Those Middle School Years
As the parent of a middle school or junior high school student, you are probably wondering what happened to your child. Welcome to the middle years!
During this time, you'll find that the same child you had in elementary school is not the same child you see before you. There are a lot of things happening to you child physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Below are answers to some questions that I know you'll have. If you can think of any other questions that haven't been answered here, please feel free to ask.
1. How is Jr. High different from elementary school?
There are huge differences between Jr. High and elementary school. It takes many parents and students several days or weeks to get used to the differences between the two, and all of the Jr. High teachers realize that. We're here to make the transition from 6th to 7th grade as easy and painless as possible.
One of the major differences you'll notice is the coursework. instead of having one, two, or three teachers a days, students could have as many as six or seven teachers a day and may encounter even more than that. With more teachers comes more classwork, which includes more homework (that counts towards a student's grade). Some students have difficulties adjusting to this. In some classes, teachers will ask for homework and will encourage students to turn it in. In other classes, students will bear the responsibility of turning in their homework without teachers prompting them. It's extremely important that students understand teachers' policies regarding homework and how it will be collected.
Also, students are responsible for utilizing their agenda books to keep track of assignments, quizzes, exams, and projects. Many teachers have assignments, quizzes/exams, and projects written on their boards and give students ample time to record the assignment, quiz/exam, or project due date. It's important that your child get into the habit of writing down all work that is due and due dates.
2. Will my son/daughter be bullied by the older students?
Although I would love to say that bullying does not exist at Harbor Creek Jr. High School, we have had incidents in the past.
For the most part, high school students rarely enter the Jr. High. When they do, they rarely - if ever - associate with Jr. High students. In the many years that I've been with the district, I cannot recall a time when a high school student has assaulted or bullied a Jr. High student.
There are times, however, when bullying occurs between Jr. High students. This can range from physical bullying (harassment such as pushing, shoving, punching, etc.) to cyber-bullying (harassment using the Internet, such as FaceBook, MySpace, FormSpring, etc.). If your son/daughter tells you there is a problem at school regarding another student, or if he/she tells you another student has posted something about him/her on the Internet, I would strongly encourage you to speak to our Resource Officer, Deputy Shawn Schwartz. If you are uncomfortable speaking to him, or if you just have questions, you may always speak to Mrs. Pam Chodubski, our principal; to Mrs. Cindy Miller, our Guidance Counselor; to me; or to any other teacher.
We want your child to feel as comfortable in the Jr. High as he/she does at home, and no one deserves to feel uncomfortable or unsafe at school.
3. My son/daughter doesn't have the same friends he/she had in elementary school. How can kids who were so close last year drift so far apart?
It's important to remember that we have three different elementary school and several other private schools coming together into one building. Sometimes students who were friends in elementary school meet new students in the Jr. High and drift apart. That's quite normal. Although we encourage students who konw one another to remain friends and to stick together, we also encourage students to branch out and to meet new students. As Mr. Bruce, our science teacher, tells students, "You're no longer a Clark-er, or a Rolling Ridge-er, or a Klein-er. Now you're a Harbor Creek Jr. High student and a member of the Harbor Creek Huskies."
4. My son/daughter just doesn't understand the subject. How can he/she get help?
Teachers in the Jr. High are here to help your child. If your child is having trouble with a subject, is having difficulties adjusting to the Jr. High School, or is just feeling a bit "off", please encourage him/her to meet with the teacher or teachers. If we don't know there is something going on, we can't help fix the problem.
Students may also receive assistance during the Advisory period. Although there are other activities that occur each day, there is time at the end of each day where students can get clarification.
5. My son/daughter seems to be changing. He/She is getting mouthy, is goofing off, is testing the limits, etc. Also, my child never got into trouble in elementary school and has now gotten a detention. Why?
This is a time for students to demonstrate certain behaviors for many reasons. They might be trying to see what they can get away with, they might be unhappy about something and are having difficulties expressing themselves appropriately, or they might simply be trying to figure out who they are. It's important to remember that what worked for discipline a few years ago might not be as effective (or might not be effective at all) now. This is a time when you will need to be creative with discipline. That might include taking away certain privileges (such as cell phone use, video games/computer games, etc.). And, when taking away privileges, your son/daughter may begin to argue with you about this. It's easiest to give the consequence and then to walk away from the situation. Once tempers have cooled, you can discuss the incident.
As for detentions, students receive detentions for numerous reasons. Sometimes they've forgotten the homework one too many times, sometimes they've been late to class too many times, or sometimes they've become a bit mouthy with teachers. Again, this is a time when students are trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in the "big picture". Sometimes they might not be pleased with something at school, and they may respond to it inappropriately, which will cause them to receive certain consequences. If you are concerned about a specific consequence or have questions about why your son/daughter received detention or some other consequence, I would encourage you to speak with the teacher who was involved. There are times when one story might not mesh with another, or there may be some confusion. It's best to get the whole story first.
