Introduction
In this article, we are going to look at why do most Canadian parents send their children to private schools. Every parent has specific reason why they consider private school system for their kids. But a good number of them agree that most private boarding schools offer their children with:
- Better learning environment.
- State-of-the-art learning facilities.
- Smaller class size.
- Better preparation for further academic progression.
- Enriched and focused academic setting.
- Strong emphasis on specialized areas like athletics, music and arts.
- Extracurricular activities.
- Strong parental involvement in their children’s affairs.
- Makes the child more responsible.
- Enables the child to have shared philosophies and love for education etc
As a student when you go to boarding school, you are more likely going to be exposed to a wide range of clearer value system, be accessible to your teachers and mentors, simply feel better, and be more academically challenged.
When parents send their kids to private schools, they expect to see their children trained in a particular education system such as Waldorf or Montessori and/ or equip them with a specific cultural or religious knowledge.
Who subscribes for private education system?
Parents who send their kids to private schools want their kids to have best mental and character building. A recent studies show that many families in Canada have subscribed private education system for their children.
Also, another study says that children that attend private schools are from wealthy homes- and that children of the poor rarely go to private schools.
What to expect from your child in private boarding school
When a parent decides to send the child to a private boarding school, the parent is expected to get maximum return on investment. Below are some realistic expectations from parents:
- They expect their kids to receive high quality education from global thought leaders or teachers.
- They expect private boarding schools to have clear vision about their rules, vision, philosophies, codes of conduct and lots more.
- The child will be nurtured in a strong academically challenging environment
- They expect the school to have an amazing structure etc
The choices
About 28% of students attend private boarding schools in Canada. Private boarding schools in Canada have extensive menu. Most of these schools are:
- Boys-only
- Co-ed
- Language-based
- Faith-based
- Military schools
- Postsecondary preparation
- Special needs-centred etc
Why choose private boarding schools
There are so many reasons you can choose a private boarding school. For example, most of them have smaller class sizes, so it is easy for teachers to relate with each student, and customize learning that will suit their specific learning abilities. Usually, teaching in private boarding school can be rigorous or quite challenging.
Most private boarding schools are designed in a way that the student will be exposed to arts and technology-based learning, community service, daily sports, and weekly chapel attendance. There are also volunteering opportunities for some of them that would like to travel to Africa or Asia or other parts of Europe and America to network with students of their peer-groups.
Select wisely
Almost every private boarding school have a website. Most of them even promise to offer high quality education, however as a parent, what is important to look for schools that will enhance your child’s learning abilities and skills. If you are deeply religious, then you can look for faith-based private boarding schools.
Grade teachers
Take time to scrutinize teaching staff of the school you intend to send your child or ward. Research is very essential. Most private boarding schools post their teacher’s credentials on their websites. Go through their curriculum vitae meticulously, and ensure you are sending your child to a school that is in line with your vision.
Every teacher is expected to undergo continuous professional development. Teachers in public schools engage in professional development about three days a year, while most private schools do so regularly like quarterly.
Stipulated admission guidelines
Most private boarding schools have stipulated admission guidelines; some wants students from certain religious backgrounds, some want super intelligent, athletic or artistic students, etc.
In some of these schools, you have to subscribe for application fee before writing the entrance examination, and if you are successful, you would be invited for an interview. Your performance at the interview will determine whether you will be taken or not.
Every school have their own admission procedure, but most private boarding schools will look at your previous academic records, some will even subject the child to psychological or religious assessments (mostly in faith-based schools like seminaries).
High cost of school fees
You are expected to pay high if your child is going to a private boarding school; the tuition can vary from one school to another. It is usually within the neighbourhood of $15,000 to $50,000 or more.
The price might be lesser in provinces where private schools receive funding from government such as Alberta and British Columbia. But in provinces like Ontario, the prices are considerably high.
Besides tuition, students are also subjected to pay annual boarding fees such as:
- Endowment and alumni fee.
- Book or technology fee.
- Local and foreign trips.
- International baccalaureate fee.
- School uniforms.
- Sport tournament travel.
- Summer school fees.
- Transportation costs.
- Athletic clothing and lots more
Although public schools are exclusively free for all and most private schools are affordable, but parents will spend more in paying for child care, lunches, clothing, extracurricular activities, time spent driving during school runs, and so on. When you compare all these, you will discover that it is better and safer to send your children to private boarding school.
When it comes to investing in your child’s future, sending the child to a private boarding school might be the best option. Some of them give you the privilege of paying your fees on monthly bases. Also, there are discount options if you have more than one child in the school. You will enjoy some incentives in the form of scholarships or bursaries.
Questions you need to ask
Before you send your child to a private boarding school, it is important to ask yourself several questions such as:
- What is the mission and vision of this school, and how will it affect the life of the student?
- What is the best learning environment that suits your child’s background or needs and does this specific private boarding school have such features?
- Is the school approved by the education ministry?
- Who are the main operators of this school? What are the rules guiding them? Is the school for profit or non-profit?
- How does the school like look? Does it have a welcoming environment? Is it secure, well-lit or clean?
- Does this private boarding school meet the required provincial education guidelines?
- Is the school driven by technology and passion for excellence?
- What is the maximum class size?
- What type of professional development opportunities is available to teachers?
- Are the teachers qualified? Are they experts in their subject areas?
- Are parents deeply involved in the affairs of the school? Etc
Experts say that the reason why private schools are better than public schools is because they tend to have more teaching staff and materials than public school system. The gap between the two is wide and clear.
The advantage the child gets in private boarding schools keep on increasing as the child continues their higher learning. Graduates of private boarding schools tend to pursue professional or graduate degrees like dentistry, law, journalism, medicine etc than students that went to public schools.
In private boarding schools, students are empowered to develop love for academic excellence, and most of them annually reward students with best academic performances during the year. This serves as huge inspiration to other students to keep on studying hard.
It is clear that the income of parents who choose academically- inclined institutions for their children are more than those that choose religiously defined private boarding schools.
Also, further research shows that it is not as a result of socioeconomic factors that make most parents to choose private boarding schools for their kids, instead they always subscribe for it because of their strong desire for better character formation and strong community service development.
Many parents send their children to private boarding school after having an unhappy experience with public school system- the reason is simple; they want the best for their children.
Private boarding schools expect so much from their teaching staff, and that is why these teachers engage themselves in strong academic research in order to regularly equip themselves with right knowledge so as to disseminate the right information to students.
If a faculty member is not measuring up with the standard, they will be removed quickly. Thus, they have to work extra hard to retain their jobs. Some of these teachers love teaching and inspiring lives; so, because of this, they wouldn’t mind working hard to equip themselves.
Most teachers in private boarding school are information communications technology literate, so they are at home with all the latest information in their fields. They get this information by regularly researching about it. By sending your child to a private boarding school, it is assumed that you want your child to be more successful than their peers in public school system.
Conclusion
There are so many awesome reasons why you can send your child or ward to a boarding school in Canada. The extracurricular activities, athletics and academics are very few considerations.
Going to a boarding school with full-blown boarding facilities will make your child to be mentally, physically, and spiritually alert. If you want a better future for your child, then send him or her to a boarding school today.
In boarding schools, you will see a wide range of seasoned teachers who love to impact knowledge on your child. Basically, a lot of Canadian boarding schools hire only teachers who have acquired degrees in their specific subject areas.
Most Canadian boarding schools have state-of-the-art sports facilities, commercial facilities, fitness facilities, etc. The students are trained to compete favourably with others around the world.
Additionally, some of them have fine arts, music, dancing facilities, theatre, museums, performing art centres, bands, magnificent jazz ensembles, orchestras and so on. Thus, the artistically inclined students will find these things really interesting.
You will learn how to live happily in a home-setting away from home, and learn the basics of coping with life despite the hurricane challenges that beclouds your daily activities. You will be inspired and guided by your teachers, who will serve as mentors, and advisors, not just as baby-sitters.
You will be stretched beyond measure to appreciate academic work and moral excellence. For example, if you are in a public school system, you may read just one Shakespearean novel in a whole year, while in a typical Canadian private boarding school, you may read up to four or more Shakespearean novels in a year, and also study it in detail.
In a boarding school, you will be surrounded with fellow students from diverse backgrounds, cultures and civilizations who are interested in knowing more, learning and doing more. Their major reason for coming to a private boarding school is because they want to learn. Students are trained to study hard and to become responsible citizens.
Most boarding schools in Canada have fully equipped e-libraries, and most of these e-libraries are stocked with more eBooks, than public school libraries. In a private boarding school, you will learn how to be responsible, develop personal maturity, and learn the best way of getting along with your peers or others in the community.
All the things you learn in boarding schools will open doors for you in your adulthood. You will establish enduring friendships and partnerships with your peers, which might be of immense help in the future. And the class sizes of private boarding schools are considerably small, and this is a huge plus for the student!