Middle School Makeover

Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years | Michelle Icard

so-so

Much of this 📖 isn‘t new info for me. I already do many of the things she suggests: I don‘t police my daughter‘s👗choices, I follow many of the tips for keeping lines of communication open, etc.

It‘s basically an easy to read guide filled with mostly useful advice for navigating the middle school years as a parent, but nothing ground-breaking. The heteronormativity in one chapter knocked it down to a so-so.

Hubby‘s bday 🍰 was yummy with tea!

BibliOHIOphile Where did you get that mug?? 5y

alisiakae @BibliOHIOphile Target! 5y

BibliOHIOphile So cute! 5y

Cathythoughts Cake looks divine 5y

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alisiakae

Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years | Michelle Icard

My opinion of this book just went down. An entire chapter on how parents can help their child navigate budding romantic relationships in middle school, but it was 💯 focused on cisgender, heterosexual relationships.

Heteronormativity is harmful, and even more so in the formative middle school years.

TrishB ☹️☹️ 5y

Megabooks 100% agree! 5y

tournevis For what it's worth, I agree. 5y

65 likes3 comments

alisiakae

Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years | Michelle Icard

😂😂😂

The author and I live in the same southern city, and this cracks me up. I noticed the pastel overload (on all genders) when I moved here, and the seersucker suits. And Lily Pulitzer & Vineyard Vines everywhere. It‘s great for people who like it, but I prefer black T-shirt‘s and dresses, and stick out like a sore thumb at fancy events. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

kspenmoll 😂🙌🏻 for being you! 5y

SW-T Pastels are great for, and on, other people. 😂😂😂 5y

alisiakae @kspenmoll Thank you! @SW-T Yes!! 😂 5y

75 likes3 comments

alisiakae

Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years | Michelle Icard

School may be back in session, but we‘re still soaking up the last summer days on the weekend! ☀️ 📖 🏊🏼‍♀️

saresmoore How‘s the book? The cover makes it look a bit cheesy. 5y

alisiakae @saresmoore The book is fantastic! The author is actually a local (Charlotte, NC), and I‘ve been in her Less Stressed Middle School FB group for a while. It actually ties in well with another book I read recently:

How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success

saresmoore Awesome, thank you! 5y

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alisiakae

Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years | Michelle Icard

My brain seems to be shut off today, so no #summersendreadathon reading is happening!

I was bullied terribly in middle school, so sending Maya off to 6th grade at a brand new school where she only knows one other person was harder than seeing her off at Kindergarten!

She on the other hand, seemed to head in happily to her new IB magnet school. 😂

BarbaraBB It‘s a good sign at least that she‘s not afraid and looking forward to it! But I can imagine your fear. Wishing her and you a wonderful time ❤️ 5y

Smrloomis Yes, I echo what @BarbaraBB said! Hope it‘s a good change for her and that she feels really comfortable there once she has settled in 🤞🏽 5y

Christine I‘m right there with you!! First day of high school for my oldest who has autism and big social/behavioral challenges. He too was just excited and happy this morning, but I‘m a bundle of nerves. May the kids thrive and we survive!! 😆 5y

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alisiakae @Smrloomis Thanks! It was her choice to leave her good friends from elementary school (they wen to the middle school we are zoned for) to go to the magnet middle school 15 miles away, and open house went really well last week! She makes new friends quite easily, so I'm sure she'll be fine. But, wow, those 8th graders look HUGE! 😂 5y

alisiakae @BarbaraBB Thanks you! 💖 5y

alisiakae @Christine Good luck to your oldest! 5y

ravenlee My middle school years were awful, but not from bullying. Still, I feel your pain. Good luck to both of you! 5y

Tamra I would take cues from your daughter. Schools are working on the issue, so hopefully a greater sensitivity will mean a better experience for your daughter! I heard from another parent that high school kids are awful, so I‘m nervous about that - I feel your anxiety even though I‘ve got a couple of years before facing that hurdle (HS). (edited) 5y

RealLifeReading Best of luck to you and your daughter! We are still a few years away from middle school and as I didn‘t grow up in the US I‘m not sure what to expect but I keep hearing stories of kids going astray in middle school and that has me worried.... 5y

Alfoster As a high school teacher for almost 40 years I have to say that MOST high school kids (at least in my area and it‘s not a wealthy one) are very nice. Know that your kids could approach any teacher they trust and we would ALWAYS try to help!🤞 5y

81 likes10 comments

alisiakae

Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years | Michelle Icard

Maya‘s middle school open house was this afternoon! It was exciting and overwhelming, so we‘re both home hanging out and quietly processing the vast amount of info thrown our way from all the wonderful and supportive teachers she‘ll have this year!

And trying not to freak out over the road construction closures in front of the school that the city decided to start days before school begins. 😵😬

Activist mugs also seem to be my theme today!

AmyG Who is the idiot in charge of construction? 😳 5y

alisiakae @AmyG Wish I knew! It was a nightmare getting in and out of the parking lot today, and this was in the middle of the day when traffic usually isn‘t as bad. I‘m only driving her the first day, but I feel bad for the buses! (It‘s a magnet school, and a fair distance from our home). 5y

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Hestapleton

Middle School Makeover: Improving the Way You and Your Child Experience the Middle School Years | Michelle Icard

I‘m working on gathering some ideas for @LibrarianRyan ‘s #BBRC and one of the prompts is a middle grade book recommended by a kid! I don‘t have kids, nor do I know any kids that are reading in this genre. So, dear Littens, I want to hear from YOUR middle graders! What book do they love more than anything?

Klou What age range are middle schoolers? 5y

Hestapleton @Klou the age range for middle grade books (what I‘m using) is 8-12! 5y

Klou @Hestapleton okay, thanks!! My younger sisters are a bit older than that now, but they loved the Geek Girl series at about 12+. And the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books around that age range. 5y

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CoffeeK8 I have a 9 year old and besides Minecraft books and Harry Potter, he really loves this whole series.

Lafayette! (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #8): A Revolutionary War Tale

Slajaunie

Fablehaven

Slajaunie

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel

LibrarianJen When I worked at an elementary school 2nd graders (age 7-8) really loved Captain Underpants, Dogman, and Rainbow Magic books. The 3rd graders loved Rohld Dahl and anything scary like goosebumps and Amulet series. 4th graders liked 39 clues and I survived series. 5th graders were “too cool” to read, but liked Manga. 5y

LibrarianRyan Middle school is usually 6-8 grade in the US. @Klou Whic is about 10-14 years. It varies by kids and school. In my town you have the elementary schools K-4, the 5-6 grade school, the Jr high (middle school ish) and high school is 9-12 grade. But various city and states are subjective on how they are broken up. 5y

alisiakae I‘ll post a few my daughter recommends (11 yrs old).

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell

alisiakae

Prisoner B-3087

alisiakae

Aru Shah and the End of Time (a Pandava Novel Book 1)

alisiakae

Rain Reign

Klou @LibrarianRyan thank you!! It's always confused me because I'm in the UK so it works differently 😂 if it's 10-14 then my 13 year old sister (she'll be 14 in a few days) is HOOKED on the vampire diaries series at the moment. She's on book 9(?) now. It's all she's read this year! 5y

LibrarianRyan @Klou the grades are about the same but their arrangement can be different. by school Plus you had a switch from Jr. High to Middle schools about 20 years ago (they are different but ???). Then you have middle grade which is a book range also sometimes called tween. tween is ages 8-12 and middle grade books are about 4th-8th grade. It can all be confusing. Vamp Diaries wouldn't be found in most MG here. It would be HS 5y

Klou @LibrarianRyan wow, so confusing 😂. Aaah okay. That makes sense. You see, my sister may not be 14 yet but she's been in High School for 3 years now. Once you turn 13 in her school you have access to the YA section of the library, though she owns the Vampire Diaries. It's so confusing how different it all is! Thank you for helping me clear it up though! 5y

LibrarianRyan @Klou I am always fascinated by schooling in other cultures. So I am happy to hear any time. I bow down to teachers for doing the job i don't want to do. Now if only we could pay them well and treat them like the superheros they are. 5y

Klou @LibrarianRyan I've always been interested in the American schooling (or I've wanted to understand it, at least 😂) but never thought about other cultures. Huh, I bet that's quite interesting actually! Absolutely!!! 5y

Hestapleton These all sounds so good!! I‘m gonna have to read them all! 5y

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