Is your middle school a mess regarding behavior post-covid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's face MS in FCPS is a holding pen. We don't know what to do with these not small children anymore, not really teens yet so let's dump them all together for 2 years. It's a horrible age.

No, it's not a horrible age. It's a horrible school district.

Oh please. You can blame FCPS for lots of things but MS kids acting like little sh7ts? Do you blame FCPS for the kids behaviors outside of school as well?
And yes, no other school districts have this issue!

My always well behaved sweet son is now a moody teenager. I don’t blame the pandemic or fcps. It is just an awkward time for these intermediate people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we still blaming Covid for behavioral problems a year later?

My middle school kid is pretty moody. He stayed home for a year and went back to school last spring. He has been back in school for over a year. He is shy and socially awkward. Thirty years ago, I was also a shy, socially awkward, moody middle school student. There were plenty of bad kids at my middle school. They tried to be cool.

Of course. Schools were closed for over a year, then barely opened for the last month or so and just had the kids staring at screens in person. Now middle schoolers won't even take masks off their faces b/c they are afraid for people to see what they really look like.

Barely opened for the last month? DCUM loves to spin the truth. It was 3 months.

My ES age kids didn't go back until well into April. School is over in early June. How is that three months?

DP, My ES (6th grader) went back in March.

My middle schooler went back last week in February...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:POST-Covid??? Who are you kidding? We're at numbers higher than in January. Covid is not over.

I should have said post-virtual school, that being home and isolated from social groups for a full year (5 quarters for many) is what is causing the problem.

And I was referencing a different school than those mentioned above - Irving in Springfield.

I'm familiar with one of the recent bullying cases at Irving, the kid was suspended for a bit so hopefully that deters it for the remainder of the year. In my experience, I think part of the issue is parents wrongly assuming that a well-regarded school means their kids are free of bad influences and no further discipline or moral compass lessons are required on their part. It comes down to poor parenting.

There was one fight where the bully got off scott free and the victim who finally stood up for themselves after months of bullying got suspended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest started at Irving the year COVID hit, so didn't quite have a full year there, but there were not the issues I have heard about happening this year. I don't know if it's the year and a half of virtual or something about the particular group of kids there now, but I worry for my youngest to start there.

I have had 3 kids go through Irving, one there now.

With the older 2, I only recall 1 fight in 4 years. It truly was a wonderful place.

Since shut downs, it has been lord of the flies.

Last spring was very positive, kids happy to be back and excited to see one another. That was when the only kids back were the ones who really wanted to be there. It was a wonderful spring.

Now that all the kids are back, this year has been insane.

I really do think that the 5/6/7 graders over covid had too much unsupervised time on their phones and no expectations from virtual school.

The 9th graders were a disaster too first semester at WSHS. But they finally got it together 2nd semester and spring has gone smoothly.

We are reaping the consequences of distance learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest started at Irving the year COVID hit, so didn't quite have a full year there, but there were not the issues I have heard about happening this year. I don't know if it's the year and a half of virtual or something about the particular group of kids there now, but I worry for my youngest to start there.

I have had 3 kids go through Irving, one there now.

With the older 2, I only recall 1 fight in 4 years. It truly was a wonderful place.

Since shut downs, it has been lord of the flies.

Last spring was very positive, kids happy to be back and excited to see one another. That was when the only kids back were the ones who really wanted to be there. It was a wonderful spring.

Now that all the kids are back, this year has been insane.

I really do think that the 5/6/7 graders over covid had too much unsupervised time on their phones and no expectations from virtual school.

The 9th graders were a disaster too first semester at WSHS. But they finally got it together 2nd semester and spring has gone smoothly.

We are reaping the consequences of distance learning.

And inferior parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest started at Irving the year COVID hit, so didn't quite have a full year there, but there were not the issues I have heard about happening this year. I don't know if it's the year and a half of virtual or something about the particular group of kids there now, but I worry for my youngest to start there.

I have had 3 kids go through Irving, one there now.

With the older 2, I only recall 1 fight in 4 years. It truly was a wonderful place.

Since shut downs, it has been lord of the flies.

Last spring was very positive, kids happy to be back and excited to see one another. That was when the only kids back were the ones who really wanted to be there. It was a wonderful spring.

Now that all the kids are back, this year has been insane.

I really do think that the 5/6/7 graders over covid had too much unsupervised time on their phones and no expectations from virtual school.

The 9th graders were a disaster too first semester at WSHS. But they finally got it together 2nd semester and spring has gone smoothly.

We are reaping the consequences of distance learning.

OP here - this is why I posted. I've heard this from so many "real life" friends with Irving experience. We'd heard only wonderful things about the school from kids and parents since we moved here in 2013. This is the first year I've heard so many negative things about behavior. It's hard to believe it's a coincidence that it just happened to occur after virtual school. Sad. I hope next year is better, but I'm not sure how they get the kids back on track. Knowing how well the school has been run in the past, I'm sure they are trying their best.

[Anonymous]

Our MS was messier than usual at the beginning of the fall. A few disciplinary issues, but more issues with kids with anxiety. A lot of teachers were a little rusty both on classroom management and just their processes of forming relationships with students in person. Now things are smoother.

Overall, I think MS is a pretty joyful place to be. Kids that age are as goofy and off-the-wall as they always have been. I think the kids going outside for lunch adds a really nice sense of spirit, and they often go outside for PE too. They seem pretty healthy and happy. The 15 min break always has a lively social buzz about it (though right now it has been paused at our school for testing). I've noticed a lot of the kids seem more resilient and a bit more aware of the world than maybe in years prior--I see it in classroom discussions and in their writing. The top students don't get as freaked out about an A- or a B+ as they might have done pre-pandemic. So teachers are fairly burnt out from having to retool so many times and cover lots of gaps, but at least for me, I get energy and happiness from the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest started at Irving the year COVID hit, so didn't quite have a full year there, but there were not the issues I have heard about happening this year. I don't know if it's the year and a half of virtual or something about the particular group of kids there now, but I worry for my youngest to start there.

I have had 3 kids go through Irving, one there now.

With the older 2, I only recall 1 fight in 4 years. It truly was a wonderful place.

Since shut downs, it has been lord of the flies.

Last spring was very positive, kids happy to be back and excited to see one another. That was when the only kids back were the ones who really wanted to be there. It was a wonderful spring.

Now that all the kids are back, this year has been insane.

I really do think that the 5/6/7 graders over covid had too much unsupervised time on their phones and no expectations from virtual school.

The 9th graders were a disaster too first semester at WSHS. But they finally got it together 2nd semester and spring has gone smoothly.

We are reaping the consequences of distance learning.

And inferior parenting.

Covid sucked for everyone. Playing the blame game only furthers resentment and makes kids feel like they are going through a terrible and bitter divorce. I think we all need to “show some grace,” but this time, to the parents and teachers. The kids are not okay because the adults are not okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest started at Irving the year COVID hit, so didn't quite have a full year there, but there were not the issues I have heard about happening this year. I don't know if it's the year and a half of virtual or something about the particular group of kids there now, but I worry for my youngest to start there.

I have had 3 kids go through Irving, one there now.

With the older 2, I only recall 1 fight in 4 years. It truly was a wonderful place.

Since shut downs, it has been lord of the flies.

Last spring was very positive, kids happy to be back and excited to see one another. That was when the only kids back were the ones who really wanted to be there. It was a wonderful spring.

Now that all the kids are back, this year has been insane.

I really do think that the 5/6/7 graders over covid had too much unsupervised time on their phones and no expectations from virtual school.

The 9th graders were a disaster too first semester at WSHS. But they finally got it together 2nd semester and spring has gone smoothly.

We are reaping the consequences of distance learning.

And inferior parenting.

Covid sucked for everyone. Playing the blame game only furthers resentment and makes kids feel like they are going through a terrible and bitter divorce. I think we all need to “show some grace,” but this time, to the parents and teachers. The kids are not okay because the adults are not okay.

What I men to say is yes, “distance learning problems” and “bad parenting” (usually a result of both parents needing to work) exist, but can we please move on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My oldest started at Irving the year COVID hit, so didn't quite have a full year there, but there were not the issues I have heard about happening this year. I don't know if it's the year and a half of virtual or something about the particular group of kids there now, but I worry for my youngest to start there.

I have had 3 kids go through Irving, one there now.

With the older 2, I only recall 1 fight in 4 years. It truly was a wonderful place.

Since shut downs, it has been lord of the flies.

Last spring was very positive, kids happy to be back and excited to see one another. That was when the only kids back were the ones who really wanted to be there. It was a wonderful spring.

Now that all the kids are back, this year has been insane.

I really do think that the 5/6/7 graders over covid had too much unsupervised time on their phones and no expectations from virtual school.

The 9th graders were a disaster too first semester at WSHS. But they finally got it together 2nd semester and spring has gone smoothly.

We are reaping the consequences of distance learning.

OP here - this is why I posted. I've heard this from so many "real life" friends with Irving experience. We'd heard only wonderful things about the school from kids and parents since we moved here in 2013. This is the first year I've heard so many negative things about behavior. It's hard to believe it's a coincidence that it just happened to occur after virtual school. Sad. I hope next year is better, but I'm not sure how they get the kids back on track. Knowing how well the school has been run in the past, I'm sure they are trying their best.

This is truly a weird year for Irving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And yet, plenty of us had kids home in DL just as long as everyone else and yet managed to send them back with manners and self-control and not feral.

Parenting is awesome. More people should try it sometime.

Some of the kids of the “my kids thrived! Thrived! Love DL” parents are some of the worst behavioral offenders. You have no idea.

I agree.

We are at one of the schools mentioned above.

The kids who desparately wanted to be back at school last spring did not have these issues and are not having these issues this year.

The ones who are having these issues are the kids who stayed home all year last year and did not return in the spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we still blaming Covid for behavioral problems a year later?

My middle school kid is pretty moody. He stayed home for a year and went back to school last spring. He has been back in school for over a year. He is shy and socially awkward. Thirty years ago, I was also a shy, socially awkward, moody middle school student. There were plenty of bad kids at my middle school. They tried to be cool.

Of course. Schools were closed for over a year, then barely opened for the last month or so and just had the kids staring at screens in person. Now middle schoolers won't even take masks off their faces b/c they are afraid for people to see what they really look like.

Yep.

They are tellimg each other, especially girls, that they are too ugly to take off their masks.

So they won't.

Imagine what that does to your mind, to think you are too ugly or too anonymous to show your face.

They don't make eye contact and spend the day without seeing smiles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's face MS in FCPS is a holding pen. We don't know what to do with these not small children anymore, not really teens yet so let's dump them all together for 2 years. It's a horrible age.

No, it's not a horrible age. It's a horrible school district.

Prior to the year and a half of no school, anyone with kids at our middle school would have said it was a wonderful place, wonderful school, with amazing tachers and principals.

Distance learning changed that.

Fcps broke our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's face MS in FCPS is a holding pen. We don't know what to do with these not small children anymore, not really teens yet so let's dump them all together for 2 years. It's a horrible age.

No, it's not a horrible age. It's a horrible school district.

Prior to the year and a half of no school, anyone with kids at our middle school would have said it was a wonderful place, wonderful school, with amazing tachers and principals.

Distance learning changed that.

Fcps broke our kids.

I wonder how people like you who feel victimized by everything instill any sort of resiliency in your kids. By the way, one of my kids really struggled with virtual learning. There is no question virtual learning was a flop for most kids. It sucked. And I am a frontline nurse....so Covid was beyond stressful for our family. But if you believe and act like kids are "broken" because of this experience, they internalize it. And Covid was traumatizing for kids on so many fronts besides virtual learning; some lost loved ones (yes in the DMV, ask me how I know), some kids had parents lose jobs, they saw increased domestic/political tension, all the uncertainty that came with a pandemic, etc. Oh and add in unlimited screen time (not something the school controls, right?). So when you conclude from all this sh7t storm that "FCPS broke our kids," you sound like an ignorant simpleton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's face MS in FCPS is a holding pen. We don't know what to do with these not small children anymore, not really teens yet so let's dump them all together for 2 years. It's a horrible age.

No, it's not a horrible age. It's a horrible school district.

Prior to the year and a half of no school, anyone with kids at our middle school would have said it was a wonderful place, wonderful school, with amazing tachers and principals.

Distance learning changed that.

Fcps broke our kids.

And APS broke their kids and LCPS broke their kids and FCCPS broke their kids and ACPS broke their kids and DCPS broke their kids and MCPS broke their kids...