Middle School Matters!

• • Social Changes
    • Spending time with parents becomes secondary to their peers.
    • The desire for privacy and secrecy develops.
    • Belonging to a group becomes important.
    • Showing allegiance to peers is key.
    • Exposure to peer pressure and negative influences increase.
  • Emotional Changes
    • Desiring freedom from parental supervision.
    • Experiencing mood fluctuations.
    • Rejecting adult advice and "talking back" become common.
    • Becoming highly critical of themselves.
    • Experiencing stress related to ability levels and competition.
  • Organizational Factors
    • Learning to manage time.
    • Getting to each class and other activities on time.
    • Keeping up with materials and assignments.
    • Taking time to relax.
  • Environmental Factors
    • Learning their way around the school (lunchroom, bathroom, classes, front office).
    • Getting to know the staff.
    • Becoming familiar with the dress code.
  • Academics
    • Increased homework loads.
    • Reduced parental help in completing homework.
    • Understanding new grading factors.
    • Accepting more responsibility.
    • Presenting more class projects.
  • Developmental Growth
    • Start of puberty.
    • Anticipate growth spurts and weight fluctuation.
    • Increased levels of activity along with frequent fatigue due to rapid growth.
    • Experiences voice changes.
    • Develops body odor.
    • Increase in logical reasoning and using concrete examples.
    • Enjoys using skills to solve real life problems.
  • College and Career Readiness
    • Acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to make informed career decisions.
    • Understanding the relationship between educational achievement and career development.
    • Participate in career exploration.
    • Take career-related assessments.
    • Develop an individual graduation plan.

(adapated from "Middle School Matters! A Guident for FAMILIES on Middle School Transition" at www.gadoe.org)