Seeking input from parents if middle schoolers

[Anonymous]

I was surprised that in middle school, although DD made friends with a bunch of nice girls, she also made friends with a group of boys and would be the lone girl hanging out with them, both in and out of school. She also announced one day she'd joined the GSA and it took me a bit to figure out why exactly.

Overall, middle school was great - DD got super organized and learned how to work hard and achieve, and how to make friends with teachers. She had to work in groups for big projects which stunk because she often got paired with slackers (I would email the teacher to let them know DD did all the work when that happened).

[Anonymous]

What aspect has you worried? I think most kids do okay and enjoy it. I will say that kids change A LOT during the middle school years.:.get ready for the possibility of seeing your sweet kid to turn strange. There are shifts with fashion, personality, friend groups, interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised that in middle school, although DD made friends with a bunch of nice girls, she also made friends with a group of boys and would be the lone girl hanging out with them, both in and out of school. She also announced one day she'd joined the GSA and it took me a bit to figure out why exactly.

Overall, middle school was great - DD got super organized and learned how to work hard and achieve, and how to make friends with teachers. She had to work in groups for big projects which stunk because she often got paired with slackers (I would email the teacher to let them know DD did all the work when that happened).

Unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids go through it, and the vast majority come out fine.

Does it suck, when hormones are raging through your awkward body? Yes, but it's the same for all of them!

Best part of MS is a) only 3 years and b) when those 3 years are over!

Middle school is 2 years; not 3.

DP. It’s three where I live.

It’s 3 years where I live too, 6-8th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids go through it, and the vast majority come out fine.

Does it suck, when hormones are raging through your awkward body? Yes, but it's the same for all of them!

Best part of MS is a) only 3 years and b) when those 3 years are over!

Middle school is 2 years; not 3.

We dont all live in Fairfax, Sally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What aspect has you worried? I think most kids do okay and enjoy it. I will say that kids change A LOT during the middle school years.:.get ready for the possibility of seeing your sweet kid to turn strange. There are shifts with fashion, personality, friend groups, interests.

This, yes. Practicing unconditional love every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids go through it, and the vast majority come out fine.

Does it suck, when hormones are raging through your awkward body? Yes, but it's the same for all of them!

Best part of MS is a) only 3 years and b) when those 3 years are over!

Middle school is 2 years; not 3.

We dont all live in Fairfax, Sally.

Uh, neither do I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids go through it, and the vast majority come out fine.

Does it suck, when hormones are raging through your awkward body? Yes, but it's the same for all of them!

Best part of MS is a) only 3 years and b) when those 3 years are over!

Middle school is 2 years; not 3.

We dont all live in Fairfax, Sally.

I mean, people know we don’t have a National education system, right??

[Anonymous]

I'm sure the OP is feeling totally reassured now! LOL

[Anonymous]

I have twins in 7th (middle school starts in 6th) and so far, so good. Our middle school is fed by three elementary schools so they know about 1/3 of the kids from elementary school but also knew or recognized many many others from sports and activities (little league, karate class etc). Even though it is a large middle school. So far the only issue has been multiple lunch periods- for example my son somehow ended up knowing NO ONE in his mixed grade lunch this year! He was so sad about that- just bad luck. But after a week or so, kids tend to adjust and now he has made a few friends at lunch that he hangs out with after school (along with his old friends). Both kids miss “fun” at school, as there is far less of that (no recess, class parties, social time etc). They do, however, have more freedom to arrange hanging out with friends on their own now, so they do that.

Academically mine have done fine. Make SURE you go over grades with them often, so you are not surprised out of the blue at the end of the quarter. We go over grades weekly (in the parent app) and if an assignment is missing I make the KID handle it (email the teacher himself/herself)- sometimes something just didn’t get graded, or sometimes the kid didn’t turn it in etc. but I make THEM handle it and ask the teacher for makeup work or turn in late for half credit etc. If they are doing poorly in a class without realistic explanation for more than a short time, they lose privileges until the situation is rectified and grade brought up. But that has only happened once or twice (once they saw I meant business).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have twins in 7th (middle school starts in 6th) and so far, so good. Our middle school is fed by three elementary schools so they know about 1/3 of the kids from elementary school but also knew or recognized many many others from sports and activities (little league, karate class etc). Even though it is a large middle school. So far the only issue has been multiple lunch periods- for example my son somehow ended up knowing NO ONE in his mixed grade lunch this year! He was so sad about that- just bad luck. But after a week or so, kids tend to adjust and now he has made a few friends at lunch that he hangs out with after school (along with his old friends). Both kids miss “fun” at school, as there is far less of that (no recess, class parties, social time etc). They do, however, have more freedom to arrange hanging out with friends on their own now, so they do that.

Academically mine have done fine. Make SURE you go over grades with them often, so you are not surprised out of the blue at the end of the quarter. We go over grades weekly (in the parent app) and if an assignment is missing I make the KID handle it (email the teacher himself/herself)- sometimes something just didn’t get graded, or sometimes the kid didn’t turn it in etc. but I make THEM handle it and ask the teacher for makeup work or turn in late for half credit etc. If they are doing poorly in a class without realistic explanation for more than a short time, they lose privileges until the situation is rectified and grade brought up. But that has only happened once or twice (once they saw I meant business).

This is what I hated about MS too. Noore fun, it's like ppl think middle school kids don't deserve to have fun.

[Anonymous]

Positives: DS loved having more freedom than elementary school and merging more kids. His middle school is huge and there were lots of feeder schools. The staff were really supportive and nice. No more of the 1-4 grading. They get real grades, tests and it’s all posted online.

Negatives: All of the drama that comes with hundreds hitting puberty being in a building together. They are friends one day and enemies the next. Kids can say mean things to each other. A lot of girls do not identify as straight so there is no one to date (a negative frequently discussed by my son. I may put that as a positive since he doesn’t need to date yet.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Positives: DS loved having more freedom than elementary school and merging more kids. His middle school is huge and there were lots of feeder schools. The staff were really supportive and nice. No more of the 1-4 grading. They get real grades, tests and it’s all posted online.

Negatives: All of the drama that comes with hundreds hitting puberty being in a building together. They are friends one day and enemies the next. Kids can say mean things to each other. A lot of girls do not identify as straight so there is no one to date (a negative frequently discussed by my son. I may put that as a positive since he doesn’t need to date yet.)

Same with DD’s middle school. She said there is tons of girls “doing stuff” during sleepovers, on GS camping trips, in the woods next to the school, etc. lots of exploration.

She said she didn’t know about the boys who identify; the things she noticed were many many boys painting their nails now, dressing a certain way / into fashion, talking a certain way, same favorite TikTok stars, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have twins in 7th (middle school starts in 6th) and so far, so good. Our middle school is fed by three elementary schools so they know about 1/3 of the kids from elementary school but also knew or recognized many many others from sports and activities (little league, karate class etc). Even though it is a large middle school. So far the only issue has been multiple lunch periods- for example my son somehow ended up knowing NO ONE in his mixed grade lunch this year! He was so sad about that- just bad luck. But after a week or so, kids tend to adjust and now he has made a few friends at lunch that he hangs out with after school (along with his old friends). Both kids miss “fun” at school, as there is far less of that (no recess, class parties, social time etc). They do, however, have more freedom to arrange hanging out with friends on their own now, so they do that.

Academically mine have done fine. Make SURE you go over grades with them often, so you are not surprised out of the blue at the end of the quarter. We go over grades weekly (in the parent app) and if an assignment is missing I make the KID handle it (email the teacher himself/herself)- sometimes something just didn’t get graded, or sometimes the kid didn’t turn it in etc. but I make THEM handle it and ask the teacher for makeup work or turn in late for half credit etc. If they are doing poorly in a class without realistic explanation for more than a short time, they lose privileges until the situation is rectified and grade brought up. But that has only happened once or twice (once they saw I meant business).

This is what I hated about MS too. Noore fun, it's like ppl think middle school kids don't deserve to have fun.

I don’t think this is true. Most middle schools have different spirit events, programs, trips, dances and activities that are “fun.” But fun looks different in middle school v elementary. Class parties where moms brings heart shaped cookies isn’t so fun. Kids like to with their peers socializing and they like to lead the events. It’s a nice switch from when teachers and parents run things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have twins in 7th (middle school starts in 6th) and so far, so good. Our middle school is fed by three elementary schools so they know about 1/3 of the kids from elementary school but also knew or recognized many many others from sports and activities (little league, karate class etc). Even though it is a large middle school. So far the only issue has been multiple lunch periods- for example my son somehow ended up knowing NO ONE in his mixed grade lunch this year! He was so sad about that- just bad luck. But after a week or so, kids tend to adjust and now he has made a few friends at lunch that he hangs out with after school (along with his old friends). Both kids miss “fun” at school, as there is far less of that (no recess, class parties, social time etc). They do, however, have more freedom to arrange hanging out with friends on their own now, so they do that.

Academically mine have done fine. Make SURE you go over grades with them often, so you are not surprised out of the blue at the end of the quarter. We go over grades weekly (in the parent app) and if an assignment is missing I make the KID handle it (email the teacher himself/herself)- sometimes something just didn’t get graded, or sometimes the kid didn’t turn it in etc. but I make THEM handle it and ask the teacher for makeup work or turn in late for half credit etc. If they are doing poorly in a class without realistic explanation for more than a short time, they lose privileges until the situation is rectified and grade brought up. But that has only happened once or twice (once they saw I meant business).

Our MS has no events.


This is what I hated about MS too. Noore fun, it's like ppl think middle school kids don't deserve to have fun.

I don’t think this is true. Most middle schools have different spirit events, programs, trips, dances and activities that are “fun.” But fun looks different in middle school v elementary. Class parties where moms brings heart shaped cookies isn’t so fun. Kids like to with their peers socializing and they like to lead the events. It’s a nice switch from when teachers and parents run things.