If you’re like me, you were a little lost when your oldest started Middle School. I attended public school my entire life, so I made the transition to multiple classes and subjects every day with everyone else. However, I was unsure of how to transition our oldest, since we wouldn’t be moving around. It may sound silly, but I really struggled.
During his elementary school years I had daily plans for him laid out and he followed a checklist for his assignments. But, I wanted him to become more independent in his studies as he went through Middle School.
Honestly, I found this quite freeing, but scary at the same time. It was a realization that one day he will be grown and won’t need me to hold his hand for assignment lists and schooling. However, I also knew I wanted to set him up for success not just in middle or high school, but college and adulthood.
This really made me stop and think about how I could help him starting now, without pushing him to grow up too fast. It isn’t easy, because most middle schoolers want to be older, but they are not mature enough to handle it. So, we must reign them in and continue to train them.
This is easier said than done, but in the last two years we have been in middle school with our oldest, we have found a system and some tricks that definitely work well for us. He has been a mostly independent learner since he could read well, but the last two years we took it up a notch and gave him even more responsiblity. But that responsibility didn’t come without a price, which he has learned the hard way a time or two.
Annette lived many years as an exhausted wife of 1 and mother of 6. Grab your fuzzy blanket, pour your favorite drink, and browse through our encouraging tips, printables, and curriculum options. Read more about me and the ministry here at In All You Do