Parents' Guide to the Middle School Years

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As a frequent contributor here on the Great Schools site I connect with middle school parents on a variety of topics, ranging from bullying and social relationships to the internet and organization. My recently published book, A Parents' Guide to the Middle School Years, takes an in-depth look at the challenges surrounding a child's journey through the adolescent years with ideas that can help parents best support their kids.

The book is currently available online at www.Amazon.com or at your local bookstore.

Join me here on the Great Schools site or by watching one of my daily 5-minute videos at www.ThinkingForwardTV.com

Regards,

Joe Bruzzese

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Parent Replies to "Parents' Guide to the Middle School Years"

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Gifted children face a unique set of challenges given their intelligence and desire to dig in deep to subjects and topics that truly interest them. Given the diversity of classes at the middle school, the chance that all classes will interest a gifted child are slim. Maintaining motivation for achieving across the spectrum of classes them becomes an ongoing challenge unless you shift the focus away from excellence across the board. Shifting your focus and your grandchild's away from high level performance in areas that are of little interest can remove the anxiety that many gifted kids feel in school. Consider instead, encouraging your grand daughter's engagement and enthusiasm for topics that truly interest her, while still instilling a level of expectation in the other courses. Look for opportunities to explore areas of interest beyond the school day. Your recognition of her interests may even inspire achievement in the courses that had once seemed unappealing.

Below I have included links to a few additional articles. Best to you.

Regards,

Joe Bruzzese
bit.ly/Aaptw
bit.ly/19Se1A
bit.ly/pdTOT

My grand daughter lives with us and will be starting middle school this fall. I am extremely concerned about her. She falls into the gifted category and is brilliant but seems to have no common sense. She also seems to be more of a follower. I would be interested in any information that could be helpful to us.

Great to connect with you here in the conversation area TJ. Yes, middle school has its fair share of challenges for both kids and parents, not unlike any other stage of a child's development. The middle school years tend to draw increased attention though because of the exposure kids have to drugs, alcohol, technology and relationships--serious issues for kids age 10-14. I enjoy connecting parents with resources for navigating these years when kids are ripe for exploration and filled with passion for the engaging with the world.

I look forward to staying connected with you. Incredible site you have here.

Best to you in the day ahead.

Joe Bruzzese

Thanks for posting! My daughter is still very young but I remember middle school as being one of the hardest times both physically and emotionally.

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