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"How long should you tutor an elementary school student?"I'm not quite sure what you're asking here--how long in terms of a single tutoring session OR how long over a series of sessions? Either way, there are a lot of factors to consider. This answer is quite long, so you may wish to first skim the headings to locate points that will be most helpful to you.LENGTH OF INDIVIDUAL TUTORING SESSIONS:If you are referring to how long a single tutoring session should be, it can range from half an hour to as much as 3 hours. Some of the factors to consider:- Age/Grade level of child: What age and/or grade level is the student? The younger the child, likely the shorter the session--but some younger children can actually do an hour at least if the tutoring session is stimulating and involves a variety of learning methods.- Theoretical or practical/Hands-on approach: What kind of tutoring are you providing? If it is hands-on, skills-based (such as a music session, or perhaps mathematics with the use of lots of ______), a child may be able to focus for longer than if the tutoring is more theoretical.- Child's personality, learning style, and/or stage of development: Some children are able to sit for a longer period of time, while others are restless and can only focus for short periods. Especially at the younger ages (up to about 8 or 9), girls sometimes tend to be able to focus longer than boys, but this is not a hard and fast rule. If you are working with a child who is highly active, and you want to cover a fair amount of material, be sure to include approaches that involve such things as these considerations:- a child's interests (for example, in Language Arts, stories on high-interest topics; in math, practical applications and/or word problems on high interest topics)- a series of different activities of about 10 minutes in length- brain break activities (stretches, short games, etc.)- use of exercise balls to sit on rather than a hard chair- division of a longer lesson into parts, with the more difficult/theoretical part first, followed by a "reward" such as a 5 minute session of a fun game on tablet, and then more active, practical, hands-on activities in the second half- Face-to-face or online tutoring: What type of tutoring are you using? Face to face or online? In my experience, younger children (and indeed, almost all children at the elementary ages) do better with face-to-face sessions, although those sessions can certainly include computer-based (including online) activities. Most children enjoy the use of electronics in their tutoring lessons, but having a "live," face-to-face tutor there with them has many advantages, relationally, ability to focus, quick recognition by the tutor of learning difficulties or boredom, and so on.- Tutoring method/approach: What tutoring method or approach are you using?--workbook or other ongoing activity, or a series of different kinds of activities? If you are following a system that is workbook or textbook based, it is more difficult to keep a child's attention focused, especially if they've already spent several hours at school and/or at other lessons and activities, even active ones. On the other hand, if you can switch up activities every 10 to 15 minutes, the child is more likely to stay engaged. The older they get, though, the more likely they will be able to stay focused on one activity, so a child of 10 or older can probably (though not definitely) stay engaged in one format for a good half hour--but at that point it is worthwhile taking a brain break.If you are working for a tutoring company which requires you to follow a particular curriculum and methodology (for example, a specific set of workbooks), and you realize that method is not optimal for the child, you may need to discuss it with your employer--and then with the parents if the employer is not willing to allow you to try other approaches. You'll need to be careful about this, as it could affect your employment--but at that point you may need to consider your values and beliefs about education/tutoring.- What the child was doing before the tutoring session: If the child has just arrived from school or another lesson, it is unlikely they'll be able to focus for a longer period of time--but the same can be said for a late afternoon or early evening session. I advise parents of younger students to provide at least an hour between school (or other focused lesson-type activity such as piano lessons) and tutoring time, during which the child has a healthy snack and, ideally, some play time, or perhaps a non-competitive sports activity. If the tutoring lesson must be near the end of a day, I recommend a healthy meal and nap before tutoring.- Is the tutoring session after school, or is it early in the day? Some home schooled children can have tutoring sessions as long as 3 hours or so, if these sessions are at the beginning of the day and involve a variety of activities, with appropriate brain breaks. Even a child with special needs can stay engaged if a longer tutoring session is carefully planned to involve a variety of approaches--and if the tutor is alert to the child's needs and willing to be flexible and change things up as needed. I do recommend that if the session is going to be an extended time period, the tutor start with a couple lessons of a half hour to hour to develop a relationship with the child and for the tutor to observe the child's learning styles and needs.- Morning or afternoon/evening person: Is the child a "morning person" or "afternoon/evening" person? Just like adults, children can have different "internal clocks" and/or live in situations in which their sleeping hours are different than the usual. It is always a good idea to discuss these things with the parent, to choose a time and length of lesson that is more optimal.- Learning differences, special needs, medical issues: Does the child have any learning differences, special needs, or medical issues and/or medications that should be taken into consideration in relation to the timing and length of tutoring sessions? This is another topic which should be discussed with parents (and likely with teachers or other involved professionals) before starting the tutoring sessions, as it will inform the approaches you will take--and even inform whether or not you are the appropriate tutor for the child's needs.- Why is the child being tutored? Some children just need a bit of extra help to get caught up or have some extra practice in a subject. Others love a subject and your goal will be to provide enrichment. Still others are not functioning well in the classroom situation, in which case you need to discover why, and find tutoring approaches that will provide a better learning experience for the child. Some children are being forced by parents to have tutoring lessons, perhaps because such sessions provide childcare while the parents work, or they have goals for their child that the child may not share, and so on, and the child will be antagonistic to the whole tutoring process. Some children are receiving tutoring as part of their home schooling experience, in subject areas the parent may not feel competent to teach/facilitate. There are many reasons for tutoring, and it is important to figure these things out as soon as possible, so you can advise appropriate lesson lengths, plan useful activities, or even recommend a different tutor or an end to tutoring if it is not going to be helpful to the child.- Other activities the child is doing: Is the child enrolled in many other lessons, sports activities, etc., besides school? Sometimes parents are trying to fill up a child's "schedule," or have very high goals for their child, and therefore enroll them in as many lessons and activities as possible. If these things seem to be the case, shorter tutoring sessions may be advised--and/or adjustments made in the types of activities during tutoring. You may wish to discuss your concerns with the parents, and provide professional information on a child's need for play time, adequate sleep and rest, and relationship time with other children and adults.- Snacks and beverages: Some children will do better in longer sessions if they have at least a glass of water or similar drink available, and/or a healthy snack partway through, such as carrot or celery sticks or a piece of fruit. This is especially important if they've come right from school, or from another activity such as a swimming lesson. Lack of hydration (especially in hot/dry weather) and lack of healthy sources of energy can make tutoring sessions a waste of time and be unhealthy for the child.- Tutoring/learning environment: In what kind of environment is the tutoring session taking place? Some children function well in a lively environment (such as a classroom, in the family home with parents and siblings around, in a homework club or tutoring room where other children are being tutored by other tutors), while others need a quiet, peaceful environment. Also, some children are over-stimulated by a "busy" environment in which the room is "cluttered" with many bright pictures, lots of games and other learning materials, and so on, while other children thrive in these environments. If your student is affected in either of these ways, can you work out ways to provide an alternate environment, or should the session be shorter?- Other people in the tutoring location: Will a parent or guardian (or possibly a S/EA or TA) be in attendance or, if the tutoring session takes place in the child's home where family members and activities are happening in the background, how will that affect the child's focus? Some children feel more comfortable and safe in a home environment, but even if that is the case, you will need to ensure that it is not overly distracting--and sometimes the presence of concerned parents or other adults in the child's life (especially those who tend to "hover") can result in interruptions or arguments with you as the tutor. In these cases, you may need to provide shorter sessions and/or try to adjust your methodology to suit the parents' requests, or perhaps have the parent or other helper sit in an adjoining room or at least sit away from you and the child, perhaps in an easy chair facing away from the child, and ask them to read a book, spend time on their smart phone or tablet, or whatever.If the tutoring session is in the home and there is a lot of activity, to ensure the child receives enough help, the session may actually need to be extended to make up for lost attention due to distractions--or you may alternatively suggest (or even bring along) quiet activity materials the other children can use--or (and this sometimes works very well), include the other children in some of the learning activities. But if you need to do these kinds of things, you'll want to think about whether you should be charging extra, especially if it requires you to provide extra printouts and bring extra materials. Another possibility is to use "brain break time" to allow the child (especially a younger one) to have 10 minutes or so of play time with siblings in an hour session--but even then, you'll want to ensure that the play time doesn't involve activities from which it will be difficult to bring the child back to learning.NUMBER OF TUTORING SESSIONS:If you're asking about how long a series of tutoring sessions should be, some of the above factors will also apply. However, you'll also want to consider:- Tutoring goals: How much help will the child need to fulfill the goals of the tutoring (always discuss learning goals with parents, teachers, and other members of the child's learning team)? Is the length of lessons, and the number of lessons, appropriate? Can you provide the needed help yourself, or will others need to be involved? Can you attend IEP (individual educational plan) team meetings at the school, keep in close contact with parents and teacher, and so on? Will you need to spend extra time exploring options for the sessions to make them more helpful? Will you need to purchase special supplies or borrow them from the school? How much time will all this take? Will you do this for free or is there funding available for your extra help?- When tutoring is progressing faster than expected: Are the tutoring sessions meeting the goals at the rate you expected, or is the child progressing faster or slower than expected? If the child is progressing faster than expected, will you (and the parents) be comfortable with ending the planned number of sessions earlier--or would it be a good idea to provide "enrichment," or work with the child to allow him or her to move onto a higher level than perhaps the classroom at school is involved in (if you do this, let the school know so the teacher can make classroom adjustments such as allowing the child to "work ahead" or perhaps spend time peer-tutoring other students--if the parents agree). Or perhaps you could switch to tutoring in a different subject area in which the child may also need help or has a high level of personal interest? Could the parents arrange for the child to take some other kinds of lessons? Or spend time at a community club or similar group or with grandparents or at a friend's home? Is tutoring really necessary? It is important to consider the child's needs and interests as well as the parents' needs for tutoring as a childcare option, or your budget expectations as a tutor.- When tutoring sessions are not succeeding as hoped: You will need to analyze, with the parents, teachers, and other professionals in the child's life, why that is happening. Can you change your tutoring approach? Is the child unhappy to be in a tutoring situation--or is overtired or having health issues? Is there an underlying issue such as learning differences or mental health issues or other medical issues (even something as simple as needing glasses--or something more complex) that needs to be diagnosed and dealt with? As you tutor, do you feel that you are actually not qualified to meet the child's needs academically, relationally/personality-wise, medically, etc.?Part of being a good tutor is being able to recognize when you are not able to meet a child's needs--and either seek out guidance and extra education for yourself, or admit to the issue and recommend that another tutor be found or that the child get other kinds of help or be involved in other more suitable activities. If you feel you can continue to work with the child, but that extra tutoring will be needed, you will need to think of ways to do that. Would the child be able to have longer individual tutoring sessions? Could the child come two or three times a week instead of just once a week in order to add extra tutoring hours each week? Or if the individual sessions are overwhelming to the child, could the sessions be shortened, and the child come two or three times a week (simply shortening overwhelming sessions may actually end up with the child learning better in the time provided). Are you (and the parents) willing to provide sessions on weekends, during Christmas and spring breaks, and/or in the summer? Are you willing to extend the tutoring sessions into the next school year until the child has reached the goals set? Should the goals of the tutoring perhaps be reconsidered?- Financial considerations and alternatives for adding extra sessions: Can the parents afford extra tutoring sessions? Are funding options available that the parents may not be aware of? If no extra funding is available, will you stick with the original plan (length and number of lessons) or perhaps provide extra lessons by charging a little less per lesson? Can you "give back" to your community by providing free or low-cost tutoring to one or two students? Could you teach the parents to tutor the child themselves? Parents may already know the basics of a subject/topic, and a little extra encouragement and some training on how to tutor the child themselves might solve the problem of not being able to afford extra lessons. Perhaps you have two or three students who need tutoring in the same subject area and with similar levels and needs--could you do small group lessons and charge each student less (for example: while a single student might be charged $40 an hour, you could charge $20 each for 3 students in a small group)? While it might seem to you that you are losing out financially in some of these ways, you will be building good-will in the community, and word-of-mouth will soon get around that you are a wonderful tutor, and you'll soon have all the work you need. I do recommend, though, that if you offer reduced cost (or free) sessions, you do not advertise it, and ask parents to keep the cost you're charging them a secret. In your advertising, such as on your website or in your brochures, do not quote a rate. Make a statement that rates are based on the child's needs and the amount of preparation and materials required. This way you can make adjustments to provide extra free or low-cost lessons, raise rates when necessary, and adjust your charges as you become more experienced and in demand.- Extra sessions and the tutor’s schedule and/or budget: How will shortening or lengthening the number of planned sessions fit into your schedule and/or budget? How do you charge? Are payments made as the lessons are completed, or do you demand payment ahead (a month or two months or even a year)? What happens if the child reaches the tutoring goals in a shorter time--or perhaps faces illness or other needs that require less sessions? What if the child needs extra sessions? Can you provide those? How flexible are you personally? If you work for a tutoring company, what are their rules? These are important things to consider, for yourself, right from the start--and to discuss with parents. What if a child misses a lesson that has been paid in advance? You should make clear, from the start, your expectations--and ideally, have a contract which you have discussed with the parents and they have signed.WRAP-UP:When thinking about the length of tutoring sessions, and the number of sessions needed, there are many factors to consider. It is wise to discuss these factors with the parents--and other members of the child's learning team, as applicable--when beginning the tutoring, and to keep close observation as tutoring continues to determine if changes in lesson length or number of lessons need to be adjusted, or if other solutions need to be found.

(the following is from www.wikihow.com)wikiHow to Have Fun While StudyingIf you find studying boring and difficult, make it fun in your own way! From making your environment more conducive to enjoying the study, to finding ways to help improve your concentration, studying can be made more interesting ... and yes, even fun (Well, almost)! Here is some guidance and advice to get you started.Studying Alone1 Try interactive learning software to make things more interesting. If you are not the tech type you can have an older sibling/parent/guardian make a game for you and play it!2 Use music. Put on some music that has catchy tunes that will relax you. Never use music or songs that have lyrics to them: it will catch your attention too much, unless you are a type that can zone out lyrics, and it will take your mind off of studying. Something in the electronic music genres such as pop or jazz is great for studying. Also if you do not like music you can keep thinking about a favorite scene in a book or movie that you like.3 Keep snacks close. Get together some healthy snacks to nibble on as you study. Allowing yourself a little nibble every now and then helps the study time to pass more pleasantly. Also, it is often effective if you use snacks as a form of treat for yourself every time you complete a part of the work. Don't have a huge bag of chips - try to have something simple such as an apple or banana. Vitamin B is great but an occasional treat is okay like hard candy is fine because you don't need attention about that. Something with a lot of B vitamins such as nuts are great for studying because B vitamins are great for brain fun hours, no matter what. Decorate your spot with favorite things like postcards, knick-knacks, figurines, notes from friends etc. Even temporary spaces can be decorated with bits and pieces you keep in a portable box. But, try not to make your study area too distracting. The less clutter in your study area, the better.4 Provide good lighting and a comfortable chair which is at the right height for the desk. Nothing makes study more difficult than feeling uncomfortable as you sit and not being able to read the work properly. This is especially true in the winter months. It is also good to study near a window or natural light because that will have a bigger boost in energy than artificial light.5 Ensure adequate ventilation. Nothing sends a person to sleep faster than lack of air. Get fresh air into your room regularly - even in winter! Make sure it circulates, even if this means using a fan in winter to blow around warm air; this is better than stale, stagnant air.6 Have good temperature levels. Being too hot or too cold will make studying hard and you'll be tempted to crawl off to somewhere more comfortable. Turn the heating on or the cooling if you can. If you can't, then improvise and do what most students have always done to heat and cool: open or close windows & doors; use a red heat lamp at your feet (uses a lot less electricity); use a blanket; remove or put on extra layers; drink hot or cold drinks; put on a fan etc.7 Get cool or creative stationery and desk gear. Your supplies can encourage you to study - a pen that feels just right in your hand, paper that is so soft the pen glides over it, a book stand that stops your book from slumping over, a row of colored highlighters begging to be used and a scented eraser that smells delicious. Think of the things that you enjoy having around you at study time and make these your little props for amusing yourself with during the study. Don't let them distract you from the study though!8 Schedule time slots for study and other times for play. Don't make your study a never-ending process. Give it its time slot and devote yourself to it during this times and then reward yourself with the things you really feel like doing afterwards. Use the study time effectively, don't doodle, feel sorry for yourself or call up friends. That just stretches out the pain and increases your lack of interest. Assign the tasks to be done, do them and then forget about it and go and do the other stuff that you feel like doing. Also if you wanted to you could take a longer break and in the summer go start an ice cold lemonade stand and have friends help you enjoy yourself. Once it's time to come back in you can fell good and finish your studies while felling good about your self.9 Look at your study from a different perspective. Maybe it's study in an area you really dislike or you just don't care about. Try to think outside the actual pages before you and put the topic into a wider perspective. Think of the sorts of careers people have using this study topic; think of how everyday problems are solved using the techniques that the study is requiring of you. This can help to enliven otherwise dull matter and can also impress a teacher if you show how this knowledge applies elsewhere in some way. It demonstrates application to the topic in spite of your reservations. And hopefully, it also helps to chase away the boredom of it.10 Realize that study is about more than the topic before you. Sure, it might not grab you the same way that a basketball game outdoors would or a TV show you're missing because of the study. All the same, you're learning coping skills. You're learning how to prioritize, how to be patient and how to deal with something you don't like or feel disinterested in. Perhaps it doesn't feel like it at the time but these are some of life's most important skills because you'll come up against the temptation to fall into boredom many times - during work, a meeting, ceremonies, even parties! You're also learning about the general way the world works and where you might best slot into it yourself. How can you be sure you do or don't want to do things in life unless you know about them first?11 Get a pet to encourage you! If you have a household friend, such as a cat or a fish, you can have them around you as you study. Purring cats provide a great source of rhythmical comfort that can ease the studying time and a fish swimming around and around can do wonders for reminding you that it's worth studying so that you can become a bigger fish in a sea of many. And some of you may be thinking wait a minute what about dogs... well dogs are great companions for studying if they are trained they should be quiet when you are hard at work and playful when you are ready for a break.12 Take breaks. Frequent, short breaks are better for you and your thinking processes than infrequent, long breaks. Set an alarm on your computer or on a clock to go off every half hour and go for a stretch, get a coffee or milkshake, see what the weather's like outside. No matter how old you are, try to make your material into a game. It works so well. If you have a younger brother or sister, let them help you. Make up a song or a rap about your material. You would be surprised by how much it helps.13 If you are doing word problems in math, change the problem to make it more interesting or even a bit silly. For example: Beth has 5 apples. If she goes to the apple orchard and picks 5 times the amount of apples she already has, but drops 3 on the way home how many apples she have now? Isn't that a boring problem? You can make it more interesting. For example: Mr. Gidget has 5 bubbles. He goes to the magical bubble island and his friend Mr. Gadget gives him 5 times the amount of bubbles he already has. If Mr. Gidget drops 3 of the bubbles into a pit filled with needles, how many bubbles does he have? Isn't that better? If you use funny names, objects you like, or made-up places, the problem is 10 times more interesting, making it more likely that you will solve it.14 If you like music, create a short song about the general points of what you're studying. If you don't have time to make a song, search YouTube. Chances are is there will be some sort of relevant song. You might want to start with the Animaniacs. If you are the creative type take a song and wipe out all the lyrics and put your study material in there and sing it to the tune of your chosen song. If you just sing their songs to yourself it can help you to ace that test! Be sure to print out the lyrics to the songs and make it a point to sing the song at least once a night so you'll remember it.15 Make flash cards. The best site on the internet to make flashcards on is Quizlet. When making your flashcards, always do the term in capital letters and the definition in lowercase letters. Using different handwriting, colors, and decorating your flashcards will help you remember them. Be sure that you actually USE your flashcards. Just making them won't do anything for you at all.16 Go over your notes and draw pictures. For example, If one of your notes is "Ohio produces more cheese than Wisconsin", draw some cheese and a picture of Ohio smiling and Wisconsin frowning. This works really well if you are a visual learner.17 Make an easy retrieval table. Get a piece of large A4 paper and rule a table. Use bright color pencils, highlighters etc. and make a color order. For example,for history you could use neon green for dates, blue for the names of important people, and purple for what significant things they did.18 If you are reading your textbook, use funny accents or weird voices. It is also good if you record yourself and listen to the recording at least once every night. This is helpful in literature and history textbook.19 Use mnemonic devices. For example, the 5 great lakes = HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior) However, make them creative so that you can easily remember them. A creative one for remembering the eight levels of classification is Dumb King Philip Came Over From Greece Sneezing (Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species) Or you could do, King Henery Died Unexpectedly Drinking Chocolate Milk {Kilo, Hecto, Deca, Unit, Deci, Centi, Milli}20 Make small posters that you can hang up around your room or around your house. Decorate them and draw pictures. On the night before the test or quiz, present and explain them to your family.21 If you need to study for a spelling test, eat alphabet cereal in the morning! Have a parent or sibling read a word from your list to you. If you spell the word correctly with the cereal, you can eat it!22 Are you an IT/computer person? If you work well with computers, you don't have to stick to handwriting your notes, which can take forever and it can be very mind-numbing. Go ahead and use the computer if you find it much easier to type. You could create a cool animation with a voice-over, a Prezi presentation, a multimedia PowerPoint slideshow with music, pictures and video. If you write your notes on a Word Document, personalize them by creating your own personal logo and using it as a letter-head - and that way nobody can steal your notes.23 Pretend you're a teacher and create a test or quiz that you can take yourself or make your older sibling(s) and/or parent(s) take. Have a parent or older sibling that didn't take the test grade it. If you feel confident, you can grade it yourself.24 If you have to take a test on some boring book in English class, try replacing the characters in the story with characters from video games, TV shows, or characters from any other forms of media if you can. This makes the material a LOT more interesting.25 Try a change of scenery. Pack up your textbook, notes and binder and try heading to your local coffee shop or library. Bonus: someone there may be able to help you with your homework!(the following is from www.oxford-royale.co.uk)10 Ways to Have Fun While You StudyYou can do everything right: buying yourself treats, planning your time carefully, making sure your room is well-ventilated and your chair properly adjusted for your back, and still feel like you’re counting down the days until the end of this study period, or until you leave school, or – quite possibly – until you retire.So here’s the challenge – how can you make studying not only tolerable, but actively fun? This is a skill many students only learn when they go to university and begin to study a subject they actively love. When you’re still studying subjects that you’re indifferent to, and some that you long never to have to study again, enjoying yourself has to be in spite of the subject, not because of it. One day you might come to like the subjects you loathe at the moment, but it’s not likely to happen when you’re cramming them ahead of exams. Here are our top tips for finding ways to have fun while studying – whatever the subject may be.1. Listen to good musicPlug in your headphones and no-one need know that you’re listening to the Frozen soundtrack…This is a classic study tip for a reason – everything is more fun when it’s set to music you love. Some people have the gift of being able to concentrate even while listening to songs with tricky and compelling lyrics; some can even write an essay while singing along. Before you just go for your favourite songs, it’s probably worth considering whether you are one of those people. Beware – you might end up writing an essay that reads, “The importance of this soliloquy in Hamlet is that it shows how Ophelia has gone from the other side, I must have called a thousand times…” Even if you’re not conscious of being distracted by your choice of music, skipping a song that’s annoying you or spending ages trying to find the right playlist could cut into your study time more than you realise.But if you can make this tip work, it does help a great deal. For most people, music without lyrics is a better option. That doesn’t necessarily mean Mozart – film soundtracks are fun and motivational, and you can pretend that you’re in a training montage while you’re studying. Plus a good soundtrack goes on for ages, reducing the amount of time you’ll have to spending finding just the right choice of song.2. Turn it into a game for yoursWe’ve written about how to gamify your studies before, but it’s worth repeating because, done well, it really can help. The study aids of puzzles, quizzes and flashcards all tap into the fact that we often learn better with games, and are more motivated too. Have you ever spent time trying to get full marks on Sporcle when the work you’re supposed to be doing languishes unattended? Then you’ll know how breaking something down into an achievable and measurable goal makes it much more fun.The sort of game you choose will depend on your interests and your subject – history lends itself better to creating a sprawling 4-hour board game than, say, statistics, where you might instead use the principles you’ve learned on real-world events, such as sports. The process of coming up with a game might take longer than playing the game itself, but so long as you’re engaging with your subject and going over what you need to learn as you do it, it’ll still be valuable.3. Turn it into a game with othersStudying with friends is a bit of a minefield. It can be motivating and helpful, as you share ideas that you might not have thought of individually. Or you can end up having so much fun that not much studying actually happens.All the same, if you can make it work (perhaps if there’s one very strict friend in the group who keeps you all on track), turning studying into a game with friends might just be the best way to combine studying with fun for the maximum amount of both. “Invent a game and play it with your friends” is a recipe for time-wasting much more than that kind of activity on your own, so be sure to keep it simple.Quizzes and treasure hunts are one way to go (for instance, where you get the next clue once you’ve figured out the answer to an exam question). If you’re up for more of a challenge, you could try a study-themed truth or dare, in which your friends ask you suitably tricky questions for the ‘truth’, and if you can’t answer – or get the answer wrong – you have to do a dare. Just make sure that the dare doesn’t seem to be the easier option than trying to get the answer right. You could set study-themed dares; for instance, in English literature, if you can’t come up with a quote to support a particular point for the truth, you have to write two paragraphs themed around that point for the dare.4. Use nice stationeryAre you a stationery person? You’ll know if you are: if browsing in Paperchase seems more interesting than browsing in Topshop; if the delight of every August is buying fresh supplies for September; if you own more blank notebooks for use on some future special occasion than you own filled notebooks that weren’t quite special enough to save.If you have a desk full of lovely pens, pencils, note-paper, notebooks, stickers and goodness knows what else, now is the time to use them, and delight in them. Write in fancy fountain pen if that sounds like something you’d enjoy; it’s a bad idea to use it in your exam, but being forced to slow down a little when taking notes as you’re studying might help the information sink in better. Cover your notes in stickers if it means you’re more likely to reread them. After all, if it’s not to be used when you have important studying to do, why bother hoarding lovely stationery in the first place?5. Try roleplayFor any subject with stories and characters – Theatre Studies, English Literature and History are the obvious examples – one way to get your head around the topics is to pretend that you are one of the characters, and roleplay as them for a while. What would Henry VIII choose for lunch? How would Marianne from Sense and Sensibility choose to have your room arranged? If Othello were suddenly transported into your body, would he be pleased, or disappointed?Thinking these things through might seem silly, but they can test your knowledge of the subject you’re studying in a way that just going over your notes might not, opening up new avenues that you could explore – for instance, might it matter how old Henry VIII was at the time? What does that tell you about how his outlook changed during his lifetime?If you’re studying with a friend, you could try to have a conversation in character. You might not have enjoyed this kind of activity in the classroom, but if you really know your stuff, it becomes more rewarding and enjoyable – when you’re not just saying “I want something delicious because I’m a king” but thinking about the foods Henry VIII enjoyed specifically, what religious restrictions there might have been on his food choices, and how open he was to other people influencing his decisions.6. Study somewhere differentStudying often gets boring simply because you don’t get a change of scene, unless you count going from your room to the library and back. Studying outside in the summer is tricky – there’s sunburn, glare on laptop screens and ants to interrupt you – but if you can find a shady spot in a garden or park, it can make the whole process feel less stressful, as well as making you less jealous of the people who get to have fun outdoors.If being outside isn’t an option, you could be somewhere else in your house. We don’t advise bringing your laptop into the bath but you could read a book or textbook there. Some people learn better by association, so you could assign different subjects to different rooms, and make sure you study each subject in the designated place. After all, the golden rule of studying is that nothing is silly if it helps you learn.7. Challenge yourselfWhen you’re studying, as with when you’re at the gym, it’s sensible to pace yourself. Don’t demoralise yourself by taking on more than you can handle; instead, go slow and steady, with regular breaks, so that you can cope for the long haul.Except that’s really boring, isn’t it?It’s a bad idea to challenge yourself to ridiculous things at the gym, because you can cause yourself long-term injury. But you’re not going to break your brain because you tried to do something that was a bit too tricky. If you’re bored witless by going over the same notes and the same ideas – but that’s what you have to study, so you’re stuck with it – try to find motivation in making it a challenge. You might see how quickly you can write a two-page essay, or whether you can solve a Maths problem in three-quarters of the time you’re supposed to. Don’t make the challenge impossible, but making your studying hard enough that you need to engage your brain properly can be helpful in making it less dull.8. Write comics, short stories or songsThere are endless songs written that could have been designed to help you study. Think about Tom Lehrer’s Elements song or Flanders and Swann’s First and Second Law. Putting something into rhyme or setting it to music helps a great deal in remembering it, not only through the end product but also through the process of composing your poem or song in the first place.If songs don’t suit you, try a different creative activity, like drawing a comic or writing a story. This might be a comic that maps out a particular scenario in History, or it could be a story where the conclusion rests on a particular principle in Physics. Add in some puns and wordplay on difficult concepts to make them easier to remember and you’ll have created a useful study aid and enjoyed yourself doing it.9. Intersperse studying with other activitiesIf despite all of the above, you’re really struggling to make studying fun, you can at least make some part of the day when you’re studying fun. Load up some episodes of your favourite TV show, see how you can break your favourite hobby into bite-size chunks, or arrange a quick catch-up with some friends to make sure your studying marathon doesn’t feel overwhelming.Engaging with studying and doing your best to find a subject interesting is hard work even if it comes naturally to you, so do remember to take breaks in order to refresh yourself. Figure out what length of break works best for you: some people like to take half an hour, but for others, a longer study period and a full hour’s break is better. For others, even half an hour is too much, and means they find it hard to go back to focusing on studying. Assess what suits you, and don’t do something a particular way just because it seems to work for your friends.10. Feel free to be ridiculousThere are very few perks to the high-pressure time of studying for exams. One of them should be that you have the freedom to be ridiculous. If you’re going around the house singing songs about Chemistry while pretending to be Henry VIII, you’re already looking pretty ridiculous, so let your embarrassment go. Ultimately, if it helps for you to instruct a sock puppet in the beliefs of major world religions, or you feel like eating nothing but Brie for lunch helps you focus better on the French language – then go for it, and make studying fun.

While there are many pros and cons to sending students to every type of school and there are also many factors that might impact the specific benefits provided by these “boarding schools” for each and every individual student, I can offer the following after teaching many students who have attended them:The are the 3 Top Reasons I would send my children to boarding schools:Feeder schools into top universitiesIf you look at a number of the answers to this post re: “feeder schools” to elite universities, you’ll notice a number of the top boarding schools in the lists: Mastering Boarding School Admissions Andover and Exeter, given their notoriety show up more than others, but frankly many boarding schools offer the following which might help students obtain admissions into the Top Universities:The academic rigor provided by the schools may be stronger than its peers.Why? First off, the Largest Endowments reported by Boarding School Review for the top 30 institutions total more than $100 million USD. Having those funds, these academic establishments can hire stronger instructors, develop or maintain challenging curricula, and maybe even have the best education leaders directing these schools in the “proper direction” for its constituents.Secondly, they have to simply survive by providing the best or they will fail to fund their schools with those annual $35,000–50,000+ tuition rates. Frankly, that added pressure forces them to provide students courses and electives that provide the “best” to their kids. Parents are always asking either out loud or at least in their minds, “Why am I paying so much for my child’s education?”St. Paul’s shows their recent matriculation numbers:COLLEGE MATRICULATIONCollege advisers work hard to find the best institutional match for students. Over the past four years, the colleges and universities most attended by our graduates are:Georgetown University - 31Brown University - 27Columbia University - 21Harvard University - 19Dartmouth College - 18Boston College - 15University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University - 14Stanford University, Williams College - 13Elite social networkParents (or the financiers of these kids) have to be on average wealthier than everyone else. It’s quite simple that going to school with “rich kids” means you’re hob nobbing with the elite in society. There is a reason why they are there and on top of that, they are most likely trying to maintain their positions. Having access to this network could open opportunities to internships, opportunities that may pad their resumes or many other avenues to being a part of the “upper class.”A little known story that many people don’t realize about Bill Gates beyond being a Harvard drop out is that he went to one of the best private schools in the Seattle area. His parents were a partner at a top law firm and a board member at the non-profit that helped him connect with the CEO of IBM. While it’s not a boarding school, it’s the same logic. If you want a boarding school example, just look to the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. You can also look at the long list of alumni at all the boarding schools and you’ll find many under the radar successes.The top “reason to go to Andover” adds more rhetoric to show this:1. Friendships that will last a lifetimeThe friends you meet at Andover will remain your friends forever. Whether you were friends from the start of Freshman Orientation week or you just met in the final days of Senior Spring, I am sure you will keep in touch after Commencement. Simply put, Andover students are nice. Everyone at Andover is friendly and looking for new friends. In my four years, I know I have met some of my best friends and even though we have only one more term left at Andover, I am confident that we will go on weekend trips together, connect at Alumni gatherings, and “tweet” at each other for years to come.Source: Phillips AcademyThe educationI’ll let Deerfield’s explanation of their didactic benefits:We offer small, discussion-based courses in a wide range of A Northeast College Prep Boarding School academic disciplines. Our faculty has designed a variety of interdepartmental courses, team-taught by two or more faculty members, to enable students to create new and innovative interdisciplinary skill sets. Individual research, off-campus study opportunities, advanced Alternate Study electives, and 19 AP courses provide students with exceptional academic opportunity.Source: Why DeerfieldMilton Academy gives even more details:What to expect from academics at MiltonBeing smart and interested is easy, fun and normal; everyone around you is motivated, too.Your classrooms will have about 14 students in them; everyone is part of the action.Learning is discussion-based not lecture-based; intense conversation in the classroom makes the class exciting. You make connections and discoveries you never imagined.Your teachers look for analysis, critical thinking, expressing ideas; they help you achieve these skills. You’ll develop your own point of view, and you’ll learn to respect others’ differing points of view.You will have your own faculty advisor. One advisor counsels you and a small group of other students throughout your Milton years, guides your course selection, keeps in touch with your academic and social progress, and acts as your resource and advocate.APs are not the only advanced coursework; you’ll be prepared to take AP tests, even if the course is not labeled AP. In fact, many upper level courses are more challenging and rewarding than AP curricula; take your talent, your interests and your passion as far as you can go.Teachers are ready and willing to help you outside of class; students visit faculty in the dorms and call faculty at home for help.Faculty get to know you well—who you are and what you care about; you’ll want to meet their high expectations of you.Teachers give your writing, projects and tests thorough commentary and respectful responses.You will feel proud of your work, and proud of your classmates’ work.Your homework is not repetitive, or busy work; it is valuable.Your courses are not limited to the texts; readings and discussions go beyond the textbooks and teachers respond to what students are interested in.When you get excited about a subject (and you will), you can follow up with a wide range of electives and learn from teachers who inspire you.Your art teachers are artists, in and outside of school; your music teachers are musicians; your English teachers are writers, your drama teachers are performers, set designers, and directors, and so forth. All your teachers are scholars in their fields.Source: Academics at MiltonAnd one other argument could be made that they help students learn to become mature even quicker than others who don’t board.One school explains:Self-relianceBoarding school students quickly learn how to perform many domestic chores and complete school assignments by themselves. They become experts at managing their time, money and resources. These students mature quickly and tend to be very independent and successful in college and life.Source: Benefits of Boarding SchoolThe schools also share their reasons:Andover:10. You’ll never go hungryThe best days at my house are always when somebody in my family has just gone grocery shopping—the once-barren refrigerator magically becomes a paradise of food. When I came to Andover, I was delighted to find that grocery days were everyday in Paresky Commons, the main dining hall on campus. Alongside the homestyle and grillworks stations upstairs, Paresky is home to made-to-order stir fry station, a pizza oven, an enormous salad bar, a pasta bar, and a deli bar. The best part is that Paresky is open to students (boarders and commuters), faculty, and staff every day of the school year for all three meals. If somehow you are left hungry after a meal in Paresky though, there are always burgers, chicken fingers, smoothies, and more available in Susie’s, the snack bar on the bottom floor of Paresky.9. Research is a breeze at the OWHLThe librarians at the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library, affectionately dubbed the OWHL, are an amazing resource. Whether you are hunting for a scholarly article on one of the many online databases provided by the library, scouring the stacks for a book, or struggling to format your bibliography—the OWHL librarians have your back. And even if you are on track with your work, the OWHL is the perfect, and probably most popular place to study on campus. There are group study areas for collaborative work, a “comfy chair” room stocked with the most current periodicals, and a silent study room for those nights when you just have to get work done.8. You can do anything with a BlueCard!As an Andover student, you don’t just get an ID card—you get a BlueCard! And a BlueCard is no ordinary ID card, either. With your BlueCard, you can check out books from the OWHL, sign into the computer centers, gain access to campus events, and pay for things. That’s right, your BlueCard is also a quasi-debit card. Places all over campus, like Susie’s, the Athletic Stock Room and the Ice Rink Pro Shop, and even stores in in town like CVS and Bruggers will accept payments made with your BlueCard. Lastly, starting this year, some of the buildings on campus, like Borden & Memorial Gym, are only accessible by swiping your BlueCard at the door. The BlueCard is literally your key to success at Andover.7. Our Head of School tweetsTwitter has taken over Andover’s campus. Although your parents might think “tweeting” is something birds do, the faculty at Andover know that “tweeting” is actually an awesome way to communicate with students, share campus news, and engage within the community. In fact, Head of School John Palfrey is the king of “tweeting” around campus, and uses Twitter to interact with students at all hours of the day. Additionally, many teachers have incorporated Twitter into their classes. Last year, my English 300 class kept a running record of the thoughts and reactions we had during our readings by tweeting with a common hashtag. So, when you call home and your parents tell you to get off Twitter and study, you can tell them that you are actually doing both at the same time!6. Life is a Beach, We’re Just Playing in the SandUnfortunately, coming to Andover is not exactly beachfront living—although the pool is a nice compromise if you are feeling the need to take a quick dip. To handle our “beach withdrawals,” Andover students have gotten pretty creative. Meet, The Great Lawn. The Great Lawn is the huge green at the center of campus that nearly spans the lengths of the main quad. Most notably, the Great Lawn holds the annual Commencement ceremony every June, but during those warm New England spring months, the Great Lawn is Andover’s very own beach. Students spread out in lawn chairs across the grass, tanning, playing Ultimate frisbee, doing homework with friends, or even playing tenni-golf—an innovative mutation of tennis and golf. While campus might not be home to the next Miami Beach, the Great Lawn is a perfect destination for anybody looking to catch some rays, get some exercise, or capture a photo-op or two.5. The guest speakers are “Wilde”At your old school, all-school assemblies probably only consisted of the town fire chief making a visit to teach the tactics of stop-drop-and roll, or the town mayor stopping by to discuss the future of politics in your small town. At Andover, however, we like to go a little bigger, especially with choosing guest speakers. Recent guests have included actress and activist Olivia Wilde ’02; 2008 and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Caroline Lind ’02; and former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush ’71. Still not impressed? Do not worry, because other guests to recently stop by include David Eagleman, renowned neuroscientist, and Tom Mesereau ’69, who became famous for his law career that acquitted Michael Jackson. This spring, Chris Hughes ’02, co-founder of Facebook and publisher & editor in chief of The New Republic, will be the keynote speaker at All-School Meeting, which is a weekly community-wide gathering in Cochran Chapel. With so many options and so many feet constantly walking across campus, you are bound to come across someone that will strike your interest. I guarantee you will also learn a thing or two at the same time!4. We Bleed BlueOkay, not literally—but we like to think so (thanks, oxidation). If you have you ever wanted to be one those crazy sports fans wearing a block of cheese on your head and screaming so loudly your own ears begin to hurt? If so, then Andover is the place for you. At Andover,athletics are a huge source of community pride and closeness, and it is also something we are quite talented at. Our swim teams have won more medals than Michael Phelps; our hockey team has produced current NHL superstars Chris Kreider and Cory Schneider; and our crew team has produced 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medalists. That said, not all of our athletes want to play at the varsity level—which is totally okay at Andover! In fact, some of the most popular sports are the intramural sports and life activities like yoga, spinning, and Zumba. Our biggest athletic tradition, however, is the legendary rivalry that we hold with our sister school up north, Phillips Exeter Academy. Every season closes with the Andover/Exeter contests—a weekend jampacked with school spirit and cheer. Andover students love A/E weekend so much that many alumni will return to campus just to cheer on the Big Blue as they “Wreck the Ex!”3. Do what you like, whatever that may beDo you have some sort of weird or far-fetched hobby that sometimes leaves you feeling like you are stranded alone in a corn maze? Then Andover is the perfect place for you because there are likely to be tons of other people lost in that same maze with you! If you have a peculiar interest or a hobby that most people have never heard of, then there is probably a place here for you to do it. If you like to play video games, then Andover Fifa Club is the place for you. If you like to study the dead Latin language, then Andover Classics Club is the place for you. If you like to be passive-aggressive, then Under the Bed (the student improv troupe) is the place for you. If you like to hear yourself talk, then WPAA is the place for you. If you like to build things and drive them around without a license, then Andover Robotic Cars Club is for you. If you like to argue with people, then Philomathean Society (the debate team) is perfect for you. Nothing sound good yet? If you find that your interest does not have a home on campus, go ahead and make one—with tons of faculty members here for support, any student has the ability to start his or her own club. So go out, find some friends, and get started with whatever it is you want to do!2. The Faculty Have Lives…And You Can be a Part of ThemThe typical high school teacher is just that—a teacher. At Andover, however, the faculty are so much more than just classroom teachers. For example, my JV Hockey coach was also my College Counselor and his wife was my math teacher. And this is totally normal! More than often, Andover students will find that their classroom teacher is also their coach and their club advisor and their music instructor. With a majority of the faculty living on campus, a unique sense of community is built at Andover. Faculty don’t just live on campus, though—they are also extremely dedicated to helping students. If you need some extra help studying for that Biology exam, it’s pretty typical to spend an hour reviewing the material with your teacher over dinner with his family or in the library during study hours. You can also ask teachers for advice, help with your laundry, suggestions for spring break, or just to talk. Andover is very much a family—a family in which students and faculty alike are caring, compassionate, and willing to help.The #1 reason was already shared above.Groton:Everyone MattersIn a school of 370 students, everyone matters. Those who attend Groton are united by a deep commitment of one to another and of each to the whole. Integrity and civility, qualities sometimes overlooked today, remain important at Groton. The School’s intimacy and ideals foster inclusion and inspire students to understand their strengths and capabilities.Exceptional ScholarshipA Groton education is thorough. Increasingly rare in secondary schools are opportunities to study two languages or take six courses, but Groton students can. Alongside traditional curricula are innovative approaches to instruction, such as the dynamic math and science classes in our STEM program. Superior performance on standardized tests, high rates of admission to selective colleges, and impressive performance in both undergraduate and graduate institutions demonstrate the advanced scholarship of Groton students.Cui Servire est RegnareGroton students are justifiably proud of the School’s heritage of service to the nation. Few institutions have had as much influence on the American Century, thanks to graduates including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and numerous policymakers. Currently, three Groton graduates hold seats in Congress, and Groton alumni work for the common good in a wide variety of fields, reflecting the impact of the School’s motto, “cui servire est regnare,” “to serve is to rule.” Students and graduates value service as an essential element of a life well lived.Depth and BreadthGroton believes that adolescents should expand their vision, not narrow it. Students develop the talents they know well, but also explore new arenas. The School offers an intimate setting and an array of opportunities found more typically at much larger institutions. At Groton, we avoid the contemporary emphasis on specialization. Groton scholars, athletes, actors, and musicians leave the School prepared to excel at the highest levels in college, but do so with heightened self-awareness of their abilities and interests in multiple areas—including many they would not have dreamed of discovering before Groton.A Personal TouchGroton offers Upper School students a full slate of electives, but students also may design tutorials, which are concentrated scholarship in subjects of special interest, under the guidance of a faculty member. The afternoon program can be individualized as well: a Faculty-Sponsored Activity or FSA allows students in-depth study of anything from extended research in a chemistry lab to the formation of a rugby team. The entire faculty serves as a resource to each student, a hallmark characteristic of founder Endicott Peabody’s emphasis on a School modeled after a family.Prefect YearGroton entrusts every senior with the responsibility to lead. Every Sixth Former leads a dorm of younger students, and many also take on other leadership—or prefect—roles throughout the School. Younger students benefit from their prefects’ guidance—they look up to prefects as they might big brothers or sisters—and they look forward to mentoring as prefects themselves one day. Groton believes it is essential that students understand their leadership style and capabilities.SpiritualityIn an era when it can be difficult to understand one’s role in a complicated world, Groton offers students a valuable component of a contemporary education: religious literacy. The School day begins with a Chapel service, which includes prayers or words of wisdom from many spiritual traditions, a traditional hymn, and a Chapel Talk delivered by a Sixth Former, teacher, or visitor. Classroom study of world religions and weekly services for students in their own religion of choice reflect the inclusivity embraced by the Episcopal schools.The CircleOn a plateau one mile from a New England village and 35 miles northwest of Boston, renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed a beautiful campus, focusing on a motif that he loved, the circle. The Groton Circle, a vast expanse of green ringed by buildings designed by the architectural firm of Peabody & Stearns, opens to the West, its vista toward the mountains of southern New Hampshire suggesting infinite possibility. While Groton’s property stretches across more than 400 acres of woodlands and down to the Nashua River, the central campus is conveniently contained around the Circle, which also serves as a symbol of the wholeness we seek to instill in each graduate.TraditionsGroton students love their traditions, and there are a lot of them to love. These are not empty rituals, but practices that support our sense of community. Perhaps most important is the structured routine at the beginning and end of each day. We begin together listening to a Chapel Talk and hearing announcements at Roll Call. We end the day with check-in, when members of each dormitory talk about the day’s events and shake hands with the teacher on duty before turning in. At the end of each School year, every student lines up to shake the hand of every teacher. Surprise Holidays, St. Mark’s Days, the school birthday dinner, Lessons and Carols, and many other traditions are eagerly anticipated and give each year a comfortable sense of familiarity.The FoodGroton benefits greatly from many nearby farms, which allow our Dining Hall to serve fresh, farm-to-table meals throughout the year. Experienced chefs prepare delicious, healthy food, and the director of our dining service is the parent of a recent Groton graduate!Resources and OpportunityGroton benefits from having a higher endowment per student than all but a handful of independent schools or colleges. The School's resources support teachers' professional development; a generous financial aid budget; a global education program that stretches into Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America; and facilities with more square footage per student than at any comparable school. All of this means opportunity for students, and experiences rarely found at the high school level. The Groton experience has succeeded for generations, inspiring our graduates to lead lives of meaning and purpose.Choate:Choate's Statement on Character identifies timeless qualities–integrity, respect and compassion–that are at the heart of what it is to be a good person. Working from this foundation, a Choate education strengthens in its students the capacity for productive learning and meaningful action. At Choate as in life, constructive leaders demonstrate self-motivation, curiosity and creativity, and effective communication skills.Choate students cultivate self-motivation and self-awareness. In a supportive and caring context, our students discover that their future success lies in effort, determination, and an understanding of how they learn. Intrinsic motivation combines with honest, reflective self-assessment to develop individuals who take responsibility for their actions, have the courage to stand up for their beliefs, and set goals for lifelong growth.Choate students develop creativity and a willingness to explore. The School encourages students to formulate their own ideas with originality and inventiveness. Choate's extensive resources inspire curiosity and allow the pursuit of interests in almost any direction. In this process of exploration, our students come to appreciate the value of taking intellectual chances and realize that learning is fun, often a source of joy. They identify interests and passions that form the intellectual playground where they will be active for the rest of their lives.Choate students learn to express themselves effectively in a variety of media and languages. Because a true education cannot be forged in isolation, communication is an essential component of that process. In all areas, effective communication requires attentive listening, gathering and assessing relevant information, and the ability to formulate and express a meaningful statement or argument. Our digital age demands facility with changing technologies, while also reminding us of the continued importance of human connections. Communication is essential for growth and understanding and also as a catalyst for action.While certain qualities are constant in providing a foundation for success, circumstances sometimes bring competing values into tension. Choate students are distinguished by their ability, enhanced through experience, to balance those tensions.Perseverance and resilience are balanced with humor and joy. All in our community enjoy learning, but experience teaches that some challenges are not resolved quickly or easily. Often, extended engagement, repeated effort, and adaptability may be necessary to achieve a goal. Students come to appreciate that determination combined with a positive sense of humor offers a productive approach. They discover that the path to success often includes prudent risks that might lead to occasional failures. They come to know that neither success nor failure is an ending, but rather the beginning of the next step forward. Balance in this regard is key to lifelong physical and emotional wellbeing.Mastery of established knowledge is balanced with the independent development of ideas. Choate students are trained to take full advantage of available information through research skills tailored for different disciplines. They have experience in the analysis of language and art, historical and social scientific evidence, and scientific and mathematical data. At the same time, they are given freedom to experiment with novel approaches through brainstorming, modeling, and trial and error. By studying how others have answered questions, our students consider a variety of ways to analyze, frame and synthesize information. They then adjust their approach to the specific circumstances of each challenge.Individual effort is balanced with productive collaboration. It is essential for students to develop the capacity for sustained, intense individual effort. Such independent, reflective engagement teaches self-discipline while also building skills and confidence. At the same time, the ability to be a constructive member of a collaborative team is essential. This requires students to lead as well as partner in efforts to contribute meaningfully and responsibly within the group. Students practice the skills of trusting, listening, persuading, and compromising that are central to productive group work. By working together, students come to understand other perspectives in ways that prepare them to engage in a global community.Self-advocacy is balanced with a commitment to serve others. While pursuit of personal goals and interests is desirable, empathy is essential in developing long-term, successful solutions to problems. Our students learn to understand their own perspective on an issue and also the perspectives of others. This includes understanding other languages and cultures, past and present, as well as learning to live in a vibrant and diverse community. This experience nurtures in students both a sense of gratitude for the gifts they have and a sense of humility that comes from recognizing their individual limitations. Students recognize the importance of dedicated engagement in service to others, including but not limited to efforts toward social justice and environmental sustainability.**Do note, much of what was said reflects the “top schools” identified in lists like this: Top 25 U.S. Boarding Schools in 2015