"Our son has always been “wired differently.” Dyslexic, ADHD, and an old soul who’d rather chat to adults than kids his own age. When he was young and we went camping, he was the four-year-old that had made friends with half the campground by lunchtime and the other half by the evening.
It was a life-changing trip for him where he formed a strong connection with the camp owner - someone who saw something unique in him, something that reminded him of his own son, something that we as parents couldn’t see. That friendship became a daily phone call between them - checking in on each other. This amazing person pushed us to consider boarding school for him.
At the time, neither of us had ever imagined boarding school for our kids. We didn’t go ourselves, so it wasn’t on our radar. We were late applicants to School House at Otago Boys’, and yet we were never treated like an afterthought. The staff listened, invited us in, showed us around, and somehow found a space for him. That kindness and willingness changed everything.
Our son wasn’t easy at primary school. He was the disruptive kid - the “pain in the backside” - who got parked at the back of the classroom and told to be quiet. And because of that, he grew up believing that’s where he belonged: at the back, out of the way. He’s a forward-looking, high-energy boy who runs at a million miles an hour, and I’m sure some of his early teachers assumed he’d last two weeks in a boarding hostel before being sent home. But he proved every doubter wrong.
Otago Boys’ quickly recognised that he learns differently. Learning Support - especially Lindy Marrs - figured out what makes his brain tick and what kind of teachers he would connect with. They wrapped support around him. They understood that making him shift his eyes from the whiteboard to his book and back again doesn’t work for him, so each class provides printed copies of what’s on the board. That simple change unlocked his ability to listen, absorb, and succeed.
And succeed he has. This year he earned 95 Level 2 credits - passing Year 12 with flying colours. This is a boy we once weren’t sure would make it past Year 11, and here we are now: thrilled that he wants to stay on and complete Year 13 next year. We could not be more proud.
Boarding life has shaped him just as much as the classroom. While he’s always been more comfortable around adults, living in a hostel with 130 boys has helped him form solid friendships with high-calibre young men his own age. He’s got a bit of an “alpha male energy,” always convinced he knows the answers - so yes, we can butt heads. But the hostel has taught him something priceless: sometimes you just need to shut up, listen, and accept someone else’s point of view.
I also appreciate the sense of seniority within School House. It’s not bullying - not even close. It’s about young, cocky boys learning where the boundaries are, learning that sometimes you simply have to toe the line. And the beautiful thing is this: the same older boys who might pull a younger one into line in the hostel are the first to step up and defend their School House brother in the schoolyard.
School House has offered our son structure, belonging, humility, confidence, mateship, and a sense of direction. Otago Boys’ has given him teachers who see beyond the behaviour to the boy inside, and who know how to bring out the very best in him.
What they have done for him - what they continue to do - we will never forget.
