My Boarding School Blog
Archive for November, 2007
11 14th, 2007 Why Go Boarding (School)?
Here are a few advantages to consider:
-Attention to students
-Quality of faculty
-Quality of resources
-Challenging academics
-Broad and diverse offerings
-College counseling
To read up on the details, here is the source.
read comments (0)11 13th, 2007 The Pro’s of School Sports
The advantages of playing sports in school are not only good physique and fast reflexes. Studies show that participation in organized sports can also develop self-esteem and motivation among children.
Moreover, research shows a connection between participating in sports and higher academic grades, as well as improved behavior. With the help and support of coaches and parents, sports can help instruct children skills such as communication skills, as well as how to commit and collaborate. These abilities must be reinforced, however, so that they are utilized in settings outside school grounds.
Structuring the team setting in a way that allows children to imbibe learning abilities, as well as helping them use those skills outside the school, will facilitate the increase of their self-confidence.
11 12th, 2007 The ABC’s of ADD
Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD/ADHD, is a term currently applied to describe anyone who meets the diagnostic criteria for impulsivity, hyperactivity and/or inattention. The criteria are subjective, and include behavior which may be caused by a number of factors, such brain defects, allergies and giftedness.
The confusion surrounding ADD is caused by the tendency of some in the mental health community to quickly assume that all those who are diagnosed with ADD also have some sort of brain defect. This goes back to the very first studies done concerning ADD, wherein the individuals were found to have encephalitis, which is a swelling of the brain. Birth defects and brain injury from toxic chemicals such can also contribute to ADD. However, the ADD diagnostic criteria have been so broadened since then as to include individuals who do not suffer from any brain defects whatsoever.
There are two major types of ADD, the specifics of which are still undergoing many changers): ADD with hyperactivity (the more traditional type of ADD) and ADD without hyperactivity (or the “inattentive” type).
Inattention The person must meet at least six of the following traits to a degree that is “maladaptive” to be considered as having ADD without hyperactivity.
Failure to give close attention to details, or prone to making mistakes in schoolwork
difficulty maintaining attention in tasks
an apparent inability to listen properly
failure to follow instructions or finish work
disorganized
difficulties completing schoolwork or homework
inability to keep track of personal belongings
is easily distracted
forgetful about daily routines and schedules.
ADD with Hyperactivity (must meet six of the following to a degree that is “maladaptive”
fidgety
excessive running and/or climbing
inability to play quietly for long
has a “driven” attitude
excessive talking
blurts out answers to questions out of turn
difficulty waiting in cue
often disruptive of others.
Specialty boarding schools offer help for students with ADD.
For more information on boarding schools, click here
11 9th, 2007 Study Abroad: What’s It Worth?
New horizons will always have an engaging appeal, especially to youthful college students. As studying outside one’s own country becomes more and more popular, tips on how to deal with expenses become increasingly valuable. Obtaining financial aid continues to be an indispensable way to cope with the costs of living and studying abroad.
It’s bad enough when teachers have to deal with disaffected students. Dealing with disaffected students armed with a plethora of hi-tech gadgets is even worse.
11 9th, 2007 Celebrity Sighting
When she was young, actress Sienna Miller begged her parents to send her to a boarding school. She says, “…as soon as I got there, I was terribly homesick, and it was tough.
“But I stuck it out, and after a month of being miserable, I started to love it. I had the best time there.”
11 8th, 2007 Featured School: Colorado Rocky Mountain School
Founded in 1953, Colorado Rocky Mountain School is a co-educational boarding and day school located in Carbondale, Colorado. It is a school oriented towards preparing students for college. Colorado Rocky Mountain focuses not only on indoor class intructions, but outdoor educational activities as well. All students are required to spend a minimum of 11 days in the American Southwest’s mountains, deserts, and canyons. The wilderness trips are meant to instruct students with values like teamwork, environmental sustainability, physical fitness, and adventure. The school has two backpacking trips per year, one in the fall and one in the spring.
For more info, click here.
11 8th, 2007 Cocaine By Any Other Name
The streets, as any drug dealer knows, are not always safe for doing business. Buyers and sellers need to be on the look-out for the law. As for teenage drug users, they need to keep their habits under wraps. This need for secrecy has resulted in a blossoming of various codes to replace the word ‘cocaine’.
Here are a few:
Angie
Barbs
Aunt Nora
Base
Batman
Bernice
While police authorities may be familiar with these terms, parents are ofter clueless when teenage drug users use them when talking to their peers.
For a fuller list of street slang for cocaine, click here.
11 7th, 2007 Classics Pages
“I wish we could be ‘best friends.’ Would you have me for yours? You’re clever, and I’m the stupidest child in the school, but I– oh, I do so like you!”
“I’m glad of that,” said Sara. “It makes you thankful when you are liked. Yes. We will be friends. And I’ll tell you what”– a sudden gleam lighting her face–”I can help you with your French lessons.”
–A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
11 7th, 2007 Featured School: Blair Academy, New Jersey
Blair Academy is a secondary school with a special emphasis on preparation for college. It is especially geared towards students who are eager for personal achievement through an experience that is both broad and challenging. Blair is family-oriented boarding school where values and character are an integral part of the search for personal excellence.
For more info, click here.