Any child happier in middle school then elementary school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - this is great to hear. One of my concerns is that DD has not really found a group of close friends in elementary school. But it sounds like from these posts that some kids found their crew in middle school.

My DD was new to her middle school. She didn’t really know anyone going in. But, after much trepidation, she loved it. She truly changed and in very positive ways.

[Anonymous]

Mine is pretty happy in MS. He was very over feeling "babied" in ES.

[Anonymous]

I have twins in 6th (first year of MS) and they are both happy although this year has been a bit strange of course. They have been in person since October. They both like it better than elementary school - more autonomy, switching classes hourly etc. My son misses recess (lol) that’s the only thing. They both knew some kids already from the other elementary that feeds into their MS, which definitely helped. So far so good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have twins in 6th (first year of MS) and they are both happy although this year has been a bit strange of course. They have been in person since October. They both like it better than elementary school - more autonomy, switching classes hourly etc. My son misses recess (lol) that’s the only thing. They both knew some kids already from the other elementary that feeds into their MS, which definitely helped. So far so good.

I missed recess too! I don't see why they don't have it in most middle schools.

[Anonymous]

I was quite surprised at how much middle school did not suck for my older kid. I had a super rough time. Kid enjoyed middle school. My younger is going soon, so we will see how that goes.

[Anonymous]

Mine was happier-- more social opportunities, he's not stuck all day with a teacher that he doesn't engage with, etc.

[Anonymous]

My DD was good in ES, loved MS, Luke warm (not good/not bad) in HS, loves college.

[Anonymous]

My DD loved her MS. She is now doing her PhD and thinks that MS in K-12 and undergrad in college were the best 7 years of her life socially.

The commonality in both were - a whole lot of new people, autonomy, opportunities of new clubs and activities, electives and trying out new things.

She is a social nerd who likes variety and options in her activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids whose elementary school social situations were not ideal often benefit from meeting and mixing with a new set of kids from the other elementary schools. Academically, many kids enjoy the electives, social studies and science getting equal time to English and math, and teachers who specialize in their subjects. Middle schools being larger, have drawbacks but they also have certain resources (special ed, sports, counseling, etc.) that elementary schools can't offer.

Public elementary schools do offer special ed. and counseling.

[Anonymous]

Mine was. But unhappy in high school but I think that is mostly pandemic related.

[Anonymous]

Do you think a cell phone is needed or is useful for your child in middle school?

[Anonymous]

My son loved 7/8 grade after a bumpy elementary school experience. The friend groups and academics clicked and things were really nice! There’s hope, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both of my kids loved middle school a whole lot more than elementary school. According to them everybody in elementary school was treated like a child, when entered middle school treated like they were older and independent.

Everyone is elementary school was treated like a child? Lol that's because they are children, so are middle schoolers for that matter. Does your kid hate being a kid or something?

11-14 year olds generally hate being treated like 8 year olds, yes. Does yours enjoy it ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think a cell phone is needed or is useful for your child in middle school?

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both of my kids loved middle school a whole lot more than elementary school. According to them everybody in elementary school was treated like a child, when entered middle school treated like they were older and independent.

Everyone is elementary school was treated like a child? Lol that's because they are children, so are middle schoolers for that matter. Does your kid hate being a kid or something?

11-14 year olds generally hate being treated like 8 year olds, yes. Does yours enjoy it ?

I understand this comment a little better because it was explained to me. I just hate to see that age group acting older than they are and basically not being kids. Childhood does not and should not end at 11. When I was that age the thing I didn't like about middle school was the fact that it pushed us to grow up too fast and was basically telling us that we were too old to be kids.