Parents can help smooth the shift to junior high
Getting organized. Staying safe on social media. The upcoming legalization of marijuana. These are only some of the topics Komal Dhesi discussed with her son, Shaan, in preparing him for the transition from elementary to junior high school.
“I’ve talked with him about all of the stuff that’s going on these days,” says Dhesi.
“He already watches the news and is really aware of what’s going on in the world. I’ve taught him since he was little to be very independent when it comes to doing his own homework, and so he hasn’t found the transition very difficult yet, but we’re going to play it by ear as he gets older.”
Along with new classrooms, extra homework and unfamiliar hormones, the first year of junior high is also the year of learning time management — and any help parents can give to their children to learn these skills is appreciated, says Michelle Kacsmarik, who teaches grades 7 and 8 at Webber Academy.
“At the very beginning of the school year, the first thing we do with our Grade 7 students is teach them to organize,” says Kacsmarik. “In junior high, they’re moving from one room to another with different teachers every time, so it’s important they write things down after every class.
“In the last two minutes of class, I tell them to get out their agendas and copy down their homework. I also encourage them to include the activities they do outside of school so they can plan around them.
“Agenda checks help open communication between teachers, students and their parents. It’s those little details that can help a Grade 7 student excel.”
Kacsmarik suggests parents and children go back-to-school shopping together. It’s important to let kids develop and take pride in their organization system, such as choosing specific binders for note keeping, she says.
Many parents don’t realize that seventh grade students are using a combination lock for their lockers for the first time. This can be tricky.
“Give them a lock they are comfortable with and make sure to practise a few times,” says Kacsmarik.
Over the summer, she advises parents to keep their children reading — it’s a significant contributing factor to their success in school. A few weeks before school starts, get them into a regular sleeping schedule, and eating regular meals at regular times.
“Most of all, parents need to keep open-minded communication with their kids,” she says. “This becomes more important as they start to grow up and go through all these changes. Often they don’t want to listen to parents; that’s why it has to be an exchange — parents need to be there to listen to their child, and to take the time to sit down over dinner and talk about what happened during the day.”
It’s also important to acknowledge the differences between genders and their experiences in school. While it’s been smooth sailing with her 13-year-old son so far, Dhesi is already dreading the day her five-year-old daughter enters junior high.
“With her, I need to pay a little more attention; I already see a difference with the pressures of friends and the way you look, even at five,” she says.
“With the boys, if someone didn’t want to play with them, it was fine. With the girls, they’re a little more forward about saying, ‘You can’t play with us,’ and so feelings get hurt … and so I teach her that it’s OK to be a strong girl and find someone else to play with.”
With three kids in school, Dhesi points out that it can be an important learning experience for parents, too. She was trying to rush the kids out the door one morning this past school year when her daughter said, ‘Mom, I’m going slow to try to teach you to be patient.’
“That really got me. I realized, you know what — if we’re five minutes behind schedule, it’s OK. My little girl taught me that and I’m really proud of her.
“So we’re taking things day by day, making sure to get homework done first and enjoying our family time. The key is to always be open with teachers and deal with problems right away.
“So far, my kids have all had a really good experience.”