That's interesting, Archie, but you are clearly intelligent enough to see the flaw in your logic. The fact that your experience has been a good and happy one (I am glad you didn't go at six or seven) proves little. If you fly in a plane with a design problem and you don't crash, that only shows it isn't lethal every time it flies.
Early boarding still has serious design flaws. One is that a parent won't know it has gone wrong till too late. And the crashes from broken attachment and curtailed emotional develop are devastating. Ask any psychiatrist. The problems they see are not just depression and emotional inarticulacy, but alcoholism, drug-addiction, schizophrenia and violence. Whole families are affected. And, in the schools, parent-deprived emotionally needy children are easy meat for predators.
Good luck. Glad you have had a great education. But look around at your friends and your relatives - are you sure it works as well as you think? How would you know if it hadn't? Boarding school veterans are expert at covering up - one of the many skills you get.
Ozza - 10 years ago
That's interesting, Archie, but you are clearly intelligent enough to see the flaw in your logic. The fact that your experience has been a good and happy one (I am glad you didn't go at six or seven) proves little. If you fly in a plane with a design problem and you don't crash, that only shows it isn't lethal every time it flies.
Early boarding still has serious design flaws. One is that a parent won't know it has gone wrong till too late. And the crashes from broken attachment and curtailed emotional develop are devastating. Ask any psychiatrist. The problems they see are not just depression and emotional inarticulacy, but alcoholism, drug-addiction, schizophrenia and violence. Whole families are affected. And, in the schools, parent-deprived emotionally needy children are easy meat for predators.
Good luck. Glad you have had a great education. But look around at your friends and your relatives - are you sure it works as well as you think? How would you know if it hadn't? Boarding school veterans are expert at covering up - one of the many skills you get.
I go to boarding school myself and have done since age 11. I have loved (as much as anyone loves school) every second of my time at boarding school and if you'd asked me at 11 I would have wished my parents sent me earlier. Not only is the curricular and extra-curricular education far enhanced by the boarding experience, but boarding has taught me invaluable lessons in independence, interdependence and social skills. Far from making me grow away from my parents, boarding has made me see their sacrifices and their love more clearly. I have made friendships unlike any possible without spending all term time with my colleagues and I have leant important, life-long, lessons in caring and looking out for others. I can see that for outsiders, those who went to boarding school in the awful years of abuse in previous generations or those who did not take from boarding all they could have, it seems a bizarre 'habit' but I ensure anyone and everyone who doubts it that it is a wonderful and worthy one at that, and implore those doubters to research it more fully, weigh it's benefits against its (few) potential downfalls and, most importantly, to not forget the (usually) silent, content minority such as myself and thousands upon thousands of previous generations of boarders.
sally - 10 years ago
I'd have voted never was it not needed for secondary education for some secluded communities such as the Scottish islands. I could never send my won kids away no matter what.
red - 10 years ago
Would have preferred to vote 'post-teen, if strictly necessary (ie if there's a good enough reason) but hey.
That's interesting, Archie, but you are clearly intelligent enough to see the flaw in your logic. The fact that your experience has been a good and happy one (I am glad you didn't go at six or seven) proves little. If you fly in a plane with a design problem and you don't crash, that only shows it isn't lethal every time it flies.
Early boarding still has serious design flaws. One is that a parent won't know it has gone wrong till too late. And the crashes from broken attachment and curtailed emotional develop are devastating. Ask any psychiatrist. The problems they see are not just depression and emotional inarticulacy, but alcoholism, drug-addiction, schizophrenia and violence. Whole families are affected. And, in the schools, parent-deprived emotionally needy children are easy meat for predators.
Good luck. Glad you have had a great education. But look around at your friends and your relatives - are you sure it works as well as you think? How would you know if it hadn't? Boarding school veterans are expert at covering up - one of the many skills you get.
That's interesting, Archie, but you are clearly intelligent enough to see the flaw in your logic. The fact that your experience has been a good and happy one (I am glad you didn't go at six or seven) proves little. If you fly in a plane with a design problem and you don't crash, that only shows it isn't lethal every time it flies.
Early boarding still has serious design flaws. One is that a parent won't know it has gone wrong till too late. And the crashes from broken attachment and curtailed emotional develop are devastating. Ask any psychiatrist. The problems they see are not just depression and emotional inarticulacy, but alcoholism, drug-addiction, schizophrenia and violence. Whole families are affected. And, in the schools, parent-deprived emotionally needy children are easy meat for predators.
Good luck. Glad you have had a great education. But look around at your friends and your relatives - are you sure it works as well as you think? How would you know if it hadn't? Boarding school veterans are expert at covering up - one of the many skills you get.
I go to boarding school myself and have done since age 11. I have loved (as much as anyone loves school) every second of my time at boarding school and if you'd asked me at 11 I would have wished my parents sent me earlier. Not only is the curricular and extra-curricular education far enhanced by the boarding experience, but boarding has taught me invaluable lessons in independence, interdependence and social skills. Far from making me grow away from my parents, boarding has made me see their sacrifices and their love more clearly. I have made friendships unlike any possible without spending all term time with my colleagues and I have leant important, life-long, lessons in caring and looking out for others. I can see that for outsiders, those who went to boarding school in the awful years of abuse in previous generations or those who did not take from boarding all they could have, it seems a bizarre 'habit' but I ensure anyone and everyone who doubts it that it is a wonderful and worthy one at that, and implore those doubters to research it more fully, weigh it's benefits against its (few) potential downfalls and, most importantly, to not forget the (usually) silent, content minority such as myself and thousands upon thousands of previous generations of boarders.
I'd have voted never was it not needed for secondary education for some secluded communities such as the Scottish islands. I could never send my won kids away no matter what.
Would have preferred to vote 'post-teen, if strictly necessary (ie if there's a good enough reason) but hey.