My 2 cents... I have one daughter who is finishing 8th grade & when she started middle school it was 6th-8th grade. She was not as prepared as I thought she would be for it. Academically, no real issues, but she was overwhelmed by some of the social issues. And she is/was in gifted (the 3 classes that are offered-history, language arts, science) & advanced classes. In 7th grade I had her placed in an 8th grade math class, but that was a teacher-related issue. She did fine. In fact, we have had more teacher-related problems than any others. Another post for another time...
Previous to middle school, she had been in a small gifted class of 7 kids for 2 years with the same 2 teachers. I think that may have played into some of her transition problems. She did adjust beautifully & has become an amazing leader of her class. She plays the clarinet in concert band, the alto sax in jazz band & has become a good artist; two skills/talents that were unknowns before middle school. This week she received an Outstanding Musician Award & today she is submitting her final project in Advanced Art on Louise Nevelson. She also designed a mural & led a team in painting it.
I suppose what I am trying to say (maybe not so well) is that even though she had an unexpectedly rough start, she has made it through middle school quite nicely & it looks to have been a good transition time to high school. We shall soon see...
In contrast, my other daughter is finishing 6th grade this year which has since been moved to the elementary school. She has enjoyed this year in some ways (her teachers adore her), but I tend to think the administration has not handled having these kids at the elementary level very well. They treat them like the rest of the children at the school which leaves them restless & quite honestly, feeling unappreciated. The 5th graders used to celebrate a sort of graduation at the end of the year. This class cannot wait to leave their school. It is really sad.
My 6th grader is not in gifted education*, but in the "top performers" group identified by state test scores (ugh). They have been pushed/pulled/dragged through this year because some of the kids refused to try. She has come home crying more than once as the teachers continually lecture them about how they should be doing better, blah, blah... They have told her that it isn't directed at her but it still has worn her down. I am so ready for this year to be over. Hopefully next year will be better with a middle school schedule.
*We are finding out that she is gifted, but also has a LD, just not sure what it is. I have been told by a specialist that she is dyslexic/dysgraphic, but of course FL does not recognize that as a specific disability.
