How to choose a Boarding School for your child? Questions Decoded.

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We have come across in many movies where the protagonist goes to a boarding school which is full of scenic beauty, the melodrama of bullying students, the motivating teachers and to top all a strict principal. This typical background of a boarding school has however created a fixed assumption among non boarding school believers that boarding school or the “Hostel life” is an authoritarian atmosphere where only stubborn, difficult-to-handle kids are sent as a means of their punishment which they deserve for being so unruly or negligent with their behaviour with parents and at the school. It is a generalized pre-assumption what we see among few parents who are actually unaware of the motive and the optimism behind the boarding schools.

There are a few important aspects which make the parents send their darling kids to the boarding schools which is,“Home away from home”.

Prospective Success: Children who got to the boarding schools are bound to certain rules and regulations which differ from the regular day school. As compared to the day school where children spend about 6 to 7 hours in a day, the rules at the boarding school is crafted in such a way that the children get accessibility to their school and the post school activities in a same secured environment. This builds a strong competitiveness spirit inside a student wherein the competition is with their own self. It’s all about how they manage their curricular, sports and cultural equilibrium and come out with flying colors achieving success in totality.

Holistic approach: A Child studying in a constructive environment of a boarding school will be exposed to many co-students’ company who come from different cultural backgrounds and those who possess various talents. According to Jacob Bronowski – “Knowledge is something very personal, responsible and it is an endless adventure on borders of uncertainly“. Knowledge might not be just getting an A grade in your studies. Knowledge is also knowing the angle from which you throw the ball to get a batsman bowled or even knowing how to strike a right string at the right beat in a guitar. A fine connection with the like-minded people opens up countless horizons for those fresh minds who would love to explore the undiscovered passions in them.

Excellence:

There are innumerable boarding schools in India and abroad which are so popular for their own specific reasons like a father who thinks – ‘my favourite star Mr. Amitabh Bachchan studied in a boarding school and so will my son/daughter’. A corporate biggie mom who says – ‘Making my child study in this institution will hold a greater value in his/her CV.’. An A Grader dreams of studying in a boarding school which can make him more confident to reach one step closer to his cherishing dreams. The location, curriculum, food, friends, experience or the legacy; the list is perpetual.

Best age of life: 13 to 19…the terrific teenage! Adolescence is the age when a child’s thoughts and perspective widens up. If not attended appropriately would change the entire outlook in a person’s life. Parenting tips or skills…nothing will come handy if your teenager is going haphazardly fast leaving some distasteful decisions. Boarding school caters to all the needs of the pubescent population who are either convinced or confused concerning to the whereabouts of their future. In house teachers – always ready to extend a friendly support, faculty which includes counsellors and the peer group who are coming from different family background to a similar environment act as a portable library by itself. The stability developed with the faculty and the right companions will be proven beneficial in their long run for a successful and a meaningful life.

Although India has many boarding schools which carry a great lineage of achievers to its credit, there are still many people who think twice while considering admitting their children to a boarding school. Let us roll out few positive aspects of boarding school which may aid as a checklist for all of those who are judgemental with reference to these institutional setups:

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• Curriculum: With the top-notch, highly skilled faculty training the children, the students flourish themselves into knowledgeable individuals whose change in the viewpoint will take them to places. The thirst to achieve will be quenched by the vast academic agendas, sporting events, cultural meets, spiritual gatherings etc keeping them on the toes throughout their stay at the school. This curriculum par excellence will aid them during the major walks of life, when they are out as successful and skillful professionals, taking decisions of their life independently.

• Values: Being independent, confident and accountable is one of the rarest combinations which could be achieved with ease for the students at boarding schools who are bred to be potential leaders. Keeping them away from their parents’ safe hands will make them stronger to face the world and life as it comes. The featured equality in the hostel environment makes way for a non-biased persona out of a student.

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• Accepting change: Hostel life is one phase when we meet people from a variety of backgrounds. Diverse culture, different languages and interacting with people possessing innumerable qualities will make a refreshing subject by itself for a student.

• Facilities: The vital amenities like in-house swimming pool, library, recreation halls, well-balanced food, medical supervision, state of the art infrastructure, great academic support, hobby classes, sports complexes etc are found in almost all institutions in the present day. These are the fundamental requirements any boarding school comprises, making it a less mundane place to spend your challenging and cherishing parts of childhood.

• Glorious alumni: The very simple fact that being a part of the most celebrated list of the old students’ association of a great tradition standing head-high as a historical momument- is a sheer joy in itself. While walking down your memory lane you will visit all those wonderful times spent under a great teacher’s tutelage, the friends you made for a lifetime, the activities, the festivals celebrated together and above all, the scenic environment of the splendid campus you were a part of…gives you goose bumps till you die.

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Something good must also contain its own share of negative points. Boarding schools offer great support to build a successful life but according to Joy Schaverien – Author of Boarding school syndrome; – “Children go to school when they’re very young, this causes a psychological rupture which keeps them from struggling to show any emotion to a broken relationship with their parents. Or they might sometimes play a low key when it comes to missing their parents which makes them homesick.

As Malcolm.S. Forbes aptly quotes – “The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” – Boarding school aids in a positive approach in its own way. A bit rigid or stiff at times, or bringing up a puff of fresh air infused with a scent of personal freedom- hostel life would for sure be one of the most memorable part of life which only a “Boarder” or a “Hostelite” can experience. A student who walks out of a boarding school would for sure be a torchbearer of unmatched socio-cultural optimism and a supreme star in his/her desired field of accomplishment.