Since kids are all gearing up for the start school, or have already started, I thought this would be a good time to share a list that the oldest kid gave me – published with her permission, of course! She came up with this list in seventh grade. A couple of months ago, as she was finishing her time in middle school, I pulled it up again and we read it, and I said, “Do you have anything more to add?”
“Nope – that’s all still true. Oh wait, there’s one more thing.”
Which we added at the end of the list.
I never went to middle school growing up since I went to a school that was K-8. But even though I didn’t go to middle school, I did go to school in my tween years and it’s such a time of transition, of finding a sense of place and self and growing independence. It can be a hard time.
I have to say, even though I sometimes and beside myself about the 14 year old’s lack of executive functioning skills – like that moldy bagel that was in the bottom of her backpack for I don’t know how many weeks, or homework struggles – overall, I’m really proud of how the 14 year old went through middle school – walking the 1.1 mile to and from school all by herself almost every day, staying out of mean girl drama (and middle school drama in general), being captain of the basketball team and being the lead in the school musical, being kind to boys who had crushes on her, figuring out how to navigate the inane online system for school and grades, connecting with her teachers… I’m really proud of all that. I hope she found middle school a time of growth and discovery.
So here it is – our 14 year old’s top ten fourteen tips for surviving middle school.
- If your locker is kind of broken, keep your locker because if you tell your teacher you might not get a new locker till the middle of the year.
- Always bring your own materials because the school system has stopped funding teachers to buy supplies.
- Make friends in every class.
- Don’t complain to the teacher and always stay on their good side.
- Make sure that you take notes, especially in French class.
- There are no bad teachers or students, there are just bad helpers.
- Make sure you find that one teacher that lets you eat in their class.
- If your teacher says you can’t chew gum in their class in the first few weeks, wait a few weeks before you start chewing gum because by then the teachers will be worn down enough to let you.
- Make sure you endear yourself to teachers.
- Candy is the way to anybody’s heart.
- Always carry a snack.
- Don’t forget to ask for help.
- Don’t curse.
- Don’t eat school lunch.
Well… I think perhaps this list is more a snapshot of the 14 year old than of middle school. But who knows… maybe in eight years she’ll look back on this list as she enters the workforce and think, “Yep, all of that is still true.”
What about you? Any top tips for middle school?