A major shift for middle school

[lollie010]

I guess I have two middle schoolers now (6th and 7th grade). They are extremely interested in what their public school friends are doing and are absolutely opposed to such things as "morning basket" and "circle time." I do suspect it's always been their favorite part of the day, though.

 

I guess it's kind of hard when your friends ask "what is your favorite class?" and you have to respond "circle time with mommy." So, I had a stroke of genius--my middle schoolers will now have Homeroom instead. In Homeroom we will continue to do current events, family readalouds for philosophy, Shakespeare, poetry and history, and go over our independent work for the day--just like always. However, we will not sit in a circle and I will absolutely not pull the books out of the wicker basket placed next to my chair.

 

I'm totally going to rock this parenting/homeschooling Tweens thing!!!! They are excited and trying to come up with a theme song to start with each day! I wonder how long it will take them to figure it out! :)

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Homeroom + Theme Song.  That's TOTALLY what their friends are doing!   :lol:  Love it.  

[Dinsfamily]

I love this idea!!  I could do this with my 5th and 7th grader since we are doing current events this year!  It would probably be a good way to start each day and get us situated.

[fourisenough]

Love this! I might do it with each of mine separately. DD11 is aching for some separation/independence from DD7 (who suffers from anxiety and panic disorder, so she is particularly challenging at times). My wheels are turning about what we can include. We already watch CNN Student News, so that will probably be our opener.

[lollie010]

I did a litle googling and am getting super excited. I think this would be a way to get everyone centered. I'm thinking monthly themes. Big issue discussions. It would be so cool to somehow use an electronic classroom setup and have a virtual homeschool homeroom for middle schoolers everywhere, but I guess I will save that for another year.

[KrissiK]

That sounds great. So, how do you do current events? Pull out the newspaper? Watch the news? I've been wanting to do current events, but I'm not exactly sure now.

[Arcadia]

Homeroom time in my local public middle schools is actually homework help time :lol: My kids only had circle time in K for public school. They didn't have circle time from 1st. Homeroom started in 4th.

 

I have a rising 6th and 7th grader too. Have fun :)

Edited July 1, 2016 by Arcadia

[deerforest]

I was just trying to figure out if they did more in homeroom these days in public school than when I was a kid. When, I was a kid (in 2 states), homeroom only happened in the morning and it was just where we went when we got off the buses, checked attendance, and then moved to our first class. It's was basically gossip and sheep herding.

 

But, I love how you're trying to keep the magic of school and wrap it in a more age-appropriate title!

 

 

[Miss Tick]

I was just trying to figure out if they did more in homeroom these days in public school than when I was a kid. When, I was a kid (in 2 states), homeroom only happened in the morning and it was just where we went when we got off the buses, checked attendance, and then moved to our first class. It's was basically gossip and sheep herding.

 

But, I love how you're trying to keep the magic of school and wrap it in a more age-appropriate title!

I totally agree with this. I think homeroom was really a precursor to modern-day emergency preparedness. Essentially, a teacher to report to if there was a fire drill. Pledging Allegiance just rounded out the time.

 

Love your take on it OP.

[RootAnn]

Homeroom was announcement time & when we got our little slips of paper if we needed to go see the school counselor or whatever. 

 

I think yours sounds a lot more interesting & fun.   :hurray:

They don't have homeroom in our local middle school. They have "family groups."  :confused1:  Supposed to help the kids feel more secure, less bullied, and have someone they can go to for support. 

:coolgleamA:  My kids already have a "family group" that does most of that (except for the bullied part -- they still have their siblings, so...). 

[LMD]

Haha, love love love it! *stealing*

[lollie010]

That sounds great. So, how do you do current events? Pull out the newspaper? Watch the news? I've been wanting to do current events, but I'm not exactly sure now.

Right now it's just CNN student world news. I think this year I am going to have them researching the legislative process. Maybe follow websites from some state leaders from both parties.

[lollie010]

I was just trying to figure out if they did more in homeroom these days in public school than when I was a kid. When, I was a kid (in 2 states), homeroom only happened in the morning and it was just where we went when we got off the buses, checked attendance, and then moved to our first class. It's was basically gossip and sheep herding.

 

But, I love how you're trying to keep the magic of school and wrap it in a more age-appropriate title!

Yes! That's pretty much what it was in high school, but I remember in middle school it was kind of where the school identity came from. When we had special things come up, like assemblies or pep rallies we went with our home room. I also remember we did a lot of self-esteem stuff. :)

[lollie010]

Ok. So I chatted with DH who teaches high school and has so far avoided having a Homeroom because of his teaching rotation. I explained what I am thinking and he said at his school that would be more like what they call Parthenon.

 

Parthenon is the first hour of the day. It's a 6 week non-credit class that explores special topics that the kids choose from taught by teachers with a special interest, community leaders, and local professors who are trying to get kids interested in certain college classes.

 

DH taught a popular "cupcake wars" class. Others included ACT prep, gardening, music appreciation, frisbee golf, dog training, forensics, tumbling, fishing, rugby, chess. So maybe what I am thinking of would be a blend of Homeroom and Parthenon. :) I didn't even know they did that at DH's school until I asked. Pretty cool!!

 

I may make a big deal out of checking off the attendance form that I'm required to do, but always forget!

[2_girls_mommy]

LOL, even in elementary school, I just called it "morning announcements." We learned a saying from What Your X Grader Needs to Know, did calendar, practiced our poetry, or whatever we were working on.  But my odd especially does not like ever to feel like she might be being treated like a baby.  And she has been that way since she was a baby. :)

[KrissiK]

Right now it's just CNN student world news. I think this year I am going to have them researching the legislative process. Maybe follow websites from some state leaders from both parties.

My two oldest (at home, my oldest-oldest is at b&m school) will be 5th and 7th and I really want to study govt./electoral process, but in addition to history and incorporate current events as well. We don't have cable/satellite tv, so I may have to find another news source.

[RootAnn]

My two oldest (at home, my oldest-oldest is at b&m school) will be 5th and 7th and I really want to study govt./electoral process, but in addition to history and incorporate current events as well. We don't have cable/satellite tv, so I may have to find another news source.

 

CNN Student News is an ad-free 10 min internet show. Sometimes, it can be intense as it really covers the news of the previous day/week. My eldest has loved it since 7th/8th grade. My next child is more sensitive and hasn't started to watch it yet. The rest of the kids will probably start to watch it around 7th/8th grade. It is pretty balanced (right/left) and DD thinks the anchor is really funny. She's learned a lot and loves talking current events & politics. (We don't have cable/satellite TV either.)

 

P.S. You can watch old episodes to get an idea of what they are like. It will start back up in the fall.

Edited July 2, 2016 by RootAnn

[HeWillSoar]

I love that!  I call it "together work" but homeroom sounds much better!

[KrissiK]

CNN Student News is an ad-free 10 min internet show. Sometimes, it can be intense as it really covers the news of the previous day/week. My eldest has loved it since 7th/8th grade. My next child is more sensitive and hasn't started to watch it yet. The rest of the kids will probably start to watch it around 7th/8th grade. It is pretty balanced (right/left) and DD thinks the anchor is really funny. She's learned a lot and loves talking current events & politics. (We don't have cable/satellite TV either.)

 

P.S. You can watch old episodes to get an idea of what they are like. It will start back up in the fall.

That sounds good!mi will check it out! Thanks!

[Dmmetler]

Love it! I may have to steal that. We've never done the morning meeting, since with only one kid it seemed kind of silly, but a homeroom she might go for. (This is 6th grade by age, 7th grade by registration. Since her PS friends are mostly starting middle school this year, the curiosity about it has come more this year than last).

 

Part of my DD's getting ready for a school year has always been redecorating our classroom (and, mind you, her only PS experience was kindergarten, so classroom themes and cute decorations were part of school). This year she decided that she was too old for cute cartoonish snakes, lizards, or frogs, and what is more associated in her mind with being a "big kid" than cell phones and technology? (She also got a new (used) laptop for school. So far, she's been using it to play my husband's collection of 1990's simulation games).

 

Anyway, here's what she's come up with so far,

 

http://makingmusicwithkids.blogspot.com/2016/07/windows-7th-grade.html

 

On a similar note, anyone know where I can get a locker?? The kid has locker envy.

[Arcadia]

On a similar note, anyone know where I can get a locker?? The kid has locker envy.

Staples have school lockers online. The private schools get them from school supplies stores.

 

The middle school and high school classrooms here still have plenty of wall posters.

[HeWillSoar]

Speaking of lockers, I was going through a drawer and came across a couple of combination locks.  They were from my two older kids, one who is now homeschooling and the other who is in PS.  I realized that my youngest will never have the joy of having to deal with a combination lock! 

[deerforest]

Speaking of lockers, I was going through a drawer and came across a couple of combination locks.  They were from my two older kids, one who is now homeschooling and the other who is in PS.  I realized that my youngest will never have the joy of having to deal with a combination lock! 

 

DD goes to the gym with DH and uses one there.

[dori123]

I also have a 6th- and a 7th-grader. We do homeroom here. Ours is a daily hour (often goes into lunch) where we discuss revolving topics. Monday is Logic / Philosophy; Tuesday is World History, Wednesday is Finance and Leadership; Thursday is Story of Science. Or whatever is in the news or on their minds that is important or impactful. None of these topics has homework or assignments associated with it (of course, they can choose to write about any of these topics in their writing class). My aim is for them to discuss and communicate, think on their feet and how to look at things from a different point of view. Also, I want them to know you often learn more when you aren't formally studying something -- that has always been the case with me and history. : )

 

[Momto6inIN]

Parenting win! Good job mama! :)

[J&JMom]

I also have a 6th- and a 7th-grader. We do homeroom here. Ours is a daily hour (often goes into lunch) where we discuss revolving topics. Monday is Logic / Philosophy; Tuesday is World History, Wednesday is Finance and Leadership; Thursday is Story of Science. Or whatever is in the news or on their minds that is important or impactful. None of these topics has homework or assignments associated with it (of course, they can choose to write about any of these topics in their writing class). My aim is for them to discuss and communicate, think on their feet and how to look at things from a different point of view. Also, I want them to know you often learn more when you aren't formally studying something -- that has always been the case with me and history. : )

We do something similiar with short classes:

Mythology Monday (previous it was Greek Mystholgy, last year 1/2 year Egyptian and 1/2 year Norse, upcoming year Biblical (old  & new) read alouds)

Magazine Tuesdays (previous SOTW, now Scholastic Magazines - rotate between Scholastic News/Jr. Scholastic and Science magazines)

Artistic Wednesdays (art lesson and project next year as art will be a weekly subject again - focus on World Art and history)

Musical Thursdays (piano lessons)

Healthy Fridays (health lesson)

We watch CNN student news daily during this time which is only 30-45 minutes (including CNN SN for 10 minutes)

Edited July 6, 2016 by J&JMom