Sending children to Boarding schools are a custom that many families in India tend to follow. However, actual knowledge about boarding school always tends to be covered and some parents tend to use it as a threat for children who are naughty or performing poorly academically.
Here is a list of common myths about boarding schools:
1. Boarding schools are only for naughty kids
Most troubled children get threatened with being sent to boarding school. Boarding schools are actually populated with children whose parents have jobs that require them to move a lot or parents who feel like their children are mature enough to handle the rigours of boarding school. A boarding school is like any other school, except the students who tend to study there also live on the school premises itself.
2. Dormitories are like prisons
Most certainly not. Most dormitories are welcoming places populated with children and bed and their various Knick knacks. Yes, children do have study hours and have to go to sleep at a certain time but the only places that tend to be locked are the doors which lead into the dormitory.
3. Students in boarding school do not have fun
Students in boarding school do have fun. And sometimes, they have more fun than day scholars do because there is no chance of them being alone, not when they stay with their friends and in some cases, even room with them. In fact, when day scholars and boarding school students study together, it is the day scholars who need to work harder to fit in to boarding school culture, sometimes even feeling left out because they do not have the opportunities that residential students do.
4. It’s all about studying and you won’t fit in
Boarding school children study just as much as the average day scholar does. In fact the children in a boarding school are no different from children in a normal school. The portrayal of boarding schools in media tends to be skewed. Before you join a boarding school, or want to enroll your child in one, visit the campus of the school. You will be surprised by how warm and welcoming the place is.
5. There is lot of homework and it is difficult
While a boarding school will follow a certain curriculum, it does have a curriculum that extends beyond the one that traditional day schools follow. Boarding schools not only focus on studies, but on sports, extracurricular activities, holistic development etc. A student’s day is not only filled with classes, but also with sports, field trips, excursion etc. Students are given homework in accordance to the curriculum the school follows.
6. Diversity is rare at boarding schools
Wrong. Boarding schools are melting pots of diversity. Of course, you will find that the majority of students might be from the same state or country the boarding school is situated in, but students come from far and wide to join boarding schools. It is not unusual to have several multinational students within a boarding school.
7. It will be hard to keep in touch with the family.
Boarding school students and their families are privileged in that with the advances in communications, it’s much easier than ever to stay connected. Most of the boarding schools these days have a weeks’ vacation every three months so that the children do not get homesick.
Do you think we’ve missed out on something? Give your response in the comments section!
Source: http://theteachersdigest.com/8-myths-about-boarding-schools-busted/
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