Of Course, there are some of the best boarding schools in India that have a legacy and great repute. However, the question here is which the ‘best’ is for you. The choice of boarding school is the one that deserves consideration. So while the quality of teachers at the school is important, so is the reputation of the hostel for discipline. The parents have to decide what is best for their child and have to weigh the balance between a strengthening exposure to the outside world against the fear of staying away from home, separation, and raising a fairly independent child.
Mrs. Shankar who works for a reputed bank in Chennai shares her opinion on the decision of boarding school, “I had chosen the boarding school for my daughter, keeping in mind that the all-around development that boarding schools give is unmatched. Be it sports, academics, or even the way she eats transformed for the better.”Another parent hailing from the pink city Jaipur talks about the effective utilization of time and how the boarding school routine supports the child’s development. “My wife is in a traveling job and although I am homebound, my work usually keeps me occupied at odd hours. As our son grew we felt that given the minimum supervision he received from our end, a lot of his time went in watching TV or just playing video games. It was then that we enrolled him in a boarding school where not just his academics showed progress but also he started taking interest in music and sports in the evening club activities.” It is evident by these anecdotes that boarding schools have more benefits than one. Now let us take a close look at the various benefits of boarding schools.
1. Self-discipline
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Children at boarding schools learn how to perform various domestic chores and become experts in managing time, money, and other resources earlier than day scholars. Parents have observed drastic changes in their children over the years where the latter have known to become more independent in terms of taking responsibility and initiative.
2. Focused
Children can adequately focus on sports, hobbies, leisure, and studies. Given the well-planned schedules and reduced interruptions as faced by day scholars of going to different activity classes or tuitions etc., the routine at a boarding allows dedicated focus on a particular activity at a given time. Mr. Aditya whose twins started boarding school when they were 10 years old talks about how the children evolved over the years. “Till grade 3 it was tough to get the boys to choose the activities or even which board game they would pack for holidays and trips. By grade 6 they were both so clear on decisions about activities, choice of what sport to watch to in fact even the third language at school. The time spent in experiencing each of these helped them gain confidence to choose and pursue something with dedication and focus.”
3. Learn respect for all cultures
Students interact with other students coming from different cultures, speaking different languages, which makes them aware of the diversity and respect it. Co-existing in this kind of diverse environment makes their mind culturally advanced and informed. A challenge that adults often face when put in situations is interacting with different kinds of people. Be it culturally or language or even mindset, early exposure to different ideas and social settings help students become more accepting and tolerant.
4. Fitness and health
Students are more exposed to a wider range of physical activities to broaden their learning and development. They participate in sports activities, tournaments that help them in their physical development and fitness. Managing eating patterns, sleeping hours, and even handling minor injuries and health issues becomes easy for them. Mr. Deepak talks about lifestyle changes that he witnessed in his daughter when she first returned for her summer break from the boarding school, “At first she would never eat vegetables until they were minced or given to her with pasta. This time when she was home she carried a menu and ensured she ate everything with the right balance according to it. In fact, not just summer break, even a weekend for her meant a DND sign till noon as she would refuse to leave the bed but this time she woke up at a rather humanly 7 am and went for a walk religiously day. All thanks to the boarding life.”
5. Life skills
Students learn how to deal with situations and people independently. While most day scholars would come home searching for solutions to conflicts, the students at boarding schools learn problem-solving by resolving these kinds of issues on their own. Now as parents we always wish to be there for our children and seldom let their battles be theirs. A boarding school experience is unique in this manner where the paucity of interaction with parents paves way for children to master the art of negotiation, understanding, and mutual respect.
All in all, boarding schools make children ‘life ready’ in the early stages through experiences that enrich their thinking and emotions. 8 Reasons Why All Schools Need Digital Signage In A COVID-19
