Should You Consider Sending Your Child To A Military Boarding School?

Answer 1

It crosses the mind of just about any parent with difficult children: military boarding school. Military boarding schools are usually private institutions that incorporate military traditions into daily student life, and frequently teach the students in martial subjects. It’s easy to understand why parents would be tempted to send a troubled child to such an institution. Parents frequently report that their children were transformed for the better.

Military boarding schools are well known for preparing their students for college careers better than their public school counterparts. Achievement and competition are particularly emphasized: a stark contrast to the everyone wins mentality that pervades many public school. Families come home from boot camp graduations gushing about the changes they see in their son or daughter who’ve joined the military.

There is, however, an important fact to keep in mind: nobody, including your child, will change unless they choose to. No person or institution can force it on them.

Most military schools won’t actually accept students that have a track record of being defiant or causing trouble. Remember too that military boarding schools are private institutions. If they decide to expel your child without a tuition refund because of your child’s acting out and behavioral problems, they can do it.

Military academies are usually excellent. There’s no question that military discipline can shape their character, and benefit them for their entire lives. They should not, however, be considered as a cure-all or an easy fix for your child’s behavioral problems.

Parents who’s children struggle with behavior find that even if a child succeeds at a military boarding school, they need help establishing limits and boundaries at home to help ensure that the child doesn’t slip back into old negative patterns.

In fact, you may find that the structure you’d impose on a child as if they were home from such an institution will bear fruit. Sometimes all a child needs is for the bar to be raised before they see a challenge. The may find they want to go after it.

A child’s success becomes more likely when parents fully participate in helping them succeed, regardless of where the child is getting their education.

Answer 2

While there is a mostly negative connotation surrounding the notion of boarding school, one must remember that preparing your child for the real world early can be a good thing--for both child and parents. Still, before making your decision, it's a good idea to explore possible pros and cons of a boarding school education, based on your child's level of readiness.

Reasons why you shouldn't

A common concern for most parents is that the parent-child communication is strained or--at the very worst--severed when the child is sent away for long periods at a time. While this may have been a concern in the past, technology has evolved enough to remedy this potential problem.

However, for some parents, phone calls and text messages are not enough to replace actual, face-to-face contact with their child. In cases where constant communication is a must, it might be best to think twice before sending your child to boarding school. This may include cases where your child has an eating disorder, is suffering from depression, or has shown strong resistance to accepting new people, rules or ideas.

Reasons why you should

The best reason to send your child to boarding school is to foster independence. If he is ready for it, boarding school may be the training ground he needs for college, as well as for the real world after that. Studies have shown that students from boarding school tend to be highly self-motivated, disciplined, and well-mannered. Aside from the standard academics, boarding school teaches its students to govern themselves effectively, leading to a strong sense of self. Your child may also develop key qualities needed to survive after graduation, such as confidence and social skills.

If your child seems prepared to handle being away from home for long periods of time, then you may consider sending him to boarding school.

Before you decide

However, before making your final decision, the best person to ask if he could be sent to boarding school would be your child. Encourage him to voice his feelings regarding going to boarding school, as well as be open to any questions or concerns that he might have.