Boarding School Review Blog

What is Progressive Education?

Picture your ideal classroom. What do you see? A line of desks, concentrated students diligently solving math problems? Or do you envision something different?

• Perhaps you picture a classroom electric with energy.
• Small groups of students stand on whiteboards around the classroom, debating, arguing, and trying to figure out the best approach to a difficult math problem.
• A teacher circulates, asking questions and making observations.
• And suddenly, there was a flash of celebration as the students arrived at the solution.
• They’re active; they’re engaged; they’re motivated. And they’re learning.

This is the promise of progressive education.

What is Progressive Education?

Arising from the ideas of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the progressive educational movement focuses on the process of learning over the rote memorization of facts.

• Beginning in the 19th century, progressive educators such as John Dewey, Rudolf Steiner, and Maria Montessori began to develop a philosophy of education that became progressive education as we know it today.
• A true definition of progressive education is admittedly difficult to pin down – the field is broad and contains many schools of thought. However, several values are shared by the progressive education community.

This video offers an overview of Ecole d’Humaité in Switzerland.

Attending to the Whole Child

Progressive educators are concerned with the holistic development of the child.

The JROTC, or Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, is an integral part of military high schools in the United States. While my daughters attended non-military boarding schools, my eldest daughter was enrolled in the ROTC program at MIT while she was at Harvard. I was very impressed at how the blend of military training and first-rate academics played out then and in her later life. Consequently, as I scanned the seventeen military schools' websites we have on Boarding School Review, I couldn't help but notice how seamlessly these schools weave the JROTC program into their school life. JROTC is not an add-on or an extracurricular activity. When you blend and integrate the JROTC program's proven training and goals with a military school's rigorous college-preparatory academic curriculum, you aim to produce graduates who understand service to their country, know how to lead and are confident in their personal path forward.

Here is a look at JROTC and what it entails.

What is JROTC?

Congress established the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) in 1916. Each branch of the services has its own distinctive JROTC program. However, they all have the altruistic-sounding mission "To Motivate Young People to be Better Citizens."

The U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is one of the world's largest character development and citizenship programs for youth. Source: JROTC

Some people think that JROTC is a recruiting program for the military. But it is

Are You Looking At The Wrong Schools?

You've started the process of choosing a boarding school for your child.

• You've done a bit of reading about the reasons for sending your child to a private school.
• You've listened to the suggestions and recommendations of family and friends.
• You've explored dozens of school websites.
• None of this is challenging to do.
• Chances are that you will find the right school for your needs and requirements.

Hopefully, you will. However, despite your reasonable efforts, here are five reasons you might be looking at the wrong schools.

1. They don't offer the kind of curriculum you require.

Think carefully about what the schools teach and how they teach it.

• Think about this well before creating the shortlist of schools you want to visit.
• The school's curriculum, how it's taught, and the quality of its faculty should be at the top of your checklist. That's how important an issue this is as you choose the right school for your child.

This part of the process is daunting because boarding schools are unique.

They won't all offer the same courses, and they will certainly not approach teaching them the same way. By now, you have a pretty good idea of your educational goals.

• Are you looking for schools that offer a solid college preparation using the College Board's Advanced Placement courses or

Want To Teach In A Boarding School?

If you went to a boarding school, you know what teaching in one is all about. It's a multi-faceted job with many unique benefits. So, for those of you who didn't go to a boarding school, here's what's involved?

First of all, teaching in a boarding school is not a 9-5 job. (Well, strictly speaking, 8-3, but let's not quibble.)

• So, if you are looking for a job that you can leave behind at the end of the school day, teaching in a boarding school is probably not for you.
• You see, boarding school teachers teach.
• That is, after all, their primary function, but they also function as parents.
• A Latin phrase describes this concept succinctly: in loco parentis, i.e., in place of a parent.
• Because families have sent their children to a residential school away from home for weeks, even months, the school staff functions in place of the parents.
• Boarding school students are supervised 24/7, just like they are at home.

A boarding school teacher's duties

Teachers in a boarding school wear many hats. They teach. They coach. They manage a club.

• Yes, teaching is your primary responsibility and function.
• When you submit your application for a teaching position, that's one of the first things the school will evaluate. A school's clientele expects an excellent academic curriculum taught by top-notch, highly credentialed