| Sometimes it's hard to imagine an at-risk student | | | | feature professional educators and support staff |
| making progress within his or her regular school. | | | | who are acutely aware of how to deal with |
| There's too much history there-and too much | | | | troubled teens. At-risk students aren't an |
| negative pressure. In these cases, families may | | | | exception to the rule, they're the norm. The |
| want to consider Christian boarding schools. | | | | entire educational program is built with those |
| Troubled teens often find the space to grow and | | | | needs and challenges in mind. |
| change in these positive environments. | | | | Boarding schools can give a child a safe space in |
| Mainstream schools are often ill-prepared to deal | | | | which to experience personal and religious growth. |
| with difficult and at-risk students. The programs | | | | It's a safe environment that's free of the |
| and curriculum aren't designed with troubled teens | | | | pressures and habits of the student's regular |
| in mind. The surrounding environment offers little | | | | school. |
| supervision. Faculty and staff may not be suitably | | | | That space allows the student and his teachers to |
| trained to deal with the challenges presented by a | | | | do more than work on the "three Rs". It also |
| troubled student. | | | | creates an opportunity to look at, and to deal |
| That can create situations in which a school | | | | with, root causes of behavior problems and to |
| almost serves to incubate unacceptable behavior. | | | | address them on a much deeper and more |
| Instead of actively pushing against the behavior or | | | | meaningful level than is generally possible in most |
| pointing the child in a better direction, the | | | | schools. |
| problems are allowed to fester and grow until | | | | Troubled teens often leave the boarding school |
| they reach even more destructive proportions. | | | | environment with a much different perspective |
| A growing recognition of this phenomena is | | | | and a different set of behaviors. They're able to |
| spurring an interest in Christian boarding schools. | | | | find themselves and a better way to operate |
| Troubled teens may have a better chance at | | | | within the world. These experiences stand in stark |
| breaking away from their negative behaviors by | | | | contrast to what we often find at mainstream |
| attending one of these school instead of remaining | | | | schools. Troubled teens need real guidance based |
| within the mainstream educational system. | | | | on understanding, and boarding schools are often |
| That's because a Christian boarding school may | | | | prepared to provide just that. |