A boarding school experience can be greatly beneficial to a student or it can be something that seems to fail.  The biggest determinate in the outcome of boarding is school is how the student rises to the challenges that they face along the way.  Boarding school encourages students to learn on a number of different levels including learning how to interact socially and academically in new environment.

There are many pros to choosing boarding school for a child.

Pro # 1 – Student/Teacher Relationships Grow

With students who are in a traditional school setting there is not much time for teacher interaction or for students to develop strong relationships with their teachers.  Teachers can be great mentors for students and can really encourage them to make good choices and have healthy relationships with other students.  In a boarding school setting students are not just with their teachers for a few short hours a day.  Instead they also learn to lean on their teachers for guidance and allow them to be great mentors in their lives.

Pro # 2 – Students Learn Structure

Boarding schools are known for their strict adherence to the rules.  Students know that they have to do the same things as all of the other students and learn how to function inside of structure.  Students become responsible for the choices that they make.  This forces them to learn how to accept responsibility of their own actions sooner than what students learn in a traditional setting.

Pro # 3 – Students Learn How to Behave Independently

Students also learn how to be more independent.  Students have to make decisions at a younger age on a daily basis.  They are also accountable for their actions and have no one to blame but themselves when they do something wrong.

There are also many cons to choosing a boarding school for a child.

Con # 1 – Isolation From Family

Many students report feeling isolated from their families.  This can cause them to not develop the relationships that they should with their parents and siblings and can leave them feeling like outsiders in their own homes.  It can also lead to students having stronger relationships with their friends than their family.

Con # 2 – Lack of Tolerance for Mistakes

Boarding schools are strict.  They are known for making students accept responsibility for the things that they do wrong.  The downside to this is that they are intolerant of a lot of behaviors that would be considered normal for the student’s age and accepted in different environments.  Attending a boarding school can make a student act more like an adult and less like a child much quicker.

Con # 3 – Students Grow Separately From Their Family

Last students might feel that they are growing up separate from their own family.  This means that they might not share family jokes, inside secrets, or stories about their families.  In some homes if one child is away at boarding school it can cause severe anxiety and issues for the student when they are home because they do not know how to interact with their family.

Boarding schools are not for everyone.  There are some students who thrive in these environments and go on to do amazing things.  However there are also students who become depressed and withdrawn in a boarding school environment.  Whether or not it is right for one’s child strongly depends on the type of person the child is and what their current expectations are.