Most adults I've met view middle school as a time in their lives they never want to repeat. We were awkward, uncertain, ever-changing creatures thrust into an environment full of other hormonal beings just as uncertain and awkward as we were.
The cynical side of me states that middle school is unnecessary, while the parent in me sees middle school as a great opportunity. What better time do we have to teach our children about grace? What better time to model self control than when our children need it most? Let's take the middle school years to teach our children how to show kindness when it would be easier to set yourself up as important by putting another person down.
God doesn't tell us to be important. He tells us to be kind.
What about academics? What about learning in the middle school years? Middle school education is preparation for high school. It's a gift of time. A grace period, if you will, in which you can assess the needs of your student to help prepare her for the rigors of high school.
- In math, we focus on mastering all of the arithmetic from the elementary years. We don't introduce anything new, as much as we focus on complete mastery of all things arithmetic, filling in gaps as we work toward algebra.
- In writing, we focus on the basics of essays: How to think through and create a decent outline and compose and edit a simple essay?
- In science, we focus on the big picture. Does he know the basics of anatomy, biology, and zoology? Can he form a hypothesis and walk through the simple scientific method?
- In history, we focus on the timeline. Does he know the general order of the events in the history of the world? Is he starting to wonder why these events took place? Is he starting to see the consequences of past actions?
You can see that the middle school years are truly a gift. It's either a big game of catch up or a time to reflect on change and grace toward others. Most likely, it's a combination of both. Your student no longer views herself as a being independent of others, but is starting to see how our relationships define us.
Don't waste your child's middle school years. Help her to have a good experience learning how to master material, deal with difficult decisions, and love the unlikeable.