| Boarding schools Are you one of those students who want your school day to be shorter? Then, what about those students who go to boarding schools and spend 24 hours a day there, seven days a week? Despite what many people believe, boarding schools are not just an easy way out for people who want to pay someone else to take care of their children. Parents who send their children to boarding schools do so either because it’s a family tradition or because it’s the best choice in their case. In some families, the parents live abroad or do a lot of travelling as part of their jobs and need to make sure that their children are looked after. This doesn’t mean they are bad parents or that they believe the school will take their place. That is something a boarding school cannot do. That’s why children are free to speak to their parents as often as they like. Surprisingly, most people have the wrong idea about what life in boarding schools is like. Most of these schools are not the awful, strict places people imagine they are. They are modern, comfortable and make students feel at home. The children are free to make their rooms as personal as they want, putting up posters and things they like. They can also call home in private and choose whether they want to share their rooms or not. In fact, for most children, living in a boarding school is a great experience. Emma Jenkins has been boarding for two years. Her dad’s in the army and her parents move around all the time, so they decided that a boarding school was the best choice for their daughter. She admits that she found it scary and upsetting in the beginning. However, when she found out that she could talk to her mum every day, it made things much easier and she soon made a lot of friends. She still misses home but she believes that boarding school is a great place to socialise and help you become more independent. Now, she wouldn’t change it for the world. | 
