Moving Up to
Middle School
Do you remember what is was like to
leave your elementary school behind?
Some kids are psyched; some are
scared. By being aware of the changes
at school and the changes within your
child, you can help make this
transition to his new school go
smoothly.
You may have
noticed that as your kids reach
adolescence, they seem more like
adults every day. Don't be fooled!
"Your child probably needs you more
now than at any other time," says Jan
Stocklinski of the Yale Child Study
Center. This
decrease in parent involvement is a
mistake. The move to middle school is
an opportunity for your child to grow.
While you want to help your child
prepare for this challenge, you also
want to push him to be able to
negotiate things for themselves. The
involvement needed from middle-school
parents is different than before. It
involves supporting your child's sense
of independence.
Changes at
School
The structure and environment of a
middle school demands a higher level
of independence than elementary
school. Your child is going from a
protected environment to one where he
must be more self-reliant. This change
can be scary for you both. Middle-school
students stay together for most of the
day and move from class to class for
different subjects with different
teachers. If your child is attending
junior high, he'll move from class to
class by himself rather than in a
group. In both cases, students must
remember their schedules and organize
their belongings with minimal help
from others. Your child may worry
about being able to open his
combination lock, grab his books, and
still make it to class on time. Kids worry that
they're not ready for the added
responsibilities that this year
brings.
Get to
Know the Teachers
Your child is going through changes,
and so will you. Your relationship
with your child's school also changes
at this time. In elementary school,
your child probably spent most of the
day in one classroom with one teacher.
The teachers have 20-30 students on
average who they get to know fairly
well. In middle school, while there
may be a "homeroom teacher," students
see 4 or 5 teachers a day -- and each
teacher may see more than 100 students
each day. Remember that
as grown up as your child may seem,
she still needs your support. Take
your cue from her, but keep in mind
that her pushing you away is a normal
part of adolescence. What she really
wants -- and needs -- is for you to
stay involved.
Excerpted from "Moving to the Middle," published in National PTA's Our Children magazine.
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