Is a Girls Boarding School the Right Place for My Child?
Sending your child to a girls boarding school is definitely not an easy decision to make whether emotionally or financially. Aside from the fact that these schools are not cheap (fees can range from $30,000 a year and above), there’s also the difficulty of dealing with the physical separation. It’s something that parents really think about before they send their daughters to boarding school for girls. However, many people still consider these schools to be a good choice because it’s a great way to get superb quality of education while also learning how to be independent.
If you’re asking yourself why you’d want to consider an all girls boarding school for your child, here are a few good points about these schools that you may want to consider:
1. Students learn to cooperate and collaborate – Girls thrive better in an environment without male classmates because girls learn better when they cooperate and collaborate instead of compete for attention with boys. Boys have different needs than girls and are typically more difficult to manage. In a public school setting, it’s not unusual for teachers’ attentions to be drawn more towards boys.
2. Encouraging girls to take risks – By nature, girls are not adventurous risk takers, unlike boys. In a school for girls, they can be in a safe environment where they can explore and excel in new interests such as sports without fear of being labeled. Young women are more likely to have a better self image when in an environment where gender biases are nonexistent and where their idea of what is feminine and what is not isn’t clouded by gender stereotypes.
3. Teaching styles more apt for girls – Girls learn better when they are taught in ways that are more apt for them. For example, they learn better when theories are put into action and they see real-life application instead of just memorizing concepts and ideologies. They also have a better learning experience when they have a good relationship with a teacher who knows them. Private schools have smaller class sizes which allows teachers to be more involved with teaching students. It’s easier to get lost in a crowd. Young women also learn better when they write about what they learn. Being in a school for young women can help students really adjust to the teaching style better because these styles were developed with them in mind. Of course you can’t fit everybody into the same mold, but since private schools have smaller class sizes, teachers also tend to adjust their teaching styles better if they see a child struggling with the lessons.
4. Encouraged to take leadership opportunities – In these schools, young women see that women can take on important roles and excel at it. There’s no shortage of good examples to look up to. There are also a lot of opportunities to step up and become leaders. This helps girls build their self confidence instead of confining themselves to their idea of what girls can and cannot do.
There are so many stereotypes and misconceptions about girls boarding school, and how they are portrayed in movies and TV shows don’t help. The truth is that boarding schools set the bar in terms of quality of education and diversity of extracurricular programs.
