It’s been a month since the Haut-Lac Boarding House opened its doors. And in that month, a comfortable relationship has formed between our international boarders and their experienced house parents to create an Haut-Lac home from home. Yet living in this communal way is more than just a fun teenage adventure. It is a unique experience that will equip the students with the following key skills for later in life.
An International Mindset
Learning to live with students from other parts of the world is a fitting way to instil pupils with an international mindset. Exposure to tales from Asia, North America, the Middle East and Europe, amongst others, will prepare Haut-Lac boarders well for travelling and meeting people from all walks of life in the future. Understanding so many customs and cultures will enable them to react with the appropriate respect and response all conscientious young travellers should have nowadays.
Enhanced Social Skills
Constant interaction with others at the boarding house, from shared meals to weekend trips, is enough to fill a boarder's social toolkit. They learn to interact in a variety of situations and with a diverse array of people. They learn to identify both the importance of time spent alone and time shared with their friends. They learn to gauge social cues and to adapt to those around them very quickly. Such social skills will give them the confidence they need to manage the next daunting steps in their lives – university and the workplace.
Adaptability & Resilience
The ability to respond well to upheaval and change is one many young people struggle with nowadays. However, as is the nature of boarding, our boarders have already moved around the world multiple times. Leaving home and their parents demands resilience, a skill which we at Haut-Lac International Bilingual School recognise is essential for our students.
With world events as they are, and technology continuously changing the goalposts of the world we know, we are looking into a vague and nebulous future. Trusting in one's own resilience and ability to adapt to change is the best way to face such uncertainty.
Boarding students who are able to thrive far from home, in all corners of the world, are in the ideal position to do so. Like all international school pupils, they learn to roll with changing teachers, friends and school systems, developing personal coping techniques that will subconsciously stay with them forever.
Boarding is therefore not just about living on your own, away from home. It is a truly amazing international experience. And being aware of just how enjoyable and fruitful it can be compounds its benefits. More than just a fun adventure, it is an opportunity for so many life lessons.
For more information on living and learning the Swiss boarding life, head on over to the Haut-Lac boarding webpage.
Katie Harwood
Boarding House Supervisor
