be more independent when you get older and boarding school perpares you for that. Going to baording school is a lot of fun. Its not like your locked in your room after classes. There are a ton of actitvites that help balance out work and play. i mean I've learned how to do laundry (which I wouldn't have bothered to do if i was day schooling lol) and other responsibilites. Plus, you don't have your parents to hold your hand and fix everything for you, so you learn to depend on yourself more then your mom and dad.

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I think it's beneficial to a certain extent, in that it would be a huge character builder and help oneself to be indepedendent and confident. However I think it's worth it to also have the experience of attending a public school so that you can experience both types of schooling.

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Thats a good question and before I answer....Merry Xmas :D .

Boarding school looks like a great opportunity to make friends for a lifetime and become independent. But this is only if the student can handle being by them selves , able to manage them selves and able to cope with living with other people. The thought of living on school grounds 24/7 scares me, it would almost feel like going on school field trips " Cant do this, cant do that". I think girls find it more easier (big generalization), they can quickly group and can share emotions between themselves with out being called 'pansies'.

Great Age I would say would be 16-18, JUST WHEN YOUR DOING IB.

Also may be a good time to get rid of distractions and knuckle down.

But life with parents is short , I dont know if I want to miss memories etc.

Drew Row

I'm going to have to second that notion. Independence is critical, the foundation of self-sufficiency is extremely important. However to a certain extent, guidence is needed, there needs to be a voice of reason to stop the independent mind from straying too far. Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran prior to the 1979 revolution had believed that revolution and a government for the people wasn't possible, he believed that the general population at the time (illiterate) could not make decisions for themselves, so he saw himself fit. Ultimately, he may have been right because after the 1979 revolution the nation has been in a rut, no better or no worse than it was under a secular monarchy. What I am trying to say is that boarding school should be a great opportunity for those who have the mental capacity and maturity to make use of their independence. However it can be detrimental to the individual because kids in boarding schools tend to be sheltered, they are independent but there independent reality is only a skewed version of how life is. This gives birth to the "pansies that Drew Row had stated.

Dont take for granted the role of parents in your life, often times I know myself that they can be unfair and unrational but they do care, and there is a point where defiance hurts you more than it hurts your parents. I lesson I may have learnt the hard way.

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Well, does normal school give you a proper vison of how life is? I don't understand your reasoning behind this, so I would like it if you explained your reasoning.

With anywhere you go in any school, nothing prepares you for real life as it comes, than actual life itself. However, in boarding schools, the kid is often sheltered and somewhat isolated from interaction with others outside of the school. However in normal school you have interaction with kids outside of the school, so you know how to socially interact with different people. Also normal school children are open to see the world through different viewpoints, granted there are different viewpoints in boarding schools, but to be honest most of the kids in the boarding schools have a similar fiscal situation so chances are the viewpoints deviate to far. In normal schools there are a more eclectic races and mindsets that you are disposed to in normal schools.

Let's put it this way, Boarding school children seem to have a naïveté about life, an attitude of insouciance that is a common trait shared by those who attend boarding school. The fact it, they are sheltered, they have little parental interaction, and guidance from anyone for that matter. Of course anyone in the world attending normal school has some part of their "vision" blocked, however those in boarding schools have a skewed perception of the world limited to what they have seen and the opinions of the like-minded individuals in the school.

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With anywhere you go in any school, nothing prepares you for real life as it comes, than actual life itself. However, in boarding schools, the kid is often sheltered and somewhat isolated from interaction with others outside of the school. However in normal school you have interaction with kids outside of the school, so you know how to socially interact with different people. Also normal school children are open to see the world through different viewpoints, granted there are different viewpoints in boarding schools, but to be honest most of the kids in the boarding schools have a similar fiscal situation so chances are the viewpoints deviate to far. In normal schools there are a more eclectic races and mindsets that you are disposed to in normal schools.

Let's put it this way, Boarding school children seem to have a naïveté about life, an attitude of insouciance that is a common trait shared by those who attend boarding school. The fact it, they are sheltered, they have little parental interaction, and guidance from anyone for that matter. Of course anyone in the world attending normal school has some part of their "vision" blocked, however those in boarding schools have a skewed perception of the world limited to what they have seen and the opinions of the like-minded individuals in the school.

I don't board myself but I have a brother who does and it's not like people who board actually live in the schools and never get out. He's got plenty of friends from other schools and other places/backgrounds who he hangs out with all of the time-- it's just like some kids living at home choose not to get out much and other ones are wandering around town all the time. Social interaction and the range of people with whom you interact is all a personal thing, not a side-effect of boarding.

Also, I think it depends on the school, but there's a shedload of guidance (and serious monitoring etc.). All in all, I don't feel that your point of view is very realistic. Boarding houses aren't gated communities, and, particularly in part-boarding part-day schools, not at all sectioned off to just a small part of society-- certainly no more than non-boarding schools are. Every private school, as opposed to public school, will suffer from this problem *shrug*

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  • 2 months later...

I...honestly don't know.

I mean, my best friend went to boarding school and he hated it because of the food, the people, the atmosphere. (a guy)

Same as this other friend who was so excited to go, but is now coming back. (a girl)

Yet, I also know people who go and wind up liking it a lot.

I'm not sure what separates these people.

I think it might have something to do with going early or late.

Like, I guess you get accepting into the community easier if you've been there for a long time.

As for it it's beneficial or detrimental...

I think most of those schools like Exeter in the United States are feeder schools for the ivy league, so in that sense it's alright.

However, I think most boarding school kids are maladjusted.

Also, the kids who attend boarding school don't spend any time with their parents.

I mean, after they go to college, they'll see the parents even less.

After the get a job, that's even less.

Your middle school and high school years is the time you spend with your parents.

Without it, I think kids might tend to miss out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

One of my biggest dreams was to go to boarding school in China..

It never came true, but I have parted with the idea only in reality long enough to accept the social status of my family.

I think boarding school is absolutely great. Most of the IB kids work so hard they never even see their parents, well at least the ones in my IB family tree.

Some days I go to sleep and dont see my parents for 2 days at a time because of scheduling.

Independence, the language I would expand on by myself and the life lessons that will brake you in half long enough that you twist back to where you want to go in life. I think Boarding school is amazing. I would pack my bags in a heartbeat.

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In my opinion boarding school is something great - i can't even imagine how much independance i would gain if i could go to one.

But on the other hand - i have friends that live in dormitories in my city and go to normal schools. And well, they do nothing but party, drinking & so on. So boarding school is only for ppeople that can manage their time and lives properly - not to ruin it by having to much parties or sth.

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