Is Middle School Working for YOUR Child?

- Private group -
Wed, 01/16/2019 - 5:45pm

Adolescence is about more than academics.  But if you don’t get the academics right at this stage, you will struggle with the tougher tasks in high school.

Should we extend the cocoon of the elementary grades longer, or should we push the preteens toward a high school experience?  Single teacher/changing classes/elective courses/homework…..all of these are debated and argued over.

The important question is “Is Middle School Working for YOUR Child?”

Middle school students should be developing thinking skills.  They should be active learners—not just waiting to be told information, but seeking out answers.  There are skills involved in this that must be established before high school.  These include searching the internet, finding a source in the library, putting together new information with things they already know, knowing how to think ahead to the next step, and asking good questions. 

Many students, when they ask for help, just say “I don’t get it.”  Teachers have so many demands on their time in the classroom that they may not be able to unpack that request for help in an individual way.  That is where a tutor can help.  When we hear a student say “I don’t get it” we are able to start from there.  What is confusing?  What parts do you understand and where do you get lost?  Explain in your own words back to the tutor so that we can follow your thinking.  With that investment of time, it is an easy route to finding out how to help each individual student.

Make a wise investment in focused time in the middle school years.  Students can spend extra time now preparing habits which will serve them well later on.  Students who enter high school knowing how to learn will meet the new challenges with confidence.  Call The Study Hall today at 236-3949 or email rockport@thestudyhall.com if you have a middle school student who could be encouraged to be an active learner. Katey Smith, certified k-8 and former middle school teacher, is currently accepting students in her schedule.