Are 10-year olds ready for middle school?

[McKelly]

Okay, I am pretty revved up about my school district pondering to send 5th graders to middle school with the 6-8 graders. They are doing this to free up room in the elementary schools so that they may offer additional 4K classes and try to increase the district's revenue by enticing rural kids to come to our school district because surrounding communities do not offer the 4K program.

I just don't feel that my 10 year old is ready to mix with middle schoolers. And she appears to be one of the more mature kids in her grade. Not to mention that peer pressure will become a bigger force in her life and she may be exposed to more adult behavior than I would like her to be. No recess, no playground, she can probably live without that.......but still it just seems very wrong. The school district said they will try to keep them separate, but what about on the bus, what about before/after school, I don't know, it just doesn't sound feasible. Also, the amount of 5th graders will more than triple, kind of seems to be more impersonal and intimidating for a ten year old, not to mention the size of the building. It just seems like it's forcing them to grow up too fast.

Has anyone had experience with this? I know other schools do it. How did it go. Pros/cons? My other option is parochial school through 8th grade, smaller and more nurturing. But $$$$. I am just trying to make an informed decision here and would appreciate any suggestions/comments.

 

[krcit]

I have a 10 year old dd and no way is she ready for middle school. My district starts middle school in 7th grade and I like it like that. My older dd is in 8th grade and will be in high school next year-I feel like middle school was a nice transition for her. She was totally ready to move on form elementary in 6th grade but I don't think she would've done so well if she had gone there for 5th grade.

 

[Cindy B]

My daughter was 10 when she started middle school. It really depends on the child.

If the administrators set up the school in the most devlepmentally appropriate way (keeping 5th graders together, team approach, learning communities) it would be a good way to interact with slightly older peers via the school play, sports, etc.

 

[clarabelle]

My girls go to a private school were middle school starts in grade 5.
It is almost like two separate schools grades 5-6 and grades 7-8.
The 5th graders have very little contact with the 7/8th graders.

I would find out how it is going to be done. Are the 5th graders sharing the same lunch time? Classes on the same halls? Lockers in the same place?

It works out fine for us.

 

[Wishing on a star]

My answer.. NO... NO... and NO!!!

You would think that these 'educators' would at least have a basic understanding of child development and child psychology..

My 10 year old son is still just a 'kid'... and so are the vast majority of the boys that we know.
Therre is simply no way that these kids are developmentally ready for any 'middle school' type of set up.

Thank God my 10 year old (and I) have nothing to do with our school system.

 

[corie161]

Our school district is a consolidated district. K-4 each have their own elementary. 6-8 is Middle School in one facility and 9-12 is the other facility. It was K-5 up until last year. They have now moved 5th grade to the middle school, which is the same school that houses the K-4 of one town, just a different wing.

The 5th grade however, are still treated as elementary. Still get recess, set classrooms, except there are 3 teachers and they see one other teacher for Science and one for Social.

Once they get to 6th grade they are in the middle school atmosphere, with a homeroom, bells for classes, etc.

I was worried a little about the older kid influence, but it doesn't seem to have been a problem thus far. Each grade has their own bus, with the exception of a few 8th graders riding the 5th grade bus and since the middle school is in a different wing they really don't have a long of interaction with them.

 

[golfgal]

Educationally 5th graders are more on par with the middle school curriculum so it make sense that way. Our kids started middle school in 5th grade and had no issues. They had the 6th grade and 5th grade on one side of the building and the 7th and 8th grade on the other (small building but still). The kids still interacted with the older kids and it really wasn't an issue at all. As for the bus, trust me, they have heard and seen it all on the bus already. Our old school bused K-12 together and the older kids looked after the younger kids and for the most part it wasn't an issue.

 

[ckay87]

My girls go to a private school were middle school starts in grade 5.
It is almost like two separate schools grades 5-6 and grades 7-8.
The 5th graders have very little contact with the 7/8th graders.

I would find out how it is going to be done. Are the 5th graders sharing the same lunch time? Classes on the same halls? Lockers in the same place?

It works out fine for us.

This is the same with us. But in fact, 5th graders don't interact with really even the 6th graders except for on the bus.

I remember feeling the same way as you, OP, but then I saw with my oldest that it is a nice, gradual way for kids to transition into middle school. The 5th graders do have lockers and switch for 2 of their classes (right next door to each other), but still have a regular classroom teacher and they also retain their recess time.

It will be fine.

 

[december]

I'm 35, and the year I went to 6th grade, the 5th graders moved over with us. So I was in the last group of 5th graders in elementary. This meant I only had 3 years in middle school (9th grade came to high school that year) so I was happy. All the schools in my area are set up the same way.

Now my ds11 is in 5th grade, and I don't love it. He went from 1 teacher last year to 6 teachers and 7 class periods this year. Even though he switches classes every hour, they don't have lockers. He carries 2 backpacks every day-one on his back, and one with wheels. Most of his classmates do the same.

I think it can work, but isn't always set up great. My kids' school could use some serious improvement.

 

[java]

Around here 5th is middle school- 5-8. The fifth graders are with the sixth graders in one wing so interaction is generally limited to hallways and the bus.
My dd loved the transition. She was ready and she had just turned 10 when she started. I actually like it because it bumps up her responsibility. She changes classes and is responsible for remembering everything.
She's in 6th now and I don't have any complaints.

 

[Kirby]

Nine years ago the district here bumped 6th grade down to elementary school to keep from having to build another middle school. They had no problem building elementary schools. It was the year that my son entered 6th grade and all the kids hated it. Talk about behaviour problems. None of those 6th graders wanted to stay in elementary school.

Fast forward to this year, our old freshman center is being revamped to become a middle school. Wonder it they will bump the 6th graders back up to middle school?

Do I think that 5th grade is too young for middle school? Yes, unless they keep the kids separated like in some of the posters comments and keep their changing classes to a minimum.

 

[bumbershoot]

Okay, I am pretty revved up about my school district pondering to send 5th graders to middle school with the 6-8 graders.

My other option is parochial school through 8th grade...

What's the difference there?????



I had one school from 1-6. Went to "junior high school" that went to 9th in 7th grade, then over the summer they switched it to a "middle school" that would be 6-8. So I went from the "baby" to the "elder" with that switch.

Now I hear that some middle schools are 7 and 8 only. I've heard that there are a growing number of 9th-only schools!

Seems that everything works, and there's always something else that might work better, etc...

When I was in 8th it sure didn't FEEL like we were old, especially since we thought we had another year in that school before going off to the high school.

 

[Kathi OD]

It not only depends on the child, but it depends on how the school district handles the placement of the 5th graders in the school. My first teaching assignment was in a 5-8 middle school. The 5th graders were in a wing by themselves and rarely interacted with those students in 6-8 grade. It provided a good transition to middle school.

 

[momof1princess]

my DD11 started middle school in august, in 5th grade. she was 10 at the time, and i was really worried, but she's done SO well. she's become more organized and responsible. she has a locker and changes classes several times a day. they still have a gym class and eat lunch about 11:45am. they share a hall with the 6th graders and the 7th & 8th graders have their own hall. the grades don't really mix at all. she's LOVING it. her best friend, on the other hand, doesn't like it and wants to be home-schooled, lol.

 

[MushyMushy]

I'm definitely not a fan of it. There's such a difference between 6th and 7th graders -- I think elementary schools should go up to 6th grade, then 7, 8, maybe 9 for middle school.

But it might be okay if there were separate wings for the grades. Where my dd goes to school, they keep 6th grade pretty insulated from the other grades and I'm okay with that.

 

[Mom2Nick]

What would be the difference between a 5th grader going with an 8th grader and a Kindergarten child going to school with a 5th grader?

Here and where I grew up elementary school was K-6th and then you went to the high school from 7-12. It's wasn't a big deal to any of us growing up and it still isn't a big deal.

 

[debster812]

DS was 9 and at the Middle School. Our MS is grades 4-8. HOWEVER, the 4th and 5th graders are kept pretty well segregated from the 7th and 8th graders. The 6th graders interact with both groups.

It works here in our little town, mostly because there are only 3 schools. Elementary (Pre-K to 3rd), Middle School (4-8) and High School (9-12).

I was really freaked out about it, but it's really been fine for us. DS is in 6th grade now, and there have been NO problems with older kids at all. In fact, he has a harder time with some of his classmates, than older kids.

 

[NAB]

We don't even have middle school here in Canada. Schools go from Junior k to grade 8 .

The school my children go is the size of a high school. It has three floors and holds 700 kids.

Not sure why you wouldn't want the grade 5 interacting with grade 6 and up.

We have church and youth dances that are for grades 5-8. The kids love this.

 

[Laurabearz]

Our school is considering doing the same thing. I am not sure I am happy with it either.

 

[MushyMushy]

What would be the difference between a 5th grader going with an 8th grader and a Kindergarten child going to school with a 5th grader?

Puberty.