Middle School: Preparing Your Child for the Transition

Middle School is a big deal for both the child and parent. It's a right of passage, a sign of puberty. It presents a host of questions, excitement and fears from both the parent's and child's point of view. But getting ready for middle school can be much less stressful for the whole family if you plan ahead with these simple tips:

Contact the School- Preferably before the previous school year ends but definitely as soon as registration starts. This will give your child the best pick of teachers and courses. If you call the school in the middle of summer you may only get a recorded message of when school registration begins. Highlight it on your calendar and make it a number one priority to be first in line. Look online to see if your child's school and curriculum is listed there. Most middle schools have this feature now.

Word of Mouth- Talk to friends, neighbors or relatives that have had children recently enrolled in the school, preferably those that have personally volunteered at the school. There is nothing like a personal recommendation from someone already involved with the teachers and middle school program.

School Visit and Registration- Find out if your child's middle school has a preview session. Usually, just before school starts parents and children are invited to walk the campus, meet with teachers and get to know their curriculum with a school counselor.

Choosing Classes- Helping your middle school children choose classes wisely based upon their abilities is crucial to a good school year. Make sure they don't get overwrought with all academic courses, allow them to have at least one course that will bring them pure pleasure, be it sports, arts, music etc.

Counselors- Don't worry about taking up the counselor's time in registering your child for school. This is what they are paid to do and you want the very best start you can give your child.

Dress Code- Are uniforms or certain colors allowed or not allowed? Many of today's fashions are not appropriate for school and this may create a small power struggle with a pre-pubescent teen. The best thing is to assure your teen that everyone must follow the dress code and therefore they should have no worries about feeling out of place in following them and in fact may feel very out of place if they don't follow them.

School Supplies- Naturally your child will want everything under the sun whether or not appropriate to the school's list of needed items. The best thing to do in this case is purchase the appropriate items, on your own.

Personal Identity- Allow a small budget for the new middle school student to purchase items that can help add to their own identity such as a backpack or lunch box/bags.

Contraband- Find out ahead of time what is considered contraband at your child's school. Some allow cell phones and laptops, others do not. Some allow hair picks and others do not. Make sure that your child is aware of these rules and that consequences will not only arise at school but at home if the rules are not followed.

Take it Easy- If you present a relaxed and non-worrisome attitude about your child's middle school start-off, (no matter how stressed you actually may be.) you will be able to help your child manage the change from elementary to middle school with a confident attitude.