Navigating Middle School with Confidence: Practical Tips for Students & Parents

Going from elementary school to middle school can be very overwhelming for students. In my experience, I often see them flounder over what to do and how to keep track of all their assignments and materials for all their courses, especially with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects. I’ve seen students go from 0 to 100 in their anxiety levels, because the course load and demands of middle school can be overwhelming.

My experience over the past decade has shown me what generally works to help smooth that transition, and my insights are below. Keep in mind that while one strategy or app or program may work for Student A, it may not work for Student B. To remedy this, families should have discussions with their students about what they are strong at, what they can improve upon, and create a game plan with regular check-ins.

Before we get into the strategies, however, I do want to acknowledge that there is a difference between knowing how to do these (and other) strategies, and actually executing them in real life. This is a struggle many with ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and other mental health disorders have - myself included.

If you're a parent of a student who is struggling with their mental health, I urge you to have an open, judgement-free discussion with them, and get them the help that they need. After all, we want our student to be happy and successful, not sad or stressed out and successful. And if you are the student reading this - know that there is support around you, and there are people who can and want to help.

With this in mind, here are some practical tips to help students and their families navigate their courses successfully - coming from a teacher who has done these very things with his own students over the past decade!

1. Stay Organized with Materials

This is critical - the amount of times I have found missing work in a student’s backpack is… well… staggering. One thing I ALWAYS suggest families do with their middle school students is to go through their bookbag once or twice a week and make sure that they are staying organized! 

What does this look like? Open up the backpack, and lay EVERYTHING out on the bed, or table (probably the table would be best - I had one student find rotten food in their backpack and that in itself was a lesson). Each subject should have a folder labeled with the student's name, the subject, and the teacher and their room. All papers should go in their respective folder, and in chronological order. Suggestion parents: create a take home folder that on one side will be their homework sheets, and on the other, the things that have to go home - permission slips, calendars, school forms, etc. This will make your life so much easier.

While we’re at it, for individual materials (like writing materials) get a pencil case and keep it supplied with what they need. This will genuinely keep them prepared for classes. If you want to, you could even make a checklist, laminate it, and then use it to help them develop this vitally important soft skill!

2. Time Management

One of the most important skills for succeeding in STEM (and heck, all subjects) is time management. But this doesn’t mean just keeping track of when stuff is going to happen, or when assignments are due. That can easily be done in a good old-fashioned paper planner, or using digital tools like Google Calendar (which most schools have as part of their Google Classroom set up - and should use with their students). 

It’s also about knowing how much time a particular assignment will take you - which is a form of meta-cognition, or being aware of one's own thought processes and actions. For example, in school I struggled with my English assignments (especially poetry… don’t get me started). I noticed that I knew poetry will take me a long time to do, no matter what the assignment. Math and Science? Those were easy for me, and I could breeze through them quickly. Knowing my strengths and weaknesses allowed me to dedicate enough time to each appropriately, and kept me on track. 

I’d also suggest that you break down big tasks into smaller, manageable pieces. This will help reduce last-minute stress and ensure you're always prepared for class. This is especially true if you do a little piece each day instead of waiting to the very last moment.

3. Practice Active Learning

You’ll probably hear that your student does this already - they participate a lot in class, but they’re still not doing well. Small secret: they may participate, however, what about their reading skills? What about their listening skills? That’s where students - in my experience - fall short.

Passive reading or listening isn’t enough to retain STEM concepts. By passive reading and listening, I am referring to students simply doodling or daydreaming during spoken directions, and simply skimming the text (for reading). To be an ACTIVE Learner means to actually interact with the content - be it verbal or written. 

One way to do this is to interact with the instructions or the problems - which any good teacher would also have written out on the board and worksheets. When I say interact, I mean that they should annotate (aka talk to the text) with the written words, and highlight or use symbols to point out the important things, things that make them think of other subjects, or if they have a question. For example, if they have a question, they can draw a “?” and then ask the teacher what that bunch of text means after the teacher has gone over.

Another way to engage actively with the material is by taking notes, asking questions, and working through problems. These all allow the student to engage their brain, and allows for better retention. Using diagrams, charts, and concept maps to visualize information is another way for students to help them retain information - one 2018 study by Schroeder, Nesbit, et al showed that using concept mapping was moderately effective across both STEM and non-STEM fields. Tools like Lucidchart or MindMeister can help you create visual aids that make learning more interactive if you’re going the digital route, but there’s also the good old pencil and paper.

4. Review Regularly

Lastly, STEM subjects build on previous knowledge, so it’s essential to review your notes consistently. The learning doesn’t just stop at the bell kiddos! Rather than cramming before a test, spend a few minutes every day reviewing what you’ve learned - especially if you are someone who wants to do concept maps, instead of words. Reviewing your notes, and creating new forms of them allows your brain to better absorb the information, and allow you to make connections within a class, AND across classes (like math and science, or even history and science)! 

Another way to review your materials is to use apps like Quizlet, which offer digital flashcards and review games that can make this process more engaging. Or you can opt for the paper-and-pen route - I keep suggesting the physical because the very act of the student writing their information over and over again imprints it into their brains. Now, I also recognize that some students need to type or use digital devices due to disabilities or medical issues - that’s fine, however, I would further suggest they use interactive review activities - like the digital flashcards or studying with friends (which I’ll go over in a later blog post) - to also further cement that information.

In conclusion, studying might take extra effort, but with these tips, you’ll be well on your way to mastering them. Remember, success in school isn’t just about being smart—it’s about being organized, persistent, and proactive. Build these skills now, and you will see the benefits in middle school, high school and beyond with improvement not only in your grades but in your confidence as well!