4 Common Myths About Boarding School
- 30 November 2022
Does the idea of sending your kid to boarding school make you correlate with the parents of Ishaan in ‘Taare Zameen Par’? or any other movie you saw or books you read that involves kids boarding life?
Well, as a house parent at boarding school, I sometimes hear the concerns of parents who look for boarding, and can definitely say that is not how Boarding houses actually are. Let me bust the top 4 most common myths about boarding that I have come across. Take a look and see, once the truths are uncovered, a boarding school might be the right fit for your child.
Truth: This is one of the significant concerns of parents as they wonder whether their child will be able to live on his own or not. The truth is our boarding school provides a friendly environment for students while ensuring that there is required discipline at the same time. Although there are rules, however, students also enjoy a high degree of freedom within the large campuses that such schools have. Students need to adhere to the schedule, which ensures that they develop discipline and focus. A boarding school also provides them with an opportunity to live with their friends and make lifelong memories.
In fact, if you come and have a look at Oakridge Boarding you can see the Principal, School Director, Bursar and students live in the same campus together as a family. Students are at the liberty to enjoy their time and pursue their dreams. At the same time they are under the constant supervision of teachers and senior leadership team who ensure that the children are walking on the right path.
Truth: A boarding school prepares students holistically – that includes sports and performing arts along with academics. Parents often struggle between boarding school vs day school. Maybe it is because of a lack of knowledge and awareness. A boarding school has plenty of fun and interactive activities for students to participate in and enjoy. For instance, here at Oakridge there are various clubs like the cultural club, cooking club, gardening club etc. in the boarding house, where students get together every weekend and have a lot of fun activities. Then there are trips, off- campus activities as well for students to rejuvenate themselves.
As students have to live their lives 24×7, a boarding school offers an inclusive curriculum for maximum learning.
Truth: People often mistakenly believe that staff and faculty at boarding schools are not likable and amiable. That is why they feel that their child may be subject to unkind behavior. However, in reality, a good boarding school has well qualified and friendly teachers. At Oakridge teachers and students live together in the same boarding campus. In fact, post school hours we are more like mentors where students come and share with us their daily happenings at school, their thoughts, feelings and many more.
As students are living away from home, the pastoral care teachers at a boarding school or a weekly boarding school, make sure that they act as their guardians.
Truth: That is definitely far from the truth. It is crucial to understand that a boarding school is not a type of punishment for troublesome kids. All parents who are well-informed prefer to send their offspring to boarding schools. Boarding offers a diverse learning environment allowing each student to become an independent and confident person, while imparting quality education. In fact, sending your child to boarding is like providing your child the perfect opportunity they have been looking for to encounter new challenges and develop themselves as a well rounded person.
The bottomline is boarding school education is not just for troublesome kids or is limited to classroom education with a strict environment. It is a 24×7 immersive path for your child’s holistic development. You will find great teachers who are experts in their subject, and you can also see them teach students how to perform daily chores. Residential school students can better concentrate on their subjects as they have limited access to TV, mobile phones, and other digital media. So if you wish to join your child in a residential school then I would recommend you to look out for a school which provides world-class education and international standard of facilities.
