If you happen to be outside a middle school or junior high school when classes let out at the end of the day, you see an amazing assortment of youngsters. Some look tiny – little more than babies – while others are large, full-blown adolescents, well on their way to adulthood. A visitor from outer space might think they were different species.
Think back to when you were ten or eleven, and try to remember just how scary a thirteen-year-old could be. Is it any wonder that younger children might be anxious about going to middle school – or that their parents, thinking back to their own childhoods, might be anxious as well?
The Mix of Grade Levels in Middle School and Junior High
Many are comforted to learn that schools usually segregate grade levels very thoroughly. Sixth graders will not be mixing with eighth graders in the cafeteria; different grades will be dispersed to different parts of the building, minimizing inter-grade contact between classes. Some schools even use different building entrances for different grades. The place grade levels are most likely to mix is on the school bus.
Nevertheless, the individuals best equipped to allay your child's fears are older children who already attend the school. If your child has an older sibling, it is unlikely that either you or your child has any concerns at all – but, if not, ask the older child of a friend or neighbor to talk to yours about the "move up." Just a little reassurance from "an expert" can assuage most fears.
Adjusting to Departmentalized Instruction
Children adjust very quickly to having different teachers for different subjects, and most say they prefer traveling from class to class rather than staying in the same room all day. It is harder for a secondary teacher to get to know your child as an individual, though, due to a much larger student load and limited time with your child each day. You may discover that your child is having a social or academic problem in a particular class before the teacher does. If that happens, telephone the teacher to discuss the problem.
What looks like a minor problem in just one class may be more serious if extended over several classes during the school day. If you discover such a problem – bullying, for example – contact your child's guidance counselor or a school administrator, who will alert and work with all the teachers involved. The same is true if there is a problem at home – a serious illness in the family, or a divorce, for example. When teachers know your child is experiencing stress at home, they will be more supportive and understanding in class.
Adjusting to Homework in Secondary School
When four or five different teachers are assigning homework, there will be some nights when your child has very little due the next day, and some nights when there will be a lot. Even when teachers are working in teams, coordinating homework time is difficult.
As a parent, your job is to know about homework that is not due the next day. Secondary school teachers are less likely than primary school teachers to break longer-term assignments into tiny bits and check every step along the way. Have your child use a day planner for homework assignments, check it regularly, and make sure nothing is left until the last minute.
It won't be long before middle school is just as ordinary and predictable as elementary school was – for both you and your child.
