Surviving Middle School... The Second Time Around

Fractions, multiplication facts, decimals, whole numbers, division....Asia, Canada, United States... Mass, Measure, Volume.... Who's Hu, Too Soon a Woman are the visions dancing around in my head this Christmas season. And I am ready for the visions to stop. For two weeks, anyway.

No, I am not in school. I graduated college during the beginning of the DVD invention and of the end of the VHS tape era. By that comparison alone, yes, I am ancient. But, alas, I have a son in 6th grade who skated through elementary school, only to find himself floundering a bit in middle school.

And, honestly, they have made the transition far easier than when I went through it in the late 70s.  To ease the transition, Parkway School District has made a 6th grade area of the school, as well as segregated the 7th and 8th graders into their own areas, too. There is a phone 'homework hot-line", an 'on-line homework hot-line', which gives the same information of what is assigned to be completed at home. They even provide second chances to re-take a test or writing assignment grade and improve upon it for an additional 10-20 points if you received below a 70 percent (depending on the teacher).

For parents, Parkway has Infinite Campus, which allows parents to view grades as the teacher records them. Rather than having to wait for a progress report or parent/teacher conference, parents can see exactly what scores their kids are producing on a day to day basis. The school district is designed for success.

But there is still a lot of change. Instead of one core teacher, my son Adam has 7 different educators teaching the 8 different classes he has each day. And there is homework. Lots of it. Every night. Even Adam will tell you that he was not given enough homework in elementary school to prepare him for the demands of middle school. In addition, any given week he has at least one test or quiz, or one large writing assignment due. Let me reiterate that despite all the measures in place to help a child succeed, middle school has been somewhat of an academic shock for our family.

Every night Adam needs help with math, which I actually don't mind. Math was probably my weakest subject in school so to re-learn it with him has made it easier to help him. I would hate for him to come to me a year from now and ask for math help for the first time. I would be lost. But it is not just math.

Adam hasn't completely figured out how to study for tests and quizzes or how to get started on a writing assignment. That has put a lot of pressure on me, as a parent, to help him succeed. His world geography and math teachers have both encouraged me greatly in this regard.  I had major concerns that I was overly involved in his day-to-day school work.

Guiding him through his assignments and helping him stay organized to study for tests is not 'helicopter parenting', as I feared. The teachers encouraged me to continue to be that support for Adam because these are all new skills for him.

Middle school, educators will tell you, is more about giving the kids the tools and study habits they need for high school and college. The grades are not the focus, especially in 6th grade.

It is in 9th grade and beyond when the grades 'matter' and test taking skills and writing skills need to be developed and honed to make them successful in future academic endeavors. By then, yes, they are supposed to be well-equipped to be mostly self-sufficient. But in 6th grade, educators want and encourage the parents to be involved. Whew.

As of this winter break, Adam is officially one-half of the way through his kindergarten through senior year school experience. We literally have as many semesters and years ahead, as what he has already finished. And we are surviving, and even, thriving in many ways.

So as he and his sister come through the front door at the end of today, I look forward to putting away the back packs for a few weeks. And for visions of sugar plums dancing in my head.