My son did have a good visit home…twice! He just needed some grounding. He is doing better at school and I suspect the weekend trips will space out more in November. We are just encouraging him and telling him how proud we are. This is a kid who never spent a night away even at grand parents houses.
He wanted boarding school. It just is a process.
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Thank you for asking! She did and seems to be actually doing quite well and settling in. She has said she would like to see us often so we will figure out a schedule and a compromise that I don’t have to drive 5 hours each way each time!
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Family weekend is coming up this month and I cannot wait to see my kiddo! I have to say, I did not expect it to be so hard to fit in FaceTime calls. Is anyone else finding it hard to get on your kiddos schedule for a call? When not in class or dance she’s always at the library or rehearsal, or on her way to eat. I am glad, but I miss her so much!
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I only get texts (no calls or facetime) from my son and mainly when he has a question and its usually at 10pm. He did come home one weekend though so we did get to catch up. He said he is busy and not allowed to be on his phone all day hence the 10pm texts. I miss him but when I saw how happy he is and how much confidence etc he is gaining - it reminds me I have to be OK with missing him.
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Yeah, all calls are because I nag her via text to call 
. And normally are at 10pm.
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Seeking updates:
A few of us have posted about this topic on other threads but just curious….
- Has their been much staff turnover at your student’s BS since COVID?
- Are teachers expressing how burned out they are (overtly or not)?
- Have you heard of greater dissatisfaction among faculty?
- Substantial, compared to previous years. Many new teachers. Younger/newer teachers serving as advisors.
- Not expressing it to us. But that would get them fired, wouldn’t it?!
- We live across the country and don’t have an inside scoop. But the answer to #1 suggests a level of dissatisfaction greater than normal. But, dissatisfaction with what? The school? The COVID world we live in? Or are educators, like other professions, using this time to get graduate degrees or take time off and let the dust settle?
In my observation, our school is better off than most BSs and certainly better off than our local public schools.
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@AnonMomof2 yes we have that issue too…no time for FaceTime. One thing that we do which has been helpful for us, but not too cumbersome for kids: We all agreed upon a video touch base every day, but that can be on snapchat. So literally before my daughter goes to bed at night, or right after study hours, she does a quick snap for 10 seconds just to say goodnight or tell us how her day went, etc. It just helps us to see live footage of some sort. And I think it’s healthy for her to have a constant place where she checks in and will be missed if she doesn’t. It’s amazing what you can see in a quick video – I can tell if she is stressed or if she had a great day, or if she is tired or whatever. And because she is in the habit of doing that, sometimes she finds five minutes to carve out a quick FT then instead, which is awesome. But knowing it’s not a “big catch up” that looms over her head gives her freedom to do super quick check-ins.
(My other daughter at BS LOVES to FT us and her twin, so with her, we just FT 1-2 times a week and text our goodnights. So a different way to get my eyes on her and take the pulse.)
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I get it! Teachers feel overworked, underpaid & under appreciated at our BS. At least at our school, the teachers do not seem happy and area not engaging as much with kids. Is some of it due to COVID and distancing? I think so. There is this type of disconnect that is impacting kids. Please do not take it out on the kids. As teachers, they see our kids more than we do. Some of them even live under the same roof.
If comments were songs, here are some of the top hits.
“ I am not getting paid to do this….”
“ Not getting paid ENOUGH to do this”
“ Not in my job description”
“ Weekends are mine. Don’t email me and expect a reply.”
Nice 
Last year, at kiddo1’s school, we noticed a general feeling of unhappiness and stress among the faculty, starting at drop off and continuing throughout the year. Based on the (often ridiculous) restrictions they had placed on students, requiring faculty to enforce said restrictions, I really couldn’t blame them for being disconnected and burned out.
This year, upon drop off, the faculty seemed refreshed, relaxed, and excited to start the new year. Student life this year is pretty close to pre-covid, so the faculty was able to switch gears back to “normal” boarding school life. Of course, parents weekend is around the corner, and we may get a different vibe when we are back on campus, but for now, it feels things are back in the right direction.
There has been a fair amount of staff movement, including a few changes mid-year, mostly with the Dean positions. But I think there are other factors at play as well.
I am so surprised that teachers divulge this to you! Are they saying it to requests you are making or complaining about their lives generally?
@Calliemomofgirls - I am so jealous of your multi-contact weeks with your girls! I about fell out of my chair when kiddo called on my birthday. I thought for sure something was wrong.
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Same! We have gotten two “unsolicited” calls from kiddo1 since drop off, once for my bday and once for DHs bday! Otherwise, she usually only texts when she has a question / needs something.
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@CateCAParent - sorry for the confusion!
Teaches are not saying this to me - I am hearing from my kid and other parents’ kids that teachers are saying this in class!
Wow. That’s pretty bad.
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I like this idea because I always text goodnight. But now I have to figure out how to do that in Snapchat. Just tried to test it and apparently video called her 
I would not be happy if they were saying it to my kid. I understand and can empathize with them but if the organization made a commitment to families, then don’t tell my kid you won’t do it. My kid is such a rule follower they would fail a class rather than reach out to the teacher if they were told not to. If teachers can’t fulfill the commitments made by the administration, then that is something the adults need to address and leave the kids out of it in my opinion.
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It is interesting to see how differently the schools handle these issues.
- It is our first year so I can’t say about turnover but all but one of my son’s teachers have been at the school for 8 or more years. The new teacher came from another boarding school that they were at for 3 years.
- I have not detected anything from the teachers and my son hasn’t said anything (at least not yet?).
The headmaster announced a quiet period for all of July (asking parents to not contact the school unless absolutely necessary and let us know that responses may take longer than usual) to allow the staff a “break” after an exhausting year. I’m not sure if that helped but he openly recognized the need and showed his support for the teachers and staff.
And I’m sure every parent took that to heart, and contacted the school saying, “But my reason for contacting is absolutely necessary.” 
Probably - and I hope they were made to wait for a response for a length of time that was appropriately matched to the “urgency” of their need…like until August 
Could be worse… I only get calls when kiddo wants a permission form completed.