I wonder if there's less of that whimsical teeny bopper behavior among students attending magnet or IB programs? Including the MS IB program?

My DD is now in 9th but in 6th her "friend" group from ES basically ostracized her, then they moved onto the next girl the ring leader wanted removed. My kid was pretty devastated but remained friends with one or two from the group, separately. The 2nd girl went into therapy and dropped out of the school completely.

All the "popular" kids from ES merged to form one enormous "popular" group. It was substantial.

Other than that she did ok. She got straight A grades in every class the whole time she was there and was able to take some strong HS courses as a result.

Back to OP's original post. I have two 8th graders in Pyle and while it's bigger than I'd like, they have a group of friends (mainly still from their elementary school) that have helped make it feel like a more manageable size.

Does your child have a friend or two who he/she can work on strengthening that friendship? Inviting over after school, going ice skating on the weekend, etc. I feel like it just takes having a couple friends to feel more connected -- and then those friendships lead to more.

It's a good sign if they're doing well academically. I think middle school is generally just something to get through...Good luck!

The term "accepting community" is not inherently racist. For example, I find LGBTQIA2S+ generally to be accepting communities. It depends on the context of how the term is used. The way it was used on this thread does not strike me as racist at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot of defensiveness in these posts which I find disturbing because the comments seem so emotional and dismissive.

It's a great school but it's not perfect. It's so big I do think it can be difficult to find your group sometimes. It's also highly competitive which can be difficult for some kids.

It's overall a very accepting community. There are many groups full of smart, quiet kids, but I do personally know families who really did not like it and their children struggled to fit in.

You sound like a racist.

What planet are you from? The question was can a quiet kid be happy? Answer - it's an accepting community for smart quiet kids. WTH?

An "accepting" community is white privilege, it assumes a superiority whereby you say "ok we'll accept these people who aren't as good as us"
Really I would have thought anyone on DCUM would have learned this by now.

NP. This is ridiculous. An accepting community is one where all types of people are welcome. You don’t have to conform to any mold. A large school can seem overwhelming at first because there is more noise and hustle and bustle, but there are scores of groups to join and tons of kids not interested in any group. IME, there is is a lot less pressure to “fit in” than at a small school because there is no one popular crowd.

Anonymous wrote:I am as progressive as any Bernie acolyte, but your gloss on PP's innocent comments is best saved for an undergrad intro to cultural Marxism course. Sheesh, you give progressives a bad name!

Oh, btw, cultural racism is not the same thing as a racist act. One can call YOU a racist/imperialist for using the language of oppression. Get a life! And then get a clue, please.

What? Can you translate please, this gobbledegook is beyond me.

I am as progressive as any Bernie acolyte, but your gloss on PP's innocent comments is best saved for an undergrad intro to cultural Marxism course. Sheesh, you give progressives a bad name!

Oh, btw, cultural racism is not the same thing as a racist act. One can call YOU a racist/imperialist for using the language of oppression. Get a life! And then get a clue, please.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot of defensiveness in these posts which I find disturbing because the comments seem so emotional and dismissive.

It's a great school but it's not perfect. It's so big I do think it can be difficult to find your group sometimes. It's also highly competitive which can be difficult for some kids.

It's overall a very accepting community. There are many groups full of smart, quiet kids, but I do personally know families who really did not like it and their children struggled to fit in.

You sound like a racist.

What planet are you from? The question was can a quiet kid be happy? Answer - it's an accepting community for smart quiet kids. WTH?

An "accepting" community is white privilege, it assumes a superiority whereby you say "ok we'll accept these people who aren't as good as us"
Really I would have thought anyone on DCUM would have learned this by now.

Ditto. Don't take PP's bait.

The school is big and it takes awhile to find your tribe. OP, I concur with the suggestion to join an after school club with strengths and interests that align with your kid. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot of defensiveness in these posts which I find disturbing because the comments seem so emotional and dismissive.

It's a great school but it's not perfect. It's so big I do think it can be difficult to find your group sometimes. It's also highly competitive which can be difficult for some kids.

It's overall a very accepting community. There are many groups full of smart, quiet kids, but I do personally know families who really did not like it and their children struggled to fit in.

You sound like a racist.

What planet are you from? The question was can a quiet kid be happy? Answer - it's an accepting community for smart quiet kids. WTH?

Because of parents like PP?

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot of defensiveness in these posts which I find disturbing because the comments seem so emotional and dismissive.

It's a great school but it's not perfect. It's so big I do think it can be difficult to find your group sometimes. It's also highly competitive which can be difficult for some kids.

It's overall a very accepting community. There are many groups full of smart, quiet kids, but I do personally know families who really did not like it and their children struggled to fit in.

You sound like a racist.

Quieter kids in general probably have a tougher time in loud, big, unfamiliar environments. It's tough in a culture that values extroverts. What has helped with my DD is trying to make sure they're in an environment where they won't be such an outlier (ie, placing them where they're more likely to find commonality with their peers).

My quiet kid is unhappy at Whitman.....its too big and there is no outreach from counselors or assistant principals. The PTA is fantastic and tried to do some event in the Fall which the kids enjoyed tremendously. The school seems short staffed and barely able to get the minimum done let alone work on community building activities.

Anonymous wrote:There's a lot of defensiveness in these posts which I find disturbing because the comments seem so emotional and dismissive.

It's a great school but it's not perfect. It's so big I do think it can be difficult to find your group sometimes. It's also highly competitive which can be difficult for some kids.

It's overall a very accepting community. There are many groups full of smart, quiet kids, but I do personally know families who really did not like it and their children struggled to fit in.

If you can, please share some reasons as to why they did not like it.