Figure 1.-- Boarders have more time to devote to academics as well as a range of other school activities such as sports or music. |
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Many prep schools are convinced that their goals can best be achieved in a boarding setting. Parents especially the fathers tended to agree with this assessment as well. Here the schools see benefits in both the academic program and in the character building aspect of the prep school program. Boarders have far fewer distractions than at home. The structured program at boarding schools means that the children all complete their assignments which are done in supervised prep periods. Boarding children also have the advantage of having greater access to teachers and masters who can help with difficult assignments. And it should not be thought that prep school children are constantly working. Children at boarding school are generally more involved in outdoor activities than children at home. Many are involved in more outdoor play and the older children more games (sports) than stay at home children. There are other benefits as well flowing from boarding. One of the important benefits coming from are the strong interpersonal relations that develop as a result of living together with other children. Boarders commonly make close friends. At school the children have many opportunituies to do things togrther, both program activities and just having fun. Children in boarding schools learn to shasre and often build an important sense of community.
Modern children have a host of destractions that can easily draw them away from academics or other more bebeficial activities. Often there bedrooms have a wide range of electronic equipment that provide a host of entertaining diversions. The benefits of boarding are a subject of some controversey. There is no doubt, however, that oarders have far fewer distractions than children at home. The most obvious difference is television and increasingly computer games and other recreational uses of the computer. Boys in paticular can spend quite a bit of time on computer games. These activities can take up a great deal of time. There are many more such destractions. Boarding children spend much less time on these activities. The girls spend less time on fashion and other matters that often capture their interest at home..
The structured program at boarding schools means that the children all complete their assignments which are done in supervised prep periods. Boarding children also have the advantage of having greater access to teachers and masters who can help with difficult assignments. The lack of distractions frees up considerable time for other activities like reading, study, and a range of activities like learning musical instruments. More children pursue musical instruments in prep schools and bordes are more likely to practice as schedules are set up for practice. Reading is a major coincern for children. Children who pick up the reading habit are much more likely to do well in school. All prep schools incourafe reading, but boarding scgools are most lujely to do this effectively. It is safe to say that the average prep school boarder reads more than their counterparts at home, especially children in the state sector. .
And it should not be thought that prep school children are constantly working. Children at boarding school are generally more involved in outdoor activities than children at home. This has become increasing the case as children's rooms have become equipped with a host of popular electronic devices. Earlier it was mostly items like music play aparatuses. Now we have computers and gaming devices. This has significantly affected the amount of outdoor play for many children. Boarding schools encourage outdoor play and there are a range of play activities for the children as well as facilities that the children can enjoy. Many boarders are involved in more outdoor play. The younger children often enjoy games are building dens. The older children are more involved with sports. There is an increasing differentu\ial with stay at home children. Not only is there more time for sports coaching, but the children have more time to use the school facilities for both practice and recreational purposes. Schools with swimming pools also make extensive use of the pools in the afternoon, an option few stay at home children have. Besides the positive character and psycological factors, there is also a health factor as British chuldren like American children seem to be gaining weight.
There are other benefits as well flowing from boarding. While sports was by far the most important activity at prep schools, today the schools offer a much wide range of activities. One of the nst important now is music, but there are many others. Boaders have more opportunities to ficus on these activities than day children. Not only are there fewer sestractions, but they do not have the lengthy comute tht day children have.
One of the important benefits coming from are the strong interpersonal relations that develop as a result of living together in a community with other children. Boarders commonly make close friendships. Many have gone to school with each other for several years, perhaps 5 years. Even more if the school has a pre-prep. At school the children have many opportunituies to do things togrther, both academic and non-asademic program activities. And of course they have been able to just have fun together. Living together in the dormitories is another important experience. Children in boarding schools learn to shasre and often build an important sense of community. Other social bernefits are increased independence, self-reliance, and social awareness. The boarding schools insist that these character traits can best be inculcated in a boarding environment, partially explaing why so many schools incourage the children, especially the senior children, to board.
