Dear Mr. Bradshaw,
We have a son in ninth grade who wants to transfer from his public high school to an elite private boarding school. He is a top student and certain to graduate near the top of his class. He is bright but the problem is he that he does “just enough” work in class to earn his top grades and does not show academic interest beyond earning an “A.”
Can you help us understand what the problem might be? Do extracurricular activities play a role in motivating students? We are eager for him to develop leadership skills.
Sincerely,
Parents of a Gifted Student
Dear Parents of a Gifted Student,
What you describe is not uncommon with bright high school students.
I believe that what is happening is that your son is not being truly intellectually challenged in the classroom. Boarding school offers a completely unique educational experience. This challenge can only come from being around other top students in a competitive setting. Statistics bear out that today’s boarding school students succeed at significantly higher rates than even day students at private schools.
Clearly teachers in public schools are important factors in helping to provide intellectual stimulation for their students, but they have to concentrate on teaching the fundamentals. As it should be, a large part of their instruction (but not all) is of necessity skewed toward how to help a majority of their students learn and earn good grades in their classes. Boarding schools traditionally hire teachers with degrees in their subjects and who are passionate about their subject.
The smaller class sizes at boarding schools allow teachers to provide individualized attention and students have more access to their teachers.
While earning top grades is important, we know that a significant part of learning takes place outside of the classroom in extracurricular, social and athletic activities. This is where students can learn to tackle intellectual problems and improve life skills. Most boarding schools have great sports and sports facilities as well as arts programs and facilities.
Your son will be stretched by the amount of academic work he will have. Teaching to the test is not something that boarding schools do and many of them have libraries/ media centers with technology that rivals college libraries.
On the question of leadership skills, elite boarding schools are organized so that they are able to bring out the best in students. They offer one-on-one mentorship with teachers and coaches and encourage involvement in extra-curricular activities and sports.
Every student has weaknesses and because of the small class size and student/counselor ratios, top boarding schools are uniquely qualified to help students find those weaknesses (be they social or academic) and master them. Many boarding school teachers and counselors also have connections at top colleges which will help your son in the college admissions process — something that public schools normally cannot offer.
In my opinion, the best way to support your son would be to place him in an environment with other bright students who want to learn. While students learn the academic fundamentals from teachers, a vast amount of really important learning takes place outside the classroom, in conversations and social activities with other students.
In a boarding school setting you live, play, study and socialize among your peers. The Association of Boarding schools shows that 78 percent of boarding school students reported being motivated by their peers — a significantly higher number than the 48 percent of public school students.
Because he is unusually intelligent, he needs to be challenged by other smart students. A boarding school will provide an environment where that can happen.
Gerald Bradshaw is an international college admissions consultant with Bradshaw College Consulting in Crown Point.
