Very Scary Middle School

» Mugwump53 - You Can Help

A very timely and accurate article. I am a middle school teacher and administrator, and you hit the mark on middle schools. But there are some things you can do to help the transition beyond the excellent suggestions in this article.

If feasible, check the local private schools. (Did I mention that I work at a private school?) If finances are a problem, many offer tuition assistance. They will usually offer more personal attention, smaller classes and a safer, more positive environment.

Regardless of the school, check for special programs. Many middle schools now offer special academic programs, such as magnet programs, honors or AIMS programs. these programs may offer some relief from the problems of transitioning from elementary to middle school.

Be involved. In a large school setting, the squeaky wheels get the grease. This does not mean you have to complain or be adversarial to get what you want. But if you volunteer, or stay in touch with teachers and counselors, you will find it easier to get help when needed.

This is a critical subject for parents of preteens, or tweenies as they are sometime called. A good job on an important topic.

-- posted by Mugwump53

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» Terrie_Bittner - Admittedly, my middle school experience is minimal.

Admittedly, my middle school experience is minimal. My oldest went for three weeks. After three days, when she found out the school had no textbooks, she was begging to return to homeschooling. (Also, her English teacher, who caught her reading Jane Eyre, told her reading classics for fun would get her labled a nerd and her math teacher spent a full week measuring people's feet to show that the foot measurement once used was unreliable. You can tell the attitude of that school toward education!) My daughter part-timed for a while in two schools, with mixed results. She's now chosen to avoid school altogether and homeschool. YOu are right though-parents can't drop out of sight in middle school. Everyone always knew me by name, even when my children only took two classes. I met counselors, teachers, and even interviewed every principal my children ever had. If they were doing something as important as educating my children, I wanted to know who they were.

What do you think about school uniforms as a means of controlling behavior?

-- posted by Terrie_Bittner

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» Mugwump53 - The Heart of the Matter

Wow, you really know how to get right to the controversial questions!

You handled middle school just right. The more involved, the better.

As to school uniforms, I am going to give a wordy (what else would you expect) and equivical answer.

I worked for a number of years at military schools, which of course had uniforms. I have a very different view of uniforms. I don't know about controlling behavior, but uniforms do offer some advantages.

The kind of military schools I worked at (and yes, there are very different military schools just as there are very different schools of all types) enrolled good kids who were not doing well in their own schools, had no kids in their neighborhoods, or whose parents were overseas. Uniforms leveled the playing field economically. You couldn't tell the very wealthy from the scholarship kids.

I will also say that kids in military schools showed more individuality than in other schools. After being in uniforms all day, kids appreciated any show of individuality or even eccentricity. In the day schools I worked at, kids conformed strictly to the code of other children. You were "out" if you didn't wear the right clothes or listen to the right music, or drive the right car. I felt sorry for them in comparison to the freedom felt by the kids "stuck" in military schools.

Uniforms remove many superficial means of juding others, and kids end up making friendship decision based on more important factors, such as character, honesty, loyalty, etc.

But I do not think uniforms are the panacea for the problems of public schools. Putting kids in the same clothing will not eliminate the difficult problems. Too often, the decision is made as a quick fix.

I am not opposed to uniforms. I am only opposed to using them as a quick fix rather than truly addressing the problems. So, there is no definite answer. I kind of like uniforms, but I don't always agree with the decision to adopt them.

Great question, and sounds like a great article topic.

-- posted by Mugwump53

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