A Teacher's View of Cell Phones at School

I originally posted this as a comment in a parenting diary, but with back-to-school just around the corner, I thought it might contain a few useful considerations for a broader audience.

First off, I’m not only a teacher, but also a Mom with a 13 yo son. He "has" a cell phone, albeit it is an AT&T Go Phone without email, txt msging, or camera, and it lives in the kitchen cupboard, and it only gets handed out on an as-needed basis (e.g. He’s away from home in FL, on a band trip).

Why have we as parents decided to be so restrictive with this modern-day, wonderful piece of technology?

If you are going back and forth about whether to give or not to give a cell phone to your child as part of their back-to-school accouterments, I’ve provided a list of some things to consider or at least be aware of.

-by: BKAMR, www.dailykos.com

Anorexic Teen's Tragic Death

Jessica MacMillan seemed to have everything to live for but she hid a dark secret.

Beautiful, with a bright future, the 19-year-old psychology student from West Pennant Hills had many friends and had just begun dating her first boyfriend.

But for seven years, she had been battling anorexia nervosa.

After she took her own life on June 13, Jessica's family decided they did not want her death to be in vain.

They have organized a walkathon on Saturday to raise money and awareness for an eating disorder charity, the Butterfly Foundation.

Jessica was diagnosed with the illness when she was 12, after having problems adjusting to the transition from primary to high school, her mother Jo said.

"Jessica's always been tiny - people used to say to her, `You're so lucky', because she could eat two Quarter Pounders and never put on any weight," Mrs Macmillan said.

"She felt the only way she was going to be accepted was by keeping thin."

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Stories like Jessica's happen more often than we'd like to think. Teens struggle with all kinds of self-esteem issues that can eventually take over and even end their lives. Recognizing signs early and knowing treatment options can be of help if your teen happens to struggle with an eating disorder.

The Problems Teenagers Face

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is one of the most difficult periods in a teenager’s life.

The problems teenagers face today are daunting indeed. While peer pressure and cliques have been negative influences for decades, there are some new elements which are frightening, both for teens and parents.

When you put it all together, it is hard to know how to manage and help overcome these challenging problems teenagers face in the modern world.

Here we take a look, point by point, at six major elements and how to help teens get through this stressful, dangerous period.

-www.moreinformationon.com

Keep Your Teen from Getting Bored this Summer by Organizing Their Time

Teens are always on the go in the fast paced setting the school year. Taking a break over the summer to many teens means slacking off and sleeping in.

When a teen goes from this go, go, go pace to nothing, it’s okay for a day or two, but then they get bored and parents pay the consequences. A bored teen is an annoying teen or worse, one who finds trouble.

The easiest way to stop your teen from getting bored is to schedule out his/her summer days so that he/she knows what is going to happen and can pick and choose what he/she wants to do by learning to make choices.

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-written by: Denise Witmer, About.com