Bolles School (Miami: fit in, hotel, homes)

[rtt]

I've lost count of how many Bolles parents came up to me when we pulled ours and told me that they wanted out, too, but their kids already had their friends and wouldn't budge. Sometimes parents get to call the shots which is the way we handled it because we felt that strongly.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by rtt

I've lost count of how many Bolles parents came up to me when we pulled ours and told me that they wanted out, too, but their kids already had their friends and wouldn't budge. Sometimes parents get to call the shots which is the way we handled it because we felt that strongly.

I can only say that schools like Bolles are not for everyone.

my son has always been in private schools like Bolles so if he does wind up going there the transition to the culture at Bolles should be easy.

In the school he is now going to they usually start with around 225-250 freshmen, about 175-190 graduate.
there are many reasons that account for the high drop out rate, family/job moves, discipline/academic issues, financial issues or sometimes the school/kid just don't mesh right.

Bolles and schools like Bolles do more than just dispense an education, they teach a lifestyle and if the family doesn't buy into what is being taught then the time spent at the school can be tortuous.

So experiences like yours are not unique, it happens at many schools like Bolles, and fortunately you recognized that Bolles wasn't the place for your child and you removed him and I am sure that both you and the school are ok with your decision.

Please don't think I am putting you or your child down for not liking the school but like I said the private school scene is not a good fit for everyone and I am sure that your child are happier in the school where you moved him to.

[kwilli]

Well said APVBGUY!

I can say as a Bolles parent I do not think you or your son will be disappointed with the school.

Just bring your checkbook! Honestly when I pay the tuition payment I really feel like I am getting more than I pay for.

Good luck in your educational endeavers, even if you decide on another school.

[Ryde41]

Most importantly, those who choose the school should realize that this is an international school, not functioning solely for the people of Jax. It just happens to be located in Jacksonville. Most of the children there are exceptionally bright and athletically strong, some recruited from the other schools. If your child is neither of the above, they might find a very unpleasant experience awaits them. The reason everyone who graduates is a top honor student or an athletic superstar is most of rest bit the dust. I'm hoping my last son keeps under the radar, I know his time is coming...I just don't know when. You can get expelled for pretty lame things. They probably sit and look at SAT scores and which child didn't make honor roll, and say....it's his "time"..to find a better place.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by Ryde41

Most importantly, those who choose the school should realize that this is an international school, not functioning solely for the people of Jax. It just happens to be located in Jacksonville. Most of the children there are exceptionally bright and athletically strong, some recruited from the other schools. If your child is neither of the above, they might find a very unpleasant experience awaits them. The reason everyone who graduates is a top honor student or an athletic superstar is most of rest bit the dust. I'm hoping my last son keeps under the radar, I know his time is coming...I just don't know when. You can get expelled for pretty lame things. They probably sit and look at SAT scores and which child didn't make honor roll, and say....it's his "time"..to find a better place.

that could all be true, but the competition can bring out either the best or the worst from a kid, that's why I said that the school isn't for everyone

[Ryde41]

Yeah, it's just sad though how many children are scarred for life from it when they find out the school wasn't for them.

[rtt]

There are ALOT of kids who aren't top honors students at Bolles. My kids' classes were filled with them. They were legacies and they weren't the sharpest knives in the drawers by a longshot. They weren't gifted athletes, either. They just kind of bide their time in the lower track until graduation. That's one thing that I found disconcerting, because they ended up being the troublemakers. Because of their favored status they were allowed to just hang out there. The college placement is OK (speaking of honors) but nothing to write home about compared to private schools in other parts of the country. I'd say it was similar to maybe a competitive public school in those areas, or a little lower than that. They'll get an Ivy admit or top liberal arts sometimes, but its not the norm by a longshot.

[rtt]

I ran into an acquaintance at the store today and she was asking about school and I told her we were (thankfully) no longer a Bolles family. She said she begged her husband to get her kids out but he wouldn't budge. She said they're older now and its too late.

[rtt]

Come to think of it,Ryde41, a school administrator told me that they do make a conscious effort to "weed out" students in the middle school. I thought that was very strange and I asked the person to repeat themselves because I thought maybe I hadn't understood. So you send your child to the lower school, assuming that they'll go all the way up through 12th, and then they may be weeded out! Where are they supposed to go at THAT point, I wonder! I suggested to two administrators there that perhaps they might consider doing more "weeding out" during the initial admissions process, before the student and their family has become invested in it. Fell on deaf ears, I'm sure, because the arrogance there is not to be believed. They supposedly have a handle on everything!

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by rtt

Come to think of it,Ryde41, a school administrator told me that they do make a conscious effort to "weed out" students in the middle school. I thought that was very strange and I asked the person to repeat themselves because I thought maybe I hadn't understood. So you send your child to the lower school, assuming that they'll go all the way up through 12th, and then they may be weeded out! Where are they supposed to go at THAT point, I wonder! I suggested to two administrators there that perhaps they might consider doing more "weeding out" during the initial admissions process, before the student and their family has become invested in it. Fell on deaf ears, I'm sure, because the arrogance there is not
to be believed. They supposedly have a handle on everything!

in schools like bolles it usually their way or the highway, at my son's current school the usual response is that we've been doing things this way for hundreds of years and it's always worked so just let us do our job and (not their words) butt out.
Like I said you either buy into it or you leave.