My Boarding School Blog

There are a lot of misconceptions on boarding schools, many say that it is for troubled teens and that parents who cannot handle their kids send them out to boarding school to be disciplined for them to come back all prim and proper. I used to see boarding schools like that until I came to experience what it’s like to be a student in a boarding school.

It was entirely different from what I had expected. Having been raised in a big family of five siblings we were all interconnected and very dependent on our parents. I would come home with my three brothers and younger sister to find supper ready for us waiting at the table. After eating we would play at night until our mom orders us to get ready for bed. I was not a troubled kid nor am I a rebel at home. My parents decided that boarding school would be the best opportunity to prepare me for college and they were right.

The first time I walked the halls of my boarding school I was excited and nervous all together. It made me feel sick all over and wanted to run back home but I knew that was far from happening anytime soon. Just like any new endeavor in life we are faced with the unknown and all we can do is hope that everything will turn out well.

Weeks have past and I thought to myself boarding school was not bad after all and I begin to wonder where all the negative impressions that boarding school is where troubled teens were sent to. My school mates were mostly above average and in no way troubled or rebellious in nature. Most students come from families that are well of, considering that boarding schools are very expensive. I was assigned in one of the boy’s dormitory and was scheduled to meet with my dorm advisor every other day. My dorm advisor serves as my guidance teacher in my school. She assists me on everything that I need in my dormitory and academic studies as well. She is in constant contact with my parents and she gives them feedback of my well being and academic performance in school.

What I enjoy most about boarding school are the friends I have made. I have shared a lot of experiences both pleasant and unpleasant ones with them for they serve as my support system being away from home. Our bond has grown deeper each year as we discover each other’s interests, strengths and weaknesses. We share good times in school within the vast school grounds and spacious halls of our dormitory.

Living in a boarding school is not all fun and freedom to do everything we wish to do. Boarding schools teaches students to become responsible individuals who are accountable to their own actions. We are reprimanded for violations of the rules and regulations imposed by the school. We are expected to be in proper decorum at all times and to respect each one of our colleagues, teachers and school staff.

Boarding school offers a highly competitive curriculum that can best prepare a student for higher education. Faculty staffs boasts of MBA graduates and experienced professors in their own fields of expertise and subject matter. It is truly an experience that compares to no other.

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Concorde Academy is a coeducational college preparatory school for grades 9 to 12 founded in 1922. It is located in Concord, Massachusetts which accepts boarding and day students. It has a 6:1 student teacher ratio with a typical class size of 12 students per class. It is also included as one of the top four most expensive schools in the United States.

A Brief History

Originally it was a school for girls back in 1922 and was regarded as the finest independent secondary school for girls in the country. In 1971, the school was converted into a coeducational institution and it welcomed the two new headmasters Russell Mead and Philip McKean. Now it beams of 39 acres of land with 29 buildings which includes intramural sports.

Enrollment and Admission

The Concorde Academy houses 148 boarding students and offers 217 day students. Its student body comprises of 49% of male students, 51% female and 11% international students.

Mission and Vision

The school aims to provide an environment where teachers and students collaborate to promote intellectual vigor and creativeness in each student. They provide a supportive atmosphere that cares for students by developing their talents and skills through a well structured curriculum and extra curricular activities. It embraces cultural diversity and understands different perspectives of its students.

Curriculum

A student chooses and prepares her schedule of classes every semester with the help of an advisor to be approved by the dean. In their freshmen year a minimum of 120 credits is required, for the second year 90 credits, and in the junior year 60 credits. Grades are at the end of every semester and are given in the scale of A+ to failing grade of E. There is one adult teacher that stands as the advisor for each student. Student and advisor meet frequently to offer counsel support and assist students to adjust in school. Advisors coordinate with other teachers of the student to receive feedback and further work together for the student’s improvements. Parents consult advisors on a regular basis to see how their children are doing in academic standing and overall school performance.

Concorde Academy also offers summer camps that are a good opportunity for students to bond and learn outside the classroom setting. It is a fun filled activity that is very exciting which every student looks forward to at the end of every school year. The Concord Academy Summer Camp is accredited by the American Camp Association.

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Southwestern Academy is a co-ed college preparatory school in California and Arizona founded in 1924. It provides a structured supportive and individualized academic environment. They implement the goal of producing students that are invigorated to be lifelong learners with critical thinking skills and advanced reasoning that can one day turn into self motivated leaders of our nation or successful innovators of change in the society.

They cater to American and International students and their vision is to offer personalized, stimulating and nurturing classes that will allow individual student success in preparing for higher education. They have small classes which normally range to eight to twelve students per class. Two campuses are situated in San Marino, California and Rimrock, Arizona. The campus in California is located ten miles from Los Angeles nestling in an upscale suburb which boasts of safety and security away from the busy city. The northern Arizona campus is situated twelve miles away from the city of Sedona which is a popular tourist spot. This campus is near the redrock canyon that makes it attractive to nature lovers.

The faculty in San Marino campus comprises of 24 highly qualified teachers that teaches a variety of subjects to students. Their high school curriculum includes subjects in English, Algebra, Geometry, American and British Literature, Science, Humanities, Economics, Computer Literacy and Electives. Elective subjects range from Art, Contemporary history, Creative writing, Student government, Drama, Speech and Music classes.

They cater to international students for more than 60 years and has incorporated ESL (English as second language) in their curriculum. The goal of their ESL classes is to mainstream each international student into the regular high school easily and quickly. It usually takes around 18 to 24 months for a beginner. The ESL program is divided into 3 components: beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes. Students practice by listening, speaking and writing. Active learning is enhanced by conversing with other students.

Tuition fees range are shown in table below
Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students) $30,700
Yearly Tuition (Day Students) $14,900
Tuition international students $36,750

Southwestern Academy is accredited by WASC, TABS, Western Boarding School Association. For International students the I-20 application form for a student is sent by Southwestern when a student is accepted and has paid tuition.
Requirements for application include the following.

• $100 Application fee
• Three letters of recommendation from
current teachers or school officials
• Transcripts of a student’s school records for
the past three years
• Health report and updated
immunization records
• A personal interview is not required,
but is encouraged. (Students are welcome
to spend a day visiting our classes, and
spend the night in the dorms.)

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Learning is a dynamic process that does not always take place in a four walled classroom. Most educators say that learning is best achieved from experiences and interactions with people outside of school. Traditional learning tools in classrooms are sometimes perceived as boring and monotonous for students. They need an edgy, refreshing and a new way of learning that can enhance their creativity and cultivate the hunger for knowledge. Educators need to create a richer source where students will engage into and start learning.

At Ashmount Primary School in North London, student log on to the Internet and start their Math classes in different way than most traditional schools do. They learn math from their math professors all across the globe in India. Ashmount School is one of the few state schools in Europe that outsources teachers from other countries, mainly in India, through the BrightSpark Education.

BrightSpark Education trains professors in India to teach Math to their students online. They offer quality teaching as the London based company is the one who trains these Indian professors to teach online. The advantage of learning online is that the kid feels confident and in control of how he learns when he do it online. Studies have shown that students who utilize online learning in math develop twice the rate in national tests.

BrightSpark math teachers follow standard lesson plans but they are free to use their own structured teaching style online. Students are more enthusiastic in learning online because it gives them the feeling of exclusive teacher and student learning session that builds trust and fosters open communication which can facilitate effective learning.

But not all agrees to the benefits of online teaching as some believes that outsourcing online teachers is a risky step since they cannot empathize well with the student because of cultural difference and communication barrier with the use of just a headphone and a webcam. For some teachers they just feel threatened that they may lose their jobs to foreign teachers who teach online with a lower salary.

Parents are taking it in a more positive way especially towards online tutoring for their kids. It gives them the option to supplement what their kids learn in school and they can choose among different tutors online based on their qualifications and price per hour. Everything is recorded and documented so parents can review the effectiveness of an online teacher’s style. It will also give their child a peek into the window of the world exposing them to different cultures and values of other nations without leaving home.

Online teaching has its advantages and disadvantages but by trying it out both parents and students can experience the opportunity to see whether it will work for them or not. Whichever way it goes, it is still an opportunity that a student will definitely enjoy.

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Home schooling also known as home education or home learning is typically learning at home. Parents act as the teachers for their children instead of going to educational institutions run by government or private sectors. Home schooling is legal in most states in Canada and in 50 states in the U.S. There are a number of reasons why parents choose to home school their child like improved academic test results, lesser peer pressure, improved character, and inexpensive education compared to most private schools.

Home schooling dates back in the 17th century in Europe where families has resorted to home schooling their children due to lack of income. Nowadays parents have other reasons why they choose homeschooling instead of the traditional way of schooling. Parents are now starting to take a stand and gain control of how to develop their children’s abilities. Although homeschooling is legal in the US there are still laws that govern homeschooling, these are private school laws, home education laws and equivalency laws. Home schooling is growing in popularity among other countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

Can I save with Home Schooling?

The common misconception is that more parents choose home schooling because it is cheaper. Although it can be a little less expensive compared to private schools if you know where to find resources and how to use them effectively, home schooling might just work well with your family budget. There are package curriculums available from various institutions it may run from a few hundred dollars to around a thousand. To give you an idea of home schooling curriculum here is an example, an elementary grade program from Calvert School can cost around 500 to 600 dollars and as high as 1,400 dollars from Laurel Springs. These are just estimates but if you would really want to give your child the best home schooling education you need to be resourceful and learn your way through the Internet because it can be a very rich source of information and most of the time it’s free or is widely available at a lower price.

If you are a hesitant parent and is concerned of your ability to teach your child at home you can seek help from other parents whose children are home schooled in forums and support groups available all through out the state. This will help you to choose among the different curriculums and where to get tips that can help enhance your teaching style and develop your child’s talents and skills more effectively than what traditional schooling can do.

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