One of the most important considerations in choosing a boarding school for your son or daughter is what goes on in the classroom and in the larger school community. In other words, what are they teaching, and how are they teaching it?
You must never assume that, just because a school enjoys a solid reputation, has been there forever, and looks wonderful on the surface, it will provide the kind of teaching you want and expect for your child. Doing your due diligence with respect to the curriculum and how it is taught has to be one of the most important parts of your school evaluation process.
This video compares what is taught in private schools with what is taught in public schools.
Here's how to proceed.
- Observe
- Question
- Research
Observe
When you visit the school for your admissions interview, try to do so while the school is in session. Summer visits are often more convenient for all of us, but you won't be able to observe any classes. Summer sessions do not usually offer a typical classroom experience. So you cannot judge the teaching or what is being taught by what you see during the summer. The teaching staff is frequently not the same as the faculty who teach during the year. Because it is summer, the whole atmosphere is much more relaxed.
When you visit the school and observe a class, is the class size small? Do students interact with the teacher and each other? Are the students learning how to think analytically? Are they using texts? Laptops? Are they sitting around a table in the Harkness-style classroom? Does the teacher use a chalkboard? A projector? Is she active? Does he lecture?
This video compares private and public schooling.
Question
What are the academics leading to? AP exams? An IB diploma? Is the academic work strictly college preparatory, as indeed it is in many boarding schools? Is it all about getting good grades and gaining admission to the 'right' college? Or does that matter?
Does the teaching cater to different learning styles? Not everybody receives and processes information in the same manner. An experienced teaching staff understands this and presents the material so that everybody in the class can understand it.
What kind of enrichment does the school offer? Are the only lessons learned in the classroom? Most boarding schools have many enrichment options, including field trips, exchange visits, junior years abroad, and much more.
This video explores the religious options available in private schools.
Research
Research each school on your shortlist before you visit. Make lists of questions about things that matter to you. Something may appear obvious on the school's website, but confirming what you already have figured out never hurts. Assume nothing. If foreign languages matter to you, check out both teacher and curriculum. Mandarin Chinese is very popular at the moment. How is it taught? How is it enriched? What are the teacher's credentials?
The Role of Community
Lessons taught in the classroom should be reinforced throughout the school community, in the dining hall, and on the playing field. For example, if your son is learning about diversity in civics or social studies, it makes sense that he is surrounded by plenty of examples of diversity so that the lesson is not learned as some abstract theory. A boarding school will pride itself on educating and developing the whole child. Putting into practice all those lessons and ideas learned in the classroom is part of the growth process teens must and should go through.
You can save yourself a lot of time by hiring an educational consultant. Educational consultants know their schools. They also know who to ask to get answers to your questions. They can corroborate most of what you have already figured out. They will be particularly useful if you venture far afield into an unfamiliar area or part of the country or another country.
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