The Concept of Finishing SchoolFinishing School For Young Women Everywhere These schools were created to help give young women a more complete education. This program follows after the highest educational level attained by the young women, hence the term used. It is usually an intensive program that may occur between a couple of months to a year. Wikipedia defines it as "a private school for men or women that emphasizes training in cultural and social activities." Where Are And What Happened To Finishing Schools?
The school that made Switzerland renowned for such institutions was the Institut Villa Mont Choisi founded in the 1870s which closed in 1995/6. Other notables schools included Institut Chateau Beau-Cedre which closed in 2002. Adapted from Wikipedia  Back then, when skills such as dancing, manners, propriety were more highly valued. While the term "Finishing School" should only be used by authorised vocational institution who issue legitimate qualifications, the term has been growing in popularity by etiquette schools, small women's colleges, cultural training programs and some cross-dressing enthusiasts. Since the 1960s, many of these schools have become defunct as a result of financial difficulties stemming from parents' decreased interest in paying for such an education for their daughters. History of Schools Teaching Social GracesOnce a young girl becomes a woman of a marriageable age, she starts to receive training in the social graces.  When the elegance of your manners determine who you marry. The social graces first taught to her were of dancing and etiquette. She learns to cook, clean and keep a household as well as learning to entertain and host a party for aiding the man she marries in his social functions. Though it seems menial at present day, you must credit the practicality of the design. From "The Guide to Elegance"Before 1914, the education of young girls was exclusively designed to teach them how to win and hold a man. Once a young man had been captured in the web patiently woven by a doting mother, instruction in cooking and good housekeeping, in order to retain exclusive rights to the young man's affections - and to his income. School Curriculum Some compulsory curriculum
The Relevance of Such Schools Today |
