All Boys Boarding Schools

All boys’ boarding schools are especially effective for boys that are continually trying to impress girls. When they are put in an all boys situation there are no longer any girls to impress. With girls out of the picture boys can focus and deal with other issues they are struggling with. If a boy has a problem with substance abuse or even academic struggles, he may be too busy trying to impress the girls to deal effectively with his problems in a co-ed setting. There is one factor that will always be present with boys both in a co-ed or an all boys program. Testosterone will cause boys to do things that they may not mean to do. If they did mean to do it, they may not have thought it through very clearly.

Alpha Dog

In any group of dogs there is always one that is in control, which the other dogs recognize as the leader. Since the beginning of time, Men and Boy’s have always established this same type of order. It is nature’s way of keeping order to any group. There always needs to be someone in charge. In any program or situation where there are a group of boys or men, there is an unspoken hierarchy that develops. There will always be one dominant male that will feel the need to take control of any given situation. A troubled teen boarding school is not different; as a matter of fact it is usually worse. The boys in an all boy’s boarding school may be a collection of Alpha Dog’s or male leaders from where they came from. The struggle then begins as to who the Alpha Dog will be in the boarding school setting. Some schools have broken it down further into what is known as a delinquent diamond.

Delinquent Diamond

The delinquent diamond is similar to the Alpha Dog principle but it adds a couple of side kicks to the Alpha Dog. The leader of the pack and several others make up the top half of the diamond. The bottom half of the diamond is made up of those who follow and those who are usually picked on. It is important that all boy schools understand this principle. The reason that it is important to understand, is that a student may do something stupid simple because he has been ordered to do it by someone in the upper half of the diamond.