<p>You don't NEED a cell phone....you could just have a land line. When my eldest went to school, he never had a cell. He graduated in 2003; some of his friend had them, but not everyone at that time. At my younger son's school, cell phones may only be used in the student's room, and not during study hall. If you use it any other time, and are caught, it is confiscated. I am fine with that rule. If my son did not have a cell, I would want him to have a landline. He doesn't call anyway, so it is not an issue (sigh).</p>
<p>We have the discussion about "needing" a cell phone all the time with my 14 year old. He needs to give me three good reasons why he needs one. So far, he's been unable to do that. ;)</p>
<p>Actually my son's cell phone comes in handy. If we go to a mall, museum, etc. and he wants to wander on his own, we just stay in touch via cell phone. When he goes off to boarding school you may find it useful. For one thing, you can locate him on campus if you are there to pick him up or see an event. Exact timing is tricky when you come from a distance, so this way he won't have to wait for you in his room. He never overdoes talking on the phone. If anything, he & his friends only send text messages because they are so used to IMing.</p>
<p>off at Berkshire on Tuesday for early crew. Everything seemed fine.
D called last nite in total breakdown mode. Cried thru the call. "I don't want to be here" etc. She never said I want to come home but we could hear it in her voice. Biggest problems are she is one of only two first years on campus, two a days for crew and her roommate doesn't arrive 'til Saturday. We're hoping the arrival of her class and roommie will straighten things out. Heartbreaking nontheless.</p>
<p>Goaliegirl is enjoying her time back at school. Goaliemom calls 1x a day for 5 minutes. I'll hold out until the weekend.</p>
<p>Goaliegirl is one of 6 sophomores living in the freshman dorm, with only 2 of them in a fall sport it is quiet until the rest arrive Friday. She has no problem with the quiet in the evening. </p>
<p>I think it is different with freshman who don't know anyone to be on a quiet floor at night, though. Good time to get to know the dorm parents, though.</p>
<p>Message here is that this is a 1-time experience. Next year will be easy. Goaliegirl was ready for us to leave as soon as our plates were cleared at dinner. No tearful good-bye (like last year). A couple of ordinary hugs and we were on our way for the long drive home through the night.</p>
<p>Fun - That must be so hard.... a neighbor of my mother-in-law who went to our school went off to Emma Willard last year and the school told the parents all the things the girls would call home with hating....and she did. Heartbreaking for sure but within a couple of weeks she was loving it. </p>
<p>D'yer - I could think of three good reasons for him to have a cell phone, but until HE does...LOL. Right now, he's fine. Small school, can always easily use the phone, ALL his friends have one, so if they are at a game or the mall, he can use thiers. ;). We had even offered the old "get all A's for the term and we'll buy you one" incentive and that didn't work (laziness prevailed, not that he couldn't do the work.). He seems highly motivated this term (we'll see though, it's only the first day of school!), so maybe by Christmas.</p>
<p>Landlines are available at Westover. As for their policy, we shall see lol</p>
<p>SPS doesn't allow cell phones. Each student has a landline with voicemail. </p>
<p>It'll be interesting to see if some kids use them anyway...but personally I think no cell phones is a great idea. I think many kids are addicted to them and texting to the point where they neglect the people they are currently with.</p>
<p>creative1 Westover believes that cell phones and social networks potentially lead a student to anti-social behavior. I think we can all agree that dorm life is every bit as important as academics in one's BS experience and Westover believes that cell texting and internet use when students can be socializing defeats the purpose of what BS is all about. I will reserve any judgment after I see how this plays out over time. Hmm, I guess I don't have a choice in the matter. Hope this makes sense lol run on's and misspelling should be over looked lol</p>
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...and Westover believes that cell texting and internet use when students can be socializing defeats the purpose of what BS is all about.
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<p>I find it interesting that schools find that internet use and cell texting are anti-social activities. I think it goes to show the evolution of communication thinking over time.</p>
<p>In the really old days (Think of the Camp Granada song - back when kids didn't have as much access to land lines -long distance was expensive - and the hand written letter was how communication was done), camps and boarding schools had to encourage their kids to write weekly letters home. And kids passed folded up notes around class, dorm room and dining hall to get around those authority figures trying to stamp out all their anti-social fun.</p>
<p>Along came cheaper telecommunications with long-distance prices falling and kids could call home and get instant gratification talking to Mom, Dad or someone else important. Schools and camps everywhere were happy that on a periodic basis, (long distance still wasn't free) you could get the parents and kids together without having to spend an hour trying to coax out a short letter from Johnnie. And kids still passed notes back and forth.</p>
<p>Fast forward to today where kids have the dreaded cell-phone and internet social websites. Nobody worries about long-distance charges allowing for the helicopter parent. Kids don't draw silly pictures of their least favorite teacher - the make fun of them on the web. They text each other instead of passing notes. And the schools are trying to say the devices must be managed. </p>
<p>I think they are missing the point here and are blaming the tool instead of fixing the child's behavior. If a kid is going to do something stupid on myspace or facebook, the school will catch them eventually, just like the evil pictures of the least favorite teacher were found in the old days. And texting is just today's equivalent of passing notes.</p>
<p>My observation over the day that I spent dropping off my D at school was that I didn't see a single kid with a cell phone up to their ear or being thumbed. Strangely enough, it was the parents (my DW included) who couldn't seem to drop the electronics and focus in on the day at hand.</p>
<p>Now it would seem to me that if they collected the cellphones from the parents and kept them off of time consuming websites like CC (guilty as charged, here) they might get a bit more parent involvement. LOL</p>
<p>Yes, there are some kids who would disappear into the electronics world if allowed to avoid unpleasant things (just like adults), but putting everyone on an electronics ban almost seems to be along the same thinking as a "wilderness experience" as a way to change anti-social behavior. Good for those who need it, but more of a waste of time for those who are already focused upon success and are not wandering off into the weeds.</p>
<p>Not all school administrators would agree here, but they are the ones who run the asylum, er school.</p>
<p>Cell phones were allowed at D's BS. This led to repeated complaints by D (to me!) about the Korean hallmate on her cell phone right outside of D's room chatting away in Korean all hours of the night while D and everyone else was trying to sleep. This went on for an entire semester.</p>
<p>The girls endured it rather than turn her in to the dorm mother.</p>
<p>Oddly enough my westover D doesn't use her cell phone all that much and texts very little. I think the idea of not having the option of getting in touch with Mom/Dad by cell was what she melted down on. I believe that within a week Westover will have so indoctrinated the girls (in a good way) that this will not be an issue. They have "ralying" this weekend to expose the girls to all the traditions and this I believe will be her turning point on the cell issue. </p>
<p>Over the summer we received correspondence from Middlesex on this very issue of social networks and cells. MX is trying to figure out what to do after the fact. I wish them Luck........once you give high schoolers permission to do something, it will be difficult to take it away without a fight from the student body.</p>
<p>When I was a kid (pay phones cost 15 cents), we seem to do just fine. lol</p>