My Boarding School Blog
Archive for the 'info' Category
12 20th, 2007 Boarding School Blues
The storied boarding schools of the East are as well-mannered, wealthy and academically rigorous as they ever were. Indeed, many are broadening their curriculums and ridding themselves of anachronistic customs. But they are not so exclusive or sought after as in the past. In selecting students for the fall term, some of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious preparatory schools have found applications decreasing. Hence the schools cannot be as selective in choosing their students as they used to be.
Things have come to such a pass that a qualified student can still get into some boarding schools in time for the September term. Williston, Tilton and Pomfret, for instance, still have vacancies. Phillips Exeter, while it has no openings, has experienced a decline in applicants during the past few years —and applications are also off at such elite girls’ schools as Emma Willard, the Masters School and Ethel Walker.
Read the rest of this entry »
read comments (0)12 20th, 2007 Their Take on Education
Curious about what respected historical icons think about quality education? Read on and be inspired.
The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.
~ Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English philosopher; prominent classical liberal political theorist; and sociological theorist.
Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.
~ H.G. Wells
Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 – August 13, 1946), better known as H. G. Wells, was a prolific English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau.
One can never consent to creep when one feels the compulsion to soar.
~ Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, activist and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to graduate from college.
What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, road maps, guidebooks, to make it easier for them to get where they want to go (not where we think they ought to go), and to find out what they want to find out.
~ John Holt
John Caldwell Holt (April 14, 1923 - September 14, 1985) was an American author and educator, one of the best known proponents of homeschooling, and a pioneer in youth rights theory.
To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.
~ Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as T.R., was the twenty-sixth President of the United States, and a leader of the Republican Party and of the Progressive Movement. He became the youngest President in United States history at the age of 42.
Somebody who only reads newspapers and at best books of contemporary authors looks to me like an extremely near-sighted person who scorns eyeglasses. He is completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of his times, since he never gets to see or hear anything else.
~ Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist. He is best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass-energy equivalence, E = mc2. Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”
Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.
~ Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874–24 January 1965) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman, orator and strategist, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army. A prolific author, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his own historical writings.
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.
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 7th, 2007 A Few Basics About Boarding Schools
The concept of boarding schools has been around for many years; more than a hundred, to be exact. The idea of sending children to a good institution to undergo rigorous training and education is not foreign to the public mind.
There are a few things that differentiate boarding schools from regular learning establishments. In boarding schools, students live in the facility over a long period of time, usually throughout the whole school year. This may vary, though, depending upon the school.
The goals and objectives of boarding schools vary as well, each with a particular goal in mind. Boarding schools each have different types of education to provide. No two teens are exactly alike. Some children are gifted in different ways than others. Especially, no two troubled teens are exactly alike. The needs of one troubled adolescent are usually different from another, depending on multiple factors such as personal traits, childhood, physical and mental make-up, and others. Therefore, the solution that may be applied to one may not be applied to another.
Different boarding schools offer different programs and structures geared towards the particular needs of a child. Some parents may be looking for a rigorous academic program for their teenager. Others may want their child to be more systematically developed in the field in which he or she excels, such as the arts. For parents with troubled teens, however, there are specialty boarding schools that offer remedial and behavioral programs in order to address the adolescent’s issues. These programs are geared towards helping the teenager gain self-awareness, overcome bad habits and patterns, and a develop a proper perspective in life. Students in these boarding schools are taught how to be accountable for their actions and be responsible in their decision-making. They are instructed about the concepts of integrity, dignity and respect. For more information, click here.