Hellobee Boards Topic: How do you feel about boarding schools?

Hellobee Boards Topic: How do you feel about boarding schools? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:14:10 +0000 yoursilverlining on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-713042 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:06:40 +0000 yoursilverlining 713042@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My cousins both went to boarding school because their parents worked as international aid workers and were living in various areas of Africa where there were not top notch schools. They both received GREAT educations, and had fabulous opportunities through the schools; but dealt with the same downsides other people have mentioned (lots of "spoiled rich kid syndrome"). Both cousins were/are very independent, non materialistic kids so they came out ok. I think for some kids though, it might be hard to deal with the experience if you can't keep up with the (often extremely wealthy) Jones'. Mrs. Jacks on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712974 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 11:17:14 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 712974@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Cole: I forgot to mention the eating disorders! There are usually familial reason kids end up in boarding school! Cole on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712922 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:54:39 +0000 Cole 712922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We are thankfully in an area with many great options so we probably won't need to consider this too carefully. I used to love the idea of boarding school but as I have gotten older I have really only had negative associations with them. A good friend of mine in college went to a relatively prestigious school that had a boarding option (she commuted) and she had the same issues with it as @Mrs. Jacks: many of the girls struggled with eating disorders, drugs, alcohol etc and many came from very affluent backgrounds. My friend's parents made education a big priority and sent her despite it being a financial strain and she felt like the black sheep in a lot of instances. A family I worked for has a daughter that they were considering sending to boarding school, the issue here was that they were having a hard time finding a school locally where she could get the help she needed both with academics and in regards to mental health. As we worked with the child's therapist it became clear that this was a relatively common solution which really shaded my view on things. If we were ever to be in a position where our schools weren't an option and our child was interested in boarding schools I think I would want to be careful to interview schools to make sure I chose one that was conscious of these issues and helped to allay my fears that my child would be exposed to these types of things. reyorra on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712914 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:47:16 +0000 reyorra 712914@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I agree with @char54 that I would support my child going to boarding school only for an experience that our local public school would not be able to provide (a specialty like sports or an academic focus like science). We have lots of great private schools in our area, so I'd probably go that route before a full on boarding school. wheres_c on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712879 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:10:42 +0000 wheres_c 712879@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I always wanted to go to boarding school. Like @Cherrybee: I always use to role play that I was in boarding school and I loved the Mallory towers and st Clare's book series about boarding school. I kept begging my parents to send me! I personally am too selfish to send my kids to boarding school. I want to spend too much time with them. My cousin and her husband are in the military so they sent their kids to boarding school in England and it worked out great for them. oliviaoblivia on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712868 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:02:29 +0000 oliviaoblivia 712868@https://boards.hellobee.com/ DH went to boarding school. While his education was top notch his high school experiences are not something I'm comfortable with LO having at 14/15. A lot of the kids had major drug problems, fancy cars, STDs, and too much spending money. That said I really wanted to go to boarding school as a kid. I think as a parent I'd be comfortable with day school but not resident school. There just isn't the supervision that I would want. mrsjazz on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712853 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:53:39 +0000 mrsjazz 712853@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I think it can be a great experience for children and know someone who's daughter goes to boarding school. However, it's not for us. She can leave home for college, we don't want our daughter to leave us yet. Plus DH is a public school teacher and we are both products of public schools and believe in them, especially when there are 2 parents actively involved in her education. Mrs. Jacks on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712840 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:48:26 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 712840@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I read all the same books as you guys and when I was 12, I began contacting boarding schools. I gathered all the information, presented it to my parents, took the necessary exams, and filled out the scholarship information. My parents relented and let me go, but I first had to demonstrat the maturity to handle it. Before I went I had to show that I could do my own laundry, balance a checkbook and shop for food. It was probably the best experience of my life in terms of future trajectory... BUT I was exposed to girls who did drugs, had sex. got BMWs for their birthdays and vacationed in Europe. I was the girl who woke up at 5 am to do their dishes. I was lonely at times. It didn't change where I went to college. I would have gone to the same university if I went to public school. So, it was life changing and hard... But I did learn to socialize with a class of people that I otherwise would have never known... And that serves me well now. BKCaribBaby on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712818 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:35:46 +0000 BKCaribBaby 712818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I know several people who went to really prestigious boarding schools like Exeter, Andover, St. Paul's, Choate, Deerfield, etc. Many of these schools offer great educations. I'm not sure that I'd want that for my kid (I think kids need their parents' guidance even more during the teen years), but I can see why some parents and kids would choose this option. Charm54 on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712809 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:28:55 +0000 Charm54 712809@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I don't think it's for me. They're only our babies for so long and I know soon enough they will be off to university and out of the house so I know I will want to soak up every minute that I can with them. That being said, I did have a few friends who went away for middle/high school to speciality schools (ballet, hockey, etc.)) If my DS or DD was passionate and talented about something and REALLY wanted to go I wouldn't hold them back for my own selfish reasons! Grace on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712795 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:15:45 +0000 Grace 712795@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I don't think it's a bad thing, but I don't think it's for me. I don't like the idea of my kids leaving home that early. Mrs. Lemon-Lime on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712777 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:03:36 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 712777@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I grew up with a girl was sent away because she had behavioral problems at home. Boarding school was great for her. Another friend went to boarding school because in her home-island country that was the norm for HS students to do for their last year of HS. She still has friends from her year in a Canadian boarding school. Several of my elementary school friends went to private middle schools. The private day schools were also boarding schools. The students came from all over the place and the experience was good for all involved. The out of town students had different ideas than the DC natives and it really made everyone open-minded. I don't know if boarding school is something my LOs will expeience because DH and I are very committed to the public school system, but I wouldn't think less of a parent who sent their child to boarding school. Bethenney Frankel went to a FL boarding school and loved it. Weagle on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712771 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 09:00:24 +0000 Weagle 712771@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I would have a hard time with it, but I don't think it's a bad option. A good friend of mine had two sisters that went to boarding school. They LOVED it! She decided to stay home for high school. heffalump on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712701 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 07:23:07 +0000 heffalump 712701@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Its not for me. My mom was so involved in my life during all of my school years. Even in high school she would volunteer for different things at school, she was a band mom and was always at the football games, parades, etc making sure I was ok and handing me water. I played tuba which is a 50 lb instrument so she worried about me. But I loved her being there, and I want to do the same for my lo. sunny on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712661 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 05:57:31 +0000 sunny 712661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ When I was a little girl, I loved the book The Daring Game which was about girls at boarding school. (Many years later, I met someone who went to the school that it was based upon!) I used to dream about going to boarding school because it sounded to so fun... however, I was SO not ready to leave home to be away at university at 18! I was terribly lonely and missed my family. I went to a school that was a 6 hour drive from my parents house (and it wasn't possible to take a bus home for weekends). I transferred to a university that was 1.5 hrs away from my parents home the next year and was much happier. That being said... at 22 I moved clear across the continent and was ready at that point. I think what I'm trying to say is... every person is different in terms of when they are ready to live away from home... and you may not know it until it happens! I didn't expect to be so homesick at 18! So I don't know that I could send my own daughter away to school before 18. SugarplumsMom on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712658 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 05:07:05 +0000 SugarplumsMom 712658@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Cherrybee: Thank you for sharing that! I honestly have no idea how much it would be, but it's something I feel important enough to budget and plan (way ahead) for. I know DH doesn't feel the same way and since he's still asleep, he has no idea I even made the inquiry, but what you wrote might help him understand since there's a high chance that DD will be our only child. Now I'm hoping that the costs aren't astronomical! Cherrybee on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712656 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 04:43:11 +0000 Cherrybee 712656@https://boards.hellobee.com/ When I was a little girl, my best friend and I used to play games, like role playing games, where we'd pretend to be in certain situations. Our favourite scenario was being at boarding school! We used to run round the playground pretending we were late for dinner or we would hide under our coats, as though they were a duvet, pretending that the teachers were patrolling the dorms - whispering so we didn't get caught being up!! I was an only child and was so lonely - I was desperate to hang with other children in the evenings! I guess what I'm trying to say is that, as a child, I would have loved boarding school. I think as long as you make the effort to see your child most weekends and spend quality time with them in the school holidays it can be a great experience - and the quality of education is excellent! If I could afford it for my child, I'd definitely consider it! SugarplumsMom on "How do you feel about boarding schools?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-feel-about-boarding-schools#post-712650 Sat, 13 Apr 2013 03:21:52 +0000 SugarplumsMom 712650@https://boards.hellobee.com/ LSS: I just emailed a boarding school to ask about their tuition! It's Sat morning, I was reading news in bed and an ad about a school pops up. A few clicks later and I'm emailing them O_O! First of all, I don't hate DD! I'd hate to have her move away from home earlier than necessary, but the school looks so good! I don't know anything about boarding schools, but this one looks so Hogwartsy! Plus, our town doesn't have it's own high school and no matter what, she'll be commuting anyway, so I want to explore our options. How do you feel about boarding schools? If the high schools near you aren't stellar (or non-existent), would you consider it?