Middle school service hours?

[Anonymous]

Franklin hasn’t told the 7th graders jack sh*t about volunteer hours.

[Anonymous]

Middle School service hours are ridiculous. They used to be a requirement of all 8th graders taking Civics (gen ed/honors/AAP). It became extremely difficult for kids to fulfill these hours unless they happened to be in Scouts or heavily involved in their places of of worship. Many kids did not fall into either of those categories and most places that offer volunteer opportunities do not want kids under 16. It then became an enormous burden on parents to volunteer alongside their 8th graders in order to get hours. In other cases kids were getting hours by helping teachers with classroom cleanup and other tasks which sort of defeated the purpose of getting kids to volunteer. The requirement disappeared with Covid. It's absurd to bring it back now. Not all kids have the ability to volunteer. They may be watching younger siblings, helping parents care for aging grandparents, or doing other things that are family priorities, none of which qualify as "service hours".
For goodness sake, service hours aren't even a high school graduation requirement. Why are they a requirement in 8th grade and tied to a Civics grade?

*NJHS/NHS service hours are different. Nobody HAS to be in one of those.

[Anonymous]

There is no service hours requirement at Irving MS and no NJHS that I've heard of either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Middle School service hours are ridiculous. They used to be a requirement of all 8th graders taking Civics (gen ed/honors/AAP). It became extremely difficult for kids to fulfill these hours unless they happened to be in Scouts or heavily involved in their places of of worship. Many kids did not fall into either of those categories and most places that offer volunteer opportunities do not want kids under 16. It then became an enormous burden on parents to volunteer alongside their 8th graders in order to get hours. In other cases kids were getting hours by helping teachers with classroom cleanup and other tasks which sort of defeated the purpose of getting kids to volunteer. The requirement disappeared with Covid. It's absurd to bring it back now. Not all kids have the ability to volunteer. They may be watching younger siblings, helping parents care for aging grandparents, or doing other things that are family priorities, none of which qualify as "service hours".
For goodness sake, service hours aren't even a high school graduation requirement. Why are they a requirement in 8th grade and tied to a Civics grade?

*NJHS/NHS service hours are different. Nobody HAS to be in one of those.

I totally agree. Absolutely ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Franklin hasn’t told the 7th graders jack sh*t about volunteer hours.

That's because 7th graders don't need volunteer hours.

They probably also haven’t told 7th graders about the 8th grade formal, Oakton's prom, requirements for high school graduation attire, or when college applications are due. Why? Because 7th graders dont need that information yet.

[Anonymous]

Franklin 8th grade parent. We learned about service hours this year and were actually told that 7th grade stuff wouldn’t qualify. My kid knocked his out quickly but I know that the NJHS advisors were sending opportunities out. Food for Neighbors is another org that will take middle school volunteers. You need to log the hours and have someone sign off in the system so I’m not sure if you can go back to earlier in the year to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Franklin hasn’t told the 7th graders jack sh*t about volunteer hours.

That's because 7th graders don't need volunteer hours.

They probably also haven’t told 7th graders about the 8th grade formal, Oakton's prom, requirements for high school graduation attire, or when college applications are due. Why? Because 7th graders dont need that information yet.

If hours from 7th grade can count toward the total, then yes we need that information. We don’t want to saddled with it all in one year.

[Anonymous]

It is sad that everyone sees service hours as a a way to check a box, as opposed to being a rewarding experience that gives kids some perspective in life. I get that this is how the system is set up but… it’s sad.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Franklin hasn’t mentioned it at all to the 7th graders. If hours from 7th grade can count it would be nice to know. My child has some but hasn’t been shown how to log them or been told what the requirements will be. It can be difficult to get enough service hours all in 8th grade. Wish schools would take more initiative regarding this and explain it to both kids and parents when kids first come to middle schools.

Parent of Franklin 8th grader. The 7th grade hours do count toward Civics. I confirmed with with Mr Derusso last week

Thank you. How many hours total are required? When and how are parents and students informed of the requirements? When do students learn how to log their hours? Why aren’t 7th graders told at the beginning do the year?

We have been very disappointed with Franklin so far. This is just one more thing.

They are told. Middle school is the start of kids being responsible for themselves. There is a website they are supposed to register on and log their hours.

I understand that middle school is a time when students are expected to take on more responsibility, but that expectation isn’t one‑size‑fits‑all. My child has ADHD, and executive‑function support is part of his IEP. He was never shown how to register or log hours, and the information wasn’t communicated clearly to parents at the start of the year.

For students who need scaffolding, “they are told” isn’t enough. They need explicit instruction, reminders, and support built into the process. That’s not about avoiding responsibility — it’s about giving them equitable access to the same expectations as their peers.

This is why clearer communication and consistent guidance from the school are so important.

You’ve got a long road ahead with your kid if they need everything spelled out to this extent. The school system isn’t going to do this for them even if they should. They need to start learning how to do things without so much support. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is sad that everyone sees service hours as a a way to check a box, as opposed to being a rewarding experience that gives kids some perspective in life. I get that this is how the system is set up but… it’s sad.

When you mandate something, the meaning changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is sad that everyone sees service hours as a a way to check a box, as opposed to being a rewarding experience that gives kids some perspective in life. I get that this is how the system is set up but… it’s sad.

When you mandate something, the meaning changes.

Exactly this. The meaning is lost when it’s a requirement and something parents also have to do because the kids are too young to go on their own. This is why I’ve never forced my kids to volunteer. It defeats the point of volunteering. They need to find the value and meaning in something on their own. My idea of a worthy cause doesn’t mean it’s theirs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Franklin hasn’t told the 7th graders jack sh*t about volunteer hours.

That's because 7th graders don't need volunteer hours.

They probably also haven’t told 7th graders about the 8th grade formal, Oakton's prom, requirements for high school graduation attire, or when college applications are due. Why? Because 7th graders dont need that information yet.

If hours from 7th grade can count toward the total, then yes we need that information. We don’t want to saddled with it all in one year.

Ha! Our NJHS required that service hours were done between August and May 4. So, all 20 hours in 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is sad that everyone sees service hours as a a way to check a box, as opposed to being a rewarding experience that gives kids some perspective in life. I get that this is how the system is set up but… it’s sad.

When you mandate something, the meaning changes.

Exactly this. The meaning is lost when it’s a requirement and something parents also have to do because the kids are too young to go on their own. This is why I’ve never forced my kids to volunteer. It defeats the point of volunteering. They need to find the value and meaning in something on their own. My idea of a worthy cause doesn’t mean it’s theirs.

I completely agree. Mandating hours in middle school when parents have to help is ridiculous. Unless they are offering hours at the school that all kids can easily access, it’s not fair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Franklin hasn’t told the 7th graders jack sh*t about volunteer hours.

That's because 7th graders don't need volunteer hours.

They probably also haven’t told 7th graders about the 8th grade formal, Oakton's prom, requirements for high school graduation attire, or when college applications are due. Why? Because 7th graders dont need that information yet.

If hours from 7th grade can count toward the total, then yes we need that information. We don’t want to saddled with it all in one year.

Ha! Our NJHS required that service hours were done between August and May 4. So, all 20 hours in 8th grade.

We aren’t talking about NJHS. NJHS is a choice. Middle school hours for Civics is not. In addition, NJHS sends out opportunities for kids to help them find the hours. At least at Carson they did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is sad that everyone sees service hours as a a way to check a box, as opposed to being a rewarding experience that gives kids some perspective in life. I get that this is how the system is set up but… it’s sad.

When you mandate something, the meaning changes.

Amen.