forum for middle schooler

Parent Cafe
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<p>yan -- </p>

<p>I also have a 13 year old son. He is a second child and looks at all his brother has accomplished and tends to set his sights high.</p>

<p>Without sounding like a pushy parent, I do want to help him so that his options are completely open to attend whatever programs he wants later on. He and I discuss schooling/education/activities frequently and we also talk about what his older brother wishes he had done differently.</p>

<p>These are some of the things that he has learned that seem important at this age -- </p>

<p>Mastering basics skills of reading, writing, grammar and math are more important than fancy projects or getting into the top class. Sometimes kids who just manage to squeak into the top math class could really benefit from staying in the regular math in order to really master those skills. This applies to every kid. it is important to figure out where you weaknesses are (in my son's case it's grammar) and work on that every day, outside of homework. Middle school is the time to expand your knowledge base and not rush through it. It will really pay off in high school.</p>

<p>Use activities, summer programs, etc to learn new things that aren't offered at your school. For example, my son attended the summer Center for Talent Development program in Chicago. He will be in 7th grade this year and wanted to take Algebra during the program. Because Algebra is offered at his school (and although he does very well in math, I feel that covering algebra over the course of a year rather than a summer would lay a better foundation) I encouraged him to take something not offered at his school. He took a class on Architecture from a historical and mathematical perspective. He loved it, learned alot!</p>

<p>work on excellent study skills. This includes reading well for longer periods of time (my son will be taking a speed reading course to help with increased speed and comprehension). sitting down for longer periods to study. No TV or games while studying -- you know, all the stuff he will have to have in place to do well in high school. Middle school is the time for him to figure out what works and what doesn't so he is ready when it counts.</p>

<p>Learn to use a planner for school and activities. Figure out how to make sure he gets enough sleep and a good breakfast and eats well and gets daily exercise. I let my son sink or swim (with some advice when he needs it) in these areas. Middle school is a good time for them to learn that 3 days of shortened sleep really affects them when it comes time to taking that math test.</p>

<p>Start looking at Extracurricular activities. Try them out and see what they like or are good at. One thing my older son wishes he had done was to earn his Boy Scout Eagle Award before high school -- when he had more time. My younger son will.</p>

<p>In general, I think Middle school is a good time to make sure all the basics are mastered, study skills and habits are well developed, and a beginning is made at exploring interests and activities.</p>

22

<p>Research and Internships?! I wouldve died, haha. I agree with hsmomstef that scouts is a good way to go, its enjoyable and has a long list of rewards. I would also suggest getting you son into a sport that he likes. The earlier and more he plays the better, and he'll be having fun doing it too</p>

23

<p>I just thought of something else -- as far as research and internships.</p>

<p>My son does the History Day competition. He won regionals last year in 6th grade and really wants to do well again. this is an excellent place to work on research (humanities wise). This year he will step up his research to include interviews and talk to the local college library about research journals, primary source docs, etc. Middle school is a good time to slowly increase the type and depth of research done. Science fair is another excellent place to work on research skills. Although middle school is really too young to work on a top-level intel science project -- it is the place to set the stage for that later. learning research skills, time-management, presentation skills and how to find people the know about your subject can all be done in middle school. Makes the learning curve for that much shorter in high school!</p>

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<p>My suggestion is to check with your area's volunteer coordination office and see if they have any volunteer opportunities that match your child's skills and interests. You may be able to expand the available field by volunteering with your child.</p>

<p>It's very unlikely that you'll find internship or research opportunities for a middle schooler. However, volunteer experience can lead to those kind of opportunities. </p>

<p>What's very important, however, is finding opportunities that your child would be happy to do. What allows students to develop good skills and develop the kind of leadership that impresses colleges is having a good match between the student's interests and the volunteer opportunity. Don't force your child to do something because you think the opportunity will impress colleges. </p>

<p>Take a close look at what your child enjoys doing and then look for volunteer opportunities that match your kid's interests.</p>

25

<p>what are your child's areas of interest?</p>

<p>My 13 year old volunteers at the library's youth advisory council and as a summer library program volunteer, he does search and rescue through Civil Air Patrol and volunteers at numerous places through boy scouts and order of the arrow.</p>

<p>right now, he is not sure what his interests really are, so he tries something and if he likes it -- he continues the pursuit or looks at doing something similiar. If he doesn't like it -- he doesn't continue to volunteer.</p>

<p>My older son has a passion for world religions and philosophy -- he was able to use that as a way to get a job as a research assistant for a philosophy professor at a top 25 LAC in 9th grade and will be a Chaplain Intern at the same top LAC along with continuing his job in 10th grade.</p>

<p>It was his interest combined with some encouragement from me that allowed him to get the positions. I did help by encouraging him to apply for positions (although they were clearly looking for college students) and I helped him with his resume. he was the one who called the professors, met with them, etc. (although we did some role-playing at home).</p>

<p>The interest needs to come from the student, but parents certainly play a role at the younger ages with encouragement, role-playing, discussion and suggestions.</p>

26

<p>Let your child be a child</p>

27

<p>its a troll guys... move along</p>

28

<p>Haha, no offense to anyone but I thought this thread was really funny. If my parents sat around the thought about this I would've looked at them weirdly, then returned to my gaming, sleeping, staring out the window, etc. The unspoken rule in the house is I do what I need to do, set my own standards, figure out my own schedule, and get yelled at and the evil eye for messing up. It's a great way to do things! If I sat around idle because I didn't bother finding research opportunities, it's because I was lazy and did nothing, my parents would never try to do it for me. When I was 13, the only thing my parents worried about was what I wanted to eat for dinner. Life was simple. :) And in the end, my parents never had a single complaint (except for the state of my room).</p>

<p><em>goes back to the regular student forums and stops bothering the parents</em></p>

29

<p>I'm surprised no one has mentioned </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18&lt;/a> </p>

<p>right here on CC.</p>

30

<p>Scouting is a great activity that can expose your S to a lot of experiences if he gets in a good troop.</p>

<p>Volunteering can be eye-opening and helpful to the community as well. Check with your local community and park services. My Ds as Girl Scouts volunteered at many places at that age.</p>

<p>My D volunteered her time at an earlier age than that in creating a web site for a dog rescue organization. They were extremely grateful for the help (they knew nothing about computers), my D gained a lot of experience, and it helped a lot of dogs find good homes.</p>