My daughter just finished 6th grade at middle school. There were good and bad things about it.
There were some bullies that picked on her (they were girls also - though I'm sure boys experience bullying of their own kind). The school has an anti-bullying policy but that seemed to do more harm than good, so it was a difficult time for us.
And she had one teacher (her math teacher) who had discipline issues and over-disciplined the entire class. My daughter has issues with people who over-use their authority so that wasn't a good mix. It's sad to me that it was her math teacher specifically because she was just starting to like math again.
The positives were that there were a lot more activities that were available to her. She joined choir and the after school drama club and really shined as a performer. I think that drama was especially good for her because it gave her an interest in reading Shakespeare.
She also had some really great teachers who were more knowledgeable about their subject area then she would've gotten had she gone to 6th grade in elementary school. Specifically, the field trips for social studies were awesome and she came out of the year which a much larger appreciation for history than I ever had as a child.
Last edited by adhoc; 06/15/10 12:15 PM.
