Through this blog and in school visits, I recently asked middle schoolers around the country to help me develop a followup novel to The Revealers. They could do this, I said, by giving me their own true, uncensored advice on how to survive middle school.
I said, if you were talking with a younger person, someone you knew and cared about who was starting middle school next year, what would you tell them?
This week’s post is the second in a series of three that share the most interesting and most revealing advice they gave. Last week I posted kids’ tips for dealing with teachers and other adults in school. This week, middle schoolers speak from experience about dealing with other kids, with social groups, with peer pressure. Next week’s final post will present their most personal wisdom — whether you should try to be yourself in middle school, and if so, how.
Part two, dealing with cliques, social pressures, and other kids:
If I had to give a student one piece of advice for middle school it would be don’t get involved in drama and rumors. They could get you in a lot of trouble, and also hurt someone. If you hear a rumor, ignore it or stand up for that person.
Try to find the right clique, because if you don’t then you might be left out of activities that you may like to do. Make friends with only the kids that look okay to you. Don’t just go off looking for cool kids because they might not be the kind of people you may think they are.
I would say watch out for DRAMA. Because no matter how hard you try it can get to you by rumors or secrets. Your best friend or relative could even be the start of this drama. The drama can happen outside of school or inside, but most of it will get back to school. If you’re caught up in drama let it go. Although most people don’t. They will go up to that person and confront them and it could lead to a fistfight or a yelling fight.
I have a friend in sixth grade. If it was just us two in a room and we were talking about middle school, one piece of advice I would give her is to not let bullies or anyone make you feel bad and to not take it. I would tell her that if she ever had a problem with someone from the next grade up, try to talk to me about it and don’t let stupid situations get in the way of her success.
Do not get in the wrong group of kids who do drugs. Lean towards friends who like you for the way you are not by the way you dress or the way you look. Do not do bad things to fit in.
Don’t let your guard down. Don’t let your friends go and try to find a true friend. And you can’t let people pick on you. Peer pressure and name calling are your major informers to how your life has been going.
I would tell them to study hard, keep good grades and hang out with the right people. Stay away from drugs and people you know will hurt you, even if being around them makes you popular. You want to be around people good to you. Another thing, don’t cower to people that pick on you or bully you. That shows you’re weak and they’ll keep doing it.
If you are going to try to be popular make sure you wear the expensive clothes. I think it’s easy to get popular, just hang out with the right kids, also don’t hang with kids that have white clothes, populars never wear white. Boys love to give girls hugs so if they ask go ahead.
Yes you would need to stay away from those druggie kind of people, and you should try to avoid being with the wrong crowd. I’m not made for popular people. I’m funky and different in my own way.
Avoid rumors at all costs, they spread like wildfire, nobody is safe. Even if you have nothing to do with it, it could still get you. Kids are like wolves. They have their cliques and fight, like a never-ending cycle. Everything is connected.
<
Leave a Reply