Reply to Is middle school miserable for most kids

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]MS is usually miserable for so many kids it makes me wonder why it even exists. Or what could be done, if anything to make it better.[/quote]

I mean the concept of middle school is fairly recent. Elementaries used to go through 6th grade and then you either had a junior high (7-9th) and high school (10-12) or in rare cases a combined high school that was 7-12.

At some point they figured out that separating all the super hormonal kids at peak puberty from everyone else would at least make elementary school and high school a bit better. But I don't think they've ever really figured out how to make middle school better serve the needs of this age group. I think a lot of it has to do with our discomfort as a society with kids sexually maturing. But it's made worse by increased pressure on kids academically. So basically middle school kids are given too little support with puberty and hormonal changes but are simultaneously told that if they aren't smart and accomplished enough it will ruin their entire lives. It's a recipe for disaster.

I feel like we should approach middle school like early childhood education. With a different focus of course but the same idea -- major focus on life skills and socio-emotional learning and then wrap the academics up in that package. But basically no focus on grades -- just meeting academic and developmental benchmarks and acclimating to the increased expectations of high school.[/quote]

Yikes no, it’s the opposite. MS kids are ready for challenges and independence. Babying them is the opposite of what they need. Academics and grades are totally appropriate. They also don’t generally need adult-led “social emotional” lessons; but guidance on how to resolve the issues that come up. [/quote]

I don't think it's babying them. Sure, you can ramp school work up a little bit, but don't forget that they're still kids.[/quote]
Maybe it’s just my experience with my tweens, but by 6th grade they were much closer developmentally to an 8th grader than to a 4th grader. It was also to their benefit to start to adjust to the independence that comes with MS. My kids enjoyed 6th grade much more than 5th grade. By 5th grade the same kids had been together for years and the drama was a lot. [/quote]

I think that every kid is different. In 6th grade I still felt like a kid, also in 7th and 8th. Not at all saying the independence and freedom is at all a bad thing, it's not, but even the 7th and 8th graders are still kids and I think that they should be able to be.[/quote]

But the thing is they are really not all still kids.  This is why middle school sucks.  Puberty timing varies WIDELY.   And this age range is when it's most obvious and apparent.  Some really do need more independence, more autonomy, and they're not interested in things that kids are interested in developmentally. And that's okay.  Just like it's okay that some still look and act like "kids".  I think there is no avoiding a wide disparity of where kids are in a group setting at this age.  It's just a tough time.[/quote]

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