Who here remembers their first day of Jr. High? Or anything about their 7th or 8th grade years? Share something here that sticks out in your memory about that age, please (preferably something that won't make me immediately turn to home schooling my children!).
I keep remembering all the bad stuff. The swearing and sex talk. I learned so much in that one year. After 7th grade, I was home schooled myself. I don't really recommend it unless it is a last resort. For me, it kept me extremely sheltered from that point on. I had very little interaction with boys and missed out on so many things that I think are almost necessary for kids to experience (including *some* bad stuff). I dodged experimenting with drugs, alcohol and the opposite sex completely. In that regard, I'm sure my parents were thrilled, but at the same time, you might end up a 30 year old who feels they "missed out" on something. Not sure what exactly, since I'm not inclined to use drugs anyways and I can drink now if I want to, but still, having the comradeship, school dances and occasional interaction with boys might have been nice. I also would have liked to form friendships in high school and be interested in high school reunions.
At any rate, it's hard to let my babies start in just over a week.
What advice have you given, or would you give to a child starting middle school? I've lectured mine already on so many things, but am afraid I'm forgetting something.
Oh, and extra points to anyone here who remembers why I stopped going to public school after 7th grade. I've mentioned it here and on OT before. *grin*
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Ouch, I have lost myself again. Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found, Yeah I think that I might break. I've lost myself again and I feel unsafe. Be my friend Hold me, wrap me up Unfold me I am small, I'm needy. Warm me up And breathe me
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15 comments:
I was just about to ask why you stopped going to public school.
I started wearing glasses in 7th grade. I met lots of great friends. Getting involved in some kind of school activity (band, drama, school newspaper, etc) helps.
Wow, junior high was SO long ago! I don't remember the first day at all. I have a vague recollection of being terrified that I'd be "canned", and I wouldn't have gone anywhere near one of the bathrooms, I'll tell you that much.
There were cliques, puppy love, and a huge difference between some of the boys and girls who were physically adults, and me, who was still a little kid.
I learned the importance of being funny as a way to keep from being beat up, and I learned how to blend in.
High school? Not much different. One interesting thing is that I don't have a single friend or even contact, that I met in high school. I have one friend I *knew* in high school, but we were friends long before that too. I went to a reunion and was shocked by how many people remembered who I was since I thought of myself as anonymous.
There is nothing your kids will learn or face in junior high that they can't handle. They are prepared. You've prepared them beautifully and provided them a framework to view the world of junior high they're about to enter.
Take a breath, relax. Trust your kids and trust yourself. They will be just fine. And I'll let someone else go for the extra points. ;-)
*smooch*
I remember moving to Michigan from Arkansas, and my first day in "yankee school". My teacher tried to send me to speech therapy because she couldn't understand my "draaaawl".
It is actually a good memory, cause my mom came in and gave that teacher a lesson in rebel pride.
*snort*
Your kids will be fine. Just make sure they know that they rock, and you are there to talk to. I could tell my mom anything, and it mostly kept me out of big trouble.
The begining of the worst time in my life, actually. *sigh*
I got moved from SoCal to NorCal in the middle of the 6th grade. 6th grade down south was still elementary school and it was middle school here. So it was a big change. Plus, I had tons of friends down there. And since I was painfully shy back then it was hard for me to make new friends here. and when I did, they were all of the wrong friends.
Had I stayed in SoCal, I think it all would have been fine because I would have gone to middle school with all of my friends.
Junior high!
1. The first day we got put into "TAGs" (homerooms). I got a fun, young new teacher and three cool peeps in mine. I was happy. I still remember part of that day quite vividly.
2. I remember getting in trouble during volleyball practice. We stacked someone's locker during a break. The person told on us and we got in trouble. Luckily, the Principal was the dad of one of our friends. :-)
3. I remember puking in the hallway during a forensics meet, right in front of a roomful of peeps. It wasn't nerves, I would get really sick with my period.
Junior high (or "middle school" as we called it), was a pretty good time for me. Lots of good friends, lots of slumber parties, lots of crushes and a few boyfriends. There was friend trauma, as usual, but it goes with being a teenage girl.
7th and 8th grade were the 2 worst years of my school experience. *shudder*
It wasn't all related to school though. Most of it was medical problems that kept me out of school a lot and it was always so hard to go back and try to catch up. I had a home tutor for most of 8th grade because I was having surgeries and stuff and couldn't go to school.
Wish I had something positive to say, but those were awful years for me.
*screams and sobs*
Nope, I don't remember a thing.
Ack! Grade 7 was the worst year for me. Sorry, but I don't really have any good memories. Boys were insane little horn-dogs. *shudder*
I think I actually liked Jr High! My DS just started 7th grade this week! He has survived so far, except for forgetting his ID yesterday- and I had to take it to him.
When I started 7th, I had two good friends - an 8th grader & a 9th grader, who totally took me in! It was so great to be included in their group, I think it made things good for me. I was tall then, so felt awkward, of course.
It was also there that I got involved in choir (9th grade) which I continued thru the rest of my schooling- enabling me to go on many trips and see different parts of the country - so I am glad for that!
But, will ditto what MTW said - there won't be anything they can't handle. Plus - they've got each other!
Is it okay that I call it middle school? And, here it starts at 6th grade - at least mine did.
6th grade is when you go from one teacher to multiple teachers. I remember loving the fact that I would take a new elective each quarter.
I also remember being in one homeroom and then being moved for some reason. I felt like I got moved from the advanced class to the regular class. And I was bummed because the original class was going to work on a special book about themselves.
It all worked out though because I thrived in middle school. Those were not necessarily my "smartest" years, but they were the years when I applied myself the best. With the right guidance, I could have gone on to bigger and better things in high school.
I can remember being "the kids" in elementary school in 5th grade and then going to a new place.
It was the first time you had lockers.
No more recess.
Appearance did matter more. I started doing my hair. I wore makeup for the first time. I also bought my very own first pair of Jordache jeans. They were two-toned: gray on the front, regular on the back. Size 5. $40 - actually $41.60 with tax, and I bought them in the 7th grade. I bought them with my babysitting money.
I started having more girly conversations - especially about boys. And especially about Jim McMahon. My friend Amy was in love with him. We would right notes to eachother about him. I think she wanted to do the Superbowl Shuffle with him. *giggle*
It was also the first time I French kissed a boy.
Would you believe that I can't remember simple things like picking up deodorant for my husband when I go to the store, but I can remember specific things like the layout of the lunch room in middle school, where I sat in certain classes, the swinging doors in certain offices of that school.
Oooh, and I also got into a pushing match with a girl for the first time.
*giggle* My friend Melanie had a big crush on Jim McMahon.
6th & 7th grade were the two worst school years for me hands down. When you're the fat girl with braces and glasses, you're not exactly Ms. Popularity. I did have one very good friend during that time, and thanks to the power of MySpace, we found each other again last year.
During the summer between 7th & 8th grade we found out my Dad had lost his job and we'd need to move. We spent September living in Massachusetts with my grandmother while my parents figured out what to do, so I started 8th grade there. That was a very lonely month. I ate lunch by myself and none of the other students made any attempt to get to know me at all.
In early October we moved to Virginia and what a change that was. All of the kids were very nice and talked to me eagerly the first day I showed up. After the novelty of "the new girl" wore off, it was kind of like I'd always been there. The rest of 8th grade and all of high school was very enjoyable and I'm extremely grateful circumstances worked out the way they did to put me there. I just had my 10 year high school reunion last week and it was a lot of fun. I'm not close with any of my high school friends, but I think we're all going to make an effort to not let another 10 years go by without seeing each other again.
Thank you for all your comments and memories! I'm sorry to hear how middle school was tough on some of you.
*smooches*
The extreme years.
Those were the years I was the most popular - and had my first BFF trash me publicly.
Those were the years I became shy.
Those were the years I did the best in school.
Those were the years when I realized I was poor.
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