Lifestyle

9 Things You Definitely Experienced If You Were A Boarding-School Kid

by Shannon Vize
Stocksy

Ah, boarding school — it was the best of times and the worst of times, but mostly the latter.

High school isn't an enjoyable phase in anyone’s life, and if it was enjoyable for you, I’m happy we weren't friends. Still, being shipped off to boarding school gives you a unique perspective of the high school experience.

So, for all of you fellow boarding school alums, here are nine things only you can understand:

1. Snow days were a magical thing you never got to experience.

Attending boarding school in New England ensures you’ll meet your fair share of spoiled Massholes, but it also guarantees massive amounts of snow.

The only positive of your location was the potential for snow days, right? Wrong. Living at your high school means school won’t get canceled due to weather even when the entire surrounding city shuts down.

2. Your teacher was also your coach, dorm parent, study hall/small group leader, cook, therapist and friend.

No teacher will ever bleed into every facet of your life like the teachers at your boarding school did.

College blew your mind because not only did your teacher not eat every meal with you, he or she probably didn't even know your name.

3. Boys never looked so good until you saw them head-to-toe in business attire (AKA dress code).

You never knew teenage boys could look so good because you were so used to seeing them in baggy pants and t-shirts.

But, arriving at boarding school and seeing all the boys dressed to the nines in dress code (dress shoes, dress pants, belt, button down shirt, tie and a blazer, if you were lucky) made you do a double take.

4. Headmaster’s holiday was the original "Treat Yo' Self" day.

Before you had "Parks and Recreation’s" Donna and Tom to tell you when you deserved a treat, you had Headmaster’s Holiday.

Whatever your school called it, this was the one day of the year you actually had off and got to do whatever you wanted.

This mostly consisted of spending the allowance money you had been saving on clothes you couldn't wear anyway because they weren't dress code.

5. School on Saturdays.

You've probably tried to erase it from your mind, but it happened. You had to go to school on Saturday (gasp), and it was the absolute worst. Never again.

6. You no longer know what privacy is.

You probably respected other people’s privacy at one point in your life, but boarding school did away with it.

Living in a dorm with a bunch of fellow teenagers taught you that privacy really isn't that important. You don’t even know what personal space means anymore.

7. Chocolate chip pancake day.

Nothing got you out of bed quite as fast as your favorite meal day. At my school, it was chocolate chip pancake day every Tuesday.

Sure, you missed out on home cooking while you were away, but the cooks in your school kitchen did their best to make home seem not so far away.

8. Faking a sickness, so you could get bed rest.

Other kids just needed to fool their parents to stay home sick from school, but you had to convince the entire nursing staff, which was no easy feat.

Nine times out of 10, it didn't work, but nothing beat when it did and you got the entire dorm to yourself for the whole day and some much needed free time.

9. Constantly being asked what you did to get sent away.

The first time you tell someone you went to boarding school generally yields a judgmental question of what you did to get sent away. Either that, or whether or not it was similar to the Nickelodeon TV show “Zoey 101,” which it wasn't, by the way.

Boarding school was an adventure, to say the least. Most people will never be able to relate to the high school experience you had, but at least there are some fellow boarding school alums who know exactly how you feel.