MIDDLE SCHOOL
BY THE TIME YOUR CHILD REACHES MIDDLE SCHOOL THEY ARE FULLY IMMERSED IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. MIDDLE SCHOOL REPRESENTS AN IMPORTANT PERIOD FOR CHILDREN AS THEY DEVELOP PHYSICALLY AND COGNITIVELY AND FIND OUT WHO THEY ARE. IT IS ALSO A TIME WHEN THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE BECOMES VERY IMPORTANT AS THEY PREPARE FOR THE RIGOR OF HIGH SCHOOL. LEARN MORE ABOUT SOME OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS BELOW!
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
– BEGINS TO DEVELOP A LARGER WORLDVIEW AND A SET OF VALUES
– DEVELOPS TO ABILITY TO MEMORIZE INFORMATION MORE EASILY
– IS EASILY ABLE TO TACKLE PROBLEMS FROM MANY DIFFERENT ANGLES TO DETERMINE A SOLUTION
– IS INQUISITIVE AND WANTS TO LEARN MORE INFORMATION
– BEGINS TO UNDERSTAND MORE ADVANCED SOCIAL CONCEPTS SUCH AS INFLUENCE AND POWER
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
– MAY SHOW SOME DIFFERENCE IN COGNITIVE VS. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT WHERE THE BODY IS MORE MATURE THAN THE MIND
– QUICKLY CHANGING HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
– NEED EVEN MORE REST TO SUPPORT THEIR GROWING BODY
– START SHOWING MORE PROWESS IN SOME PHYSICAL SKILLS SUCH AS SPEED, AGILITY, OR BALANCE
– NOTE: GIRLS TYPICALLY BEGIN DEVELOPMENT EARLIER THAN BOYS
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
– MAY STRUGGLE WITH NEW SOCIAL INFLUENCES SUCH AS PEER PRESSURE
– BECOME MORE SENSITIVE AND COGNIZANT OF THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS
– DEVELOP A BETTER AWARENESS OF WHAT IS SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE TO SAY AND DO
– DEVELOP AND KEEP SECRETS
ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPRESENT A TRANSITIONARY PART OF A CHILD’S EDUCATIONAL CAREER AS THEY MOVE TOWARDS HIGH SCHOOL WHERE THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE HAS A GREATER IMPACT ON THEIR FUTURE. AS A RESULT, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT STUDENTS CONTINUE TO PLACE A GREATER EMPHASIS ON THEIR EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS INCLUDING STUDYING MORE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM AND SPENDING MORE TIME DEVOTED TO THEIR WORK SO THAT THEY CAN DEVELOP THE FOUNDATION OF A SUCCESSFUL ACADEMIC CAREER.
