If your middle schooler left campus to protest WWYD

[Wheres Toto]

None of the middle schools around here have afterschool care, that stops in 5th grade.  Some may be open campuses where students can leave for lunch, I don't know.

 

If this was an official sanctioned school "field trip" and they did not get proper permission slips, I would be upset with the school because they should follow their own rules and they should have given parents the option to opt out.

 

If the kids themselves decided to do this and the school was unable to restrain them, I'd be less upset.

 

Even if I supported the cause and was happy for my child to have protested, I would have made them deal with the consequences of their actions as imposed by the school.  I probably wouldn't do additional punishments.

 

Similar things came up with my oldest where she was violating school rules but not our rules necessarily.  I told her flat out she would have to deal with any consequences imposed by the school, I would not intervene (like some parents were known to do).

[FaithManor]

The lack of a signed form does not physically keep kids who want to leave from leaving.

 

If my sons went to a school where the doors were locked from the inside, well the fire department would have a lot to say about that. And they would no longer go there.

You did not read my whole post. I said if my middle schooler chose to just simply walk away, the principal and I would be having a meeting about what to do with said immature child because at middle school age, my children were not mature enough to make this decision. I said I would be supportive of detention for such an action. I NEVER implied the doors should be locked from the inside or my child restrained and am a little surprised that this is what you took away from my post.

[LucyStoner]

You did not read my whole post. I said if my middle schooler chose to just simply walk away, the principal and I would be having a meeting about what to do with said immature child because at middle school age, my children were not mature enough to make this decision. I said I would be supportive of detention for such an action. I NEVER implied the doors should be locked from the inside or my child restrained and am a little surprised that this is what you took away from my post.

I didn't think you were advocating for locked doors. I was pointing out that paper doesn't keep people inside and that the only thing that does keep people inside is dangerous and illegal.

 

As to if kids are mature enough to leave or not, I think it depends on the kid.

 

I left at 12 in the middle of a poorly run, boring class where I was mostly surrounded by kids who cared more about the length of their jeans than learning anything. I was post trauma and simply overwhelmed by that chaotic environment. I not only was mature enough to leave I was mature enough to say I wasn't going back. I didn't miss anything critical to academics or that prevented me from graduating from high school or college.

Edited November 15, 2016 by LucyStoner

[TranquilMind]

Critical? Yup. Have a seen lots of growth between 8 and 13 in my son? Yup?

 

Under my direct control? Nope. Have I seen his fundamental self change? Nope.

 

I'm hardly the only person to hold this view.

 

"Give me a child until he is seven and I'll show you the man"

 

Gently, you need to allow people the space to disagree with you. I respect your right to disagree with me. Your tone however is angry, emotional and dismissive to others. Frankly I think you may have a raw nerve here and so I am not going to respond to you further. I don't want to rile you up.

I think there is a lot of truth to this. 

 

 

[Arcadia]

This is a local high school but the vice principal let them out during school hours. City police was called in to escort. Below is copied from the school's newsletter.

 

"Vice Principal of Counseling and Discipline *** opened the main entrance gate to let the swarm of students out of school. *** said his main concern was safety when it came to the protest."

"Police officers on motorcycles rode alongside the crowd as escorts, keeping them on the sidewalks."

[SparklyUnicorn]

This was my son too. And I readily admit it colors my take on what kids can handle.

 

I tend to think experiences like attending rallies and protests can help formulate views and perspective. Not every 13 yo is ready for it, of course, but I absolutely think its beneficial for those who are. Whether their viewpoint is further solidified or dismantled as a result, it's a win in my book.

 

Depends on the circumstances, but I dunno.  I'd wonder what kind of message they'd take away from it. 

 

Although I admit what effects my judgment here is I don't go to protests.  It's just not the way I deal with stuff I don't agree with.  I write letters and stuff like that.  The idea of being jammed in with a bunch of people who might get very angry at any moment scares the crud out of me. 

 

Not that I say other people should not go, but I wouldn't know what to tell my kid about a protest and I would be worried about him.  And given that both my kids are like me when it comes to being in crowds of people I suspect if they ever went to something like that it would be for the wrong reason (peer pressure) because they don't do well with crowds. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

This is a local high school but the vice principal let them out during school hours. City police was called in to escort. Below is copied from the school's newsletter.

 

"Vice Principal of Counseling and Discipline *** opened the main entrance gate to let the swarm of students out of school. *** said his main concern was safety when it came to the protest."

"Police officers on motorcycles rode alongside the crowd as escorts, keeping them on the sidewalks."

 

High school I'd have far less of an issue with.

[SKL]

I used to skip school too.  It didn't really hurt me and I don't even regret it, but I don't consider it a sign of my high maturity either.

 

I really don't think individual maturity is the issue here.

 

If my kid is mature enough to decide to attend a protest, she can come talk to me about it and figure out how to make it happen without breaking the school rules - unless of course it's the school rules she's protesting.

[FaithManor]

[quote name="LucyStoner" post="7294866" timestamp="147923826

 

 

Frankly if I felt my not-seriously developmentally disabled middle schooler was not mature enough to leave school, I wouldn't think said middle schooler was mature enough to go to school.

 

That is a nice idea in theory. But I know many a parent for whom homeschooling is not an option so their emotionally immature 12 year old still has to attend school. So I think it is reasonable to expect that if the student goes off campus without parent or school permission at this age, some parents and probably administrators as well will have to take action.

[SparklyUnicorn]

That is a nice idea in theory. But I know many a parent for whom homeschooling is not an option so their emotionally immature 12 year old still has to attend school. So I think it is reasonable to expect that if the student goes off campus without parent or school permission at this age, some parents and probably administrators as well will have to take action.

 

My thought is if you require me to send my kid to your school then you better take reasonable steps to protect him.  And if you don't, you have failed, and I will let you know how I feel about that.  You can force my kid into your school, but you cannot force me to put my kid in an unsafe place.  That's the fundamental rule of the mamma bear.   :laugh:  

[LucyStoner]

That is a nice idea in theory. But I know many a parent for whom homeschooling is not an option so their emotionally immature 12 year old still has to attend school. So I think it is reasonable to expect that if the student goes off campus without parent or school permission at this age, some parents and probably administrators as well will have to take action.

I would expect the school to be providing such a child more supervision than most middle schoolers receive at school.

[Farrar]

I didn't make it through the whole thread yet, but...

 

Yesterday, I couldn't get my kids to their co-op because we hit an 800 student walkout in Silver Spring. I spent half an hour trying to get around it. They shut down a large road. But this isn't a complaint. We thought it was cool. I wish it had happened on a day when I wasn't sick, but whatever. In the end, my kids had to walk through the walkout.

 

Today, DCPS kids walked out. Pretty big walkout - thousands of kids. I might have let my kids "homeschool walkout" except I'm sick with a fever and they didn't have a crew to go with so they didn't want to go alone, though I would have been okay with it. The students metro'ed to the Trump hotel - the worst that could have happened, my kids would have had a long uphill walk home. But, for context, DCPS kids all have free public transit cards that let them take the metro and bus for free (my kids have them too though theirs is bus only like the private school kids). There is no school busing except for special needs kids. Kids aren't signed in and out in middle school. They mostly get themselves where they're going around the city. And a lot of kids attend school outside their neighborhood school. More than half the kids are in charters. So I think some people are probably thinking of suburban or rural schools where there's either nowhere to go or where middle schoolers typically get picked up and dropped off either by parents or school buses in a door to door way.

 

I sued my school as a teenager (and won in an out of court settlement) for infringing on my first amendment rights. I can't not love this, honestly. Go kids.

Edited November 15, 2016 by Farrar

[Guest]

If my kid left, that would serve as his departure notice. He can pick amongst his alternatives, and find something that allows him to live his life and get an education without disrepecting the paid staff by being a no show.

 

If the school decided to send students into a protest off the property without supervision, I would treat that as a letter of resignation and my son would no longer attend. I am still mad about the last strike (illegal in my state), the lack of teaching due to the strikers hiding the lesson materials, and the resulting lesson to the students that school really is not important.

[Farrar]

Looking at the discussion of "allowed" - the largest school here that was walking out was a high school. I thought the principal struck a fair tone saying beforehand that it wasn't school sanctioned and that students would receive unexcused absences for the classes they missed, but that they respected the students right to free expression. I'm pretty sure they opened the doors for them.

 

At the big Silver Spring walkout yesterday, at least one administrator was megaphoning kids to go back to class, but it was obviously a lost cause. The police were being really friendly and smiling. They slowly herded them onto the sidewalks... even if it took half an hour to reclaim the westbound lanes of University...

Edited November 15, 2016 by Farrar

[Guest]

I'd absolutely lose it. No way. If we have to have theee permission slips for a field trip and half these kids aren't even accustomed to walking alone in the mall or library, a protest? No. Way.

 

High school annoys me too, when they're stopping classes to allow for it, but at least the maturity factor is higher.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I would expect the school to be providing such a child more supervision than most middle schoolers receive at school.

 

One would think, but it happens around here that special needs kids just up and walk out of school and wander around the city. 

 

I think what amazes me is how they manage to keep kids in school without much effort at all.  A lot of kids actually won't just walk out.  It never occurred to me to do that. 

[Arcadia]

High school I'd have far less of an issue with.

This one is police escorted so I don't have an issue safety wise.

 

This one with three high school kids arrested is not well planned safety wise. The kids walked to another high school.

"One student was arrested on suspicion of throwing a dangerous object at a police car, trespassing on school grounds and being a disruptive presence at school, another was arrested on suspicion of fighting with an area resident, trespassing on school grounds and resisting a police officer, and the third was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, according to a news release from Antioch police Lt. Tony Morefield. Those arrested were 13, 15 and 17 years old." http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/11/10/three-pittsburg-high-students-arrested-in-antioch-during-trump-protest/

Edited November 15, 2016 by Arcadia

[Farrar]

So, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but there have been big student walkouts in DC, Seattle, Chicago, LA, SF, NYC... is this happening in small towns and exurbs and so forth too and not being covered as much because it's smaller? I guess my point is... city kids typically know how to navigate cities. Some of the concerns being expressed here about these being kids who have only ever been escorted everywhere simply don't apply to kids in proper cities. Like, as a city dweller, some of the "wouldn't you be afraid for you child to be downtown" language is just funny. And my kids would find it confusing. Like, why would that be "scary"? That's normal.

[MEmama]

So, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but there have been big student walkouts in DC, Seattle, Chicago, LA, SF, NYC... is this happening in small towns and exurbs and so forth too and not being covered as much because it's smaller? I guess my point is... city kids typically know how to navigate cities. Some of the concerns being expressed here about these being kids who have only ever been escorted everywhere simply don't apply to kids in proper cities. Like, as a city dweller, some of the "wouldn't you be afraid for you child to be downtown" language is just funny. And my kids would find it confusing. Like, why would that be "scary"? That's normal.

I'm wondering this too. I could say the same about our small town.

 

I'm curious about how much of this is happening (and if it's all for the reason I think it is).

[Farrar]

I'm wondering this too. I could say the same about our small town.

 

I'm curious about how much of this is happening (and if it's all for the reason I think it is).

 

It's the reason you think. Some of the big ones made the nightly news last night.

 

Yeah, my kids wouldn't know what to do in a small town. One of my kids is freaked out by small towns actually. I'm always like, this is cute. He's always like, I don't know about this.

[Farrar]

Junior high or high school, absolutely fine.

 

Middle school ? I'd rather my child discussed it with me, so I could escort them and their friends to the protest. 

 

I think of middle school and junior high as being basically the same ages though. I know that a lot of this depends on one's specific area. Some places have 5th graders in middle school now, but nowhere I've ever lived.

[Tanaqui]

...Sadie? Are you making a distinction between Junior High and Middle School based on ages?

[freesia]

So, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but there have been big student walkouts in DC, Seattle, Chicago, LA, SF, NYC... is this happening in small towns and exurbs and so forth too and not being covered as much because it's smaller? I guess my point is... city kids typically know how to navigate cities. Some of the concerns being expressed here about these being kids who have only ever been escorted everywhere simply don't apply to kids in proper cities. Like, as a city dweller, some of the "wouldn't you be afraid for you child to be downtown" language is just funny. And my kids would find it confusing. Like, why would that be "scary"? That's normal.

 

Exactly.  I am from your city and could navigate it in middle school.  So could my friends.  And that was when it was the "murder capitol."  Maybe we were used to protests and demonstrations growing up in the 70's and 80's?????  I don't know.

[Seasider]

Without reading other replies -- I'd be all over the school for keeping a non secure campus.

 

If they did the best they could and quickly notified you when he went AWOL, I'd be more forgiving of the school. But my kid would be in a heap of trouble when he got home.

 

And my response is directly related to the age of the student, not the worthiness of the cause.

[SeaConquest]

I would be cool with it, but I would want a text to let me know where he is at, in case of an emergency.

[Plateau Mama]

Junior high or high school, absolutely fine.

 

Middle school ? I'd rather my child discussed it with me, so I could escort them and their friends to the protest.

Middle school 6th-8th (11-14 years old)

Junior high 7th-9th (12-15 years old)

 

So I'm guessing either you aren't clear on the distinction or you are OK with it after 6th grade. ??

[LMD]

I would be furious if it was my 11 year old. She is fairly mature and confident, but she's 11!

I'd support a sit in or on site protest, but I reserve the right to know the whereabouts of my 11 year old! And, the law in some states here requires that of me, I legally can't even leave her HOME alone until 12.

 

I went to protests in primary school - with my parents.

[Arcadia]

I guess my point is... city kids typically know how to navigate cities. Some of the concerns being expressed here about these being kids who have only ever been escorted everywhere simply don't apply to kids in proper cities. Like, as a city dweller, some of the "wouldn't you be afraid for you child to be downtown" language is just funny. And my kids would find it confusing. Like, why would that be "scary"? That's normal.

Some of the local downtowns are bustling with people because of the eating places but we don't see school kids as they usually take the school bus or parents will drive. So an unescorted child downtown would be rare.

 

My city's downtown has very little pedestrian traffic. It would be uncommon to see people walking. Kids rarely walk home, even those within walking distance are picked up by parents and babysitters. That is why city police was called to escort the students walk out.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Junior high or high school, absolutely fine.

 

Middle school ? I'd rather my child discussed it with me, so I could escort them and their friends to the protest. 

 

The whole junior high/middle school is fuzzy because that can mean anything from 5th to 9th (inclusive).

[Crimson Wife]

Exactly.  I am from your city and could navigate it in middle school.  So could my friends.  And that was when it was the "murder capitol."  Maybe we were used to protests and demonstrations growing up in the 70's and 80's?????  I don't know.

 

I don't remember big protests in the '80's. Protesting was seen as passe and what our hippie parents had done in the '60's and early '70's. I do remember going to see the AIDS Memorial Quilt when that traveled to my region but while that was a political act, it wasn't a street protest.

[Tanaqui]

It varies according to district, Sadie. It can be anything from 5th - 9th, and anywhere from 2 to 5 years.

[Crimson Wife]

Now boycotting I definitely remember being big in the '80's. Boycott Nestle because they were promoting formula use in countries without clean water. Boycott grapes because of the farm workers. Boycott certain companies because they did business in South Africa under apartheid. Boycott this, boycott that.

[Murphy101]

When I saw the photo on the front page of the Seattle Times this morning I wondered how the students got all those professionally printed signs from the Socialist Alternative party.

 

I liked the homemade sign that one student involved in the walk-out was holding about climate change not being a hoax. It made me think that maybe most of the students shouldn't be provided with bus transportation to school anymore. Let them walk to school.

*snort laugh*

 

Yep. I've been saying that for years. Walking to school should be the norm with a few exceptions imnsho.

[TranquilMind]

...Sadie? Are you making a distinction between Junior High and Middle School based on ages?

 

Junior High IS Middle school here.  The terms are used interchangeably.  In fact, I attended a Jr. High that is now called a Middle School. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

*snort laugh*

 

Yep. I've been saying that for years. Walking to school should be the norm with a few exceptions imnsho.

 

That's the doing of schools or whoever plans them.  In some cases they just make these massive schools and plop them on the outskirts of a city/town and then they aren't in walking distance for most people.  Some places did away with the walkable local schools.  I don't know if this really saves them money or what, but it's rather sucky.

[Murphy101]

I used to skip school too. It didn't really hurt me and I don't even regret it, but I don't consider it a sign of my high maturity either.

 

I really don't think individual maturity is the issue here.

 

If my kid is mature enough to decide to attend a protest, she can come talk to me about it and figure out how to make it happen without breaking the school rules - unless of course it's the school rules she's protesting.

This. So much this. It's not about being okay or not okay with protesting in general or with whatever cause. Not for me anyways.

[Murphy101]

Also, under no circumstances would I EVER be okay with blocking major roads without notice to the city so they can accommodate it.

 

I have been in an ambulance. I've had to call an ambulance for loved ones. I've been the person anxious to get to a hospital before a loved one passes away and wondering if I'll be in time. I get so upset in the car when I see people not getting out of the way for ambulances or cutting them off or whatever under normal conditions. (Same goes for funerals to a lesser degree.) Roads are NOT just about inconveniencing people to make them hear a message. They are vital infrastructure.

[EmseB]

To me the issue is not at all the protest.

 

At that age I'd expect my kid to ask permission from me, not the school.  If s/he did, I'd deal with the school on their behalf.  If not, I'd be ticked that they were running around town without telling me first, and I'd be ticked if the school didn't call me to report the absence.

 

I see 15 and 16 more of being ages where kids start to go places without me having to know every detail of their whereabouts, but I hope to cultivate a relationship where they would send me a text and let me know where they are because it's considerate to do that for the person who is legally responsible for you.  And skipping school, while somewhat a rite of passage, would not be looked on in a good way.

Edited November 15, 2016 by JodiSue

[gardenmom5]

there were middle school students who left class yesterday. (btw: the school is 78% "minority".)  they were kept on campus and not allowed to disrupt other students. 

 

I received a notice about this from the principal (went to everyone) - I did have a conversation with him, and let him know what behavior I expected (stay in class), and why. 

 

dh was in college in the 60s and they had protesters on UW campus.  one came into dh's classroom trying to get students on his side, and to leave their class.  the students voted for him to leave so they could continue their class.  the protester refused to go (he didn't get his way so he tried to force it.  He really didn't respect the students) and ended up being bodily rushed from the room. (to applause by the other students.)

 

we talked about the difference between following the crowd (the majority was that when I was in jr high/high school.) - and standing for your own beliefs.

 

we talked about the difference between protesting and rioting. 

 

protesting is specifically non-destructive. 

 

when protestors damage public and/or private property - they have crossed the line into riot.   when they start painting graffiti, throwing objects at people/buildings/cars/etc. - it is a RIOT.  when they start breaking windows - it is a RIOT.  when they set fires - it's a riot.  when they start calling for someone to be raped or assassinated it is incitement to violence and they have crossed the line.  (people have done both. one has been arrested.  I expect there will be more.  the secret service doesn't have a sense of humor.)  

 

blocking freeways and other roads is not OK.  inconveniencing and intimidating people doesn't get them on the side of the protestors - but more likely to go against them.  during protests here in the 00s, the freeway was blocked and an ambulance with a critical patient was not allowed through.  the patient died. while the mayor says he would have died anyway -they really can't be certain.  any public sympathy turned away from the protestors.  

[Murphy101]

That's the doing of schools or whoever plans them. In some cases they just make these massive schools and plop them on the outskirts of a city/town and then they aren't in walking distance for most people. Some places did away with the walkable local schools. I don't know if this really saves them money or what, but it's rather sucky.

Yes and sometimes it's just snowflake syndrome and paranoia.

 

The elementary school here is literally .5 mile away in the middle of a housing development. With a few exceptions, there's no reason a kid over the age of 7 can't walk to and from. But parents don't even let them walk to the bus stop. Weird to me.

 

Which is all fine I guess. Not my kid, not my problem.

 

But if my kids did attend, there is a policy saying they cannot walk there. They MUST ride the bus. And I gotta admit. It's just another reason the schools are probably glad I don't send my kids. Bc I would fight that for my kids.

[Plateau Mama]

Yes and sometimes it's just snowflake syndrome and paranoia.

 

The elementary school here is literally .5 mile away in the middle of a housing development. With a few exceptions, there's no reason a kid over the age of 7 can't walk to and from. But parents don't even let them walk to the bus stop. Weird to me.

 

Which is all fine I guess. Not my kid, not my problem.

 

We live in a neighborhood like that. Literally no house is more than 1/2 mile from the school. All streets have sidewalks. No crime etc. there is one kid in 7th/8th grade and his mom drops him off/picks him up at the bus stop that is two blocks from his house. Every. Single. Day. If he wanted he could get home w/o even crossing the street.

[Farrar]

Some of the local downtowns are bustling with people because of the eating places but we don't see school kids as they usually take the school bus or parents will drive. So an unescorted child downtown would be rare.

 

My city's downtown has very little pedestrian traffic. It would be uncommon to see people walking. Kids rarely walk home, even those within walking distance are picked up by parents and babysitters. That is why city police was called to escort the students walk out.

 

But my point is that it's not like that in large cities. Around here that's not the case. Kids all walk or bus themselves on public transit - even elementary schoolers sometimes. There are no public school buses in my city except for kids with special needs like kids with physical disabilities. Schools have such different schedules and it's a tourist city so seeing kids out isn't odd. It is a pedestrian city. All the places that I saw about in major news reports are places people walk, where I'd expect kids probably know how to walk and navigate. I know there are smaller cities where that's not the case but the cities on the news were all among the top twenty largest in the nation. People walk those streets.

 

There's a sort of old fashioned thing in large inner cities... at least, I've found they're more free range with kids. You see more kids getting themselves from place to place on their own power. And large city school districts often rely on mass transit.

[creekland]

Only read the first page so far, so if the conversation has strayed, that's why I'm just answering the OP.

 

We support our kids - esp by middle school age.  If they had gone, they had my blessing.  If they had opted to stay, they had my blessing.

 

In no way whatsoever would I hold the school responsible.  I work in school (albeit high school).  There's no way in the world we could stop determined masses.  It's near impossible stopping one kid who is determined to leave.

 

Doors are only locked from the outside - NEVER the inside.  I don't think it's possible to lock them from the inside because even when I'm working after hours as the only one in our school I can always get out.

[vonfirmath]

...Sadie? Are you making a distinction between Junior High and Middle School based on ages?

 

Junior High and Middle School are pretty much the same ages -- 6th - 8th. Sometimes 5th. Sometimes 9th depending on the local population.

[Plateau Mama]

But my point is that it's not like that in large cities. Around here that's not the case. Kids all walk or bus themselves on public transit - even elementary schoolers sometimes. There are no public school buses in my city except for kids with special needs like kids with physical disabilities. Schools have such different schedules and it's a tourist city so seeing kids out isn't odd. It is a pedestrian city. All the places that I saw about in major news reports are places people walk, where I'd expect kids probably know how to walk and navigate. I know there are smaller cities where that's not the case but the cities on the news were all among the top twenty largest in the nation. People walk those streets.

 

There's a sort of old fashioned thing in large inner cities... at least, I've found they're more free range with kids. You see more kids getting themselves from place to place on their own power. And large city school districts often rely on mass transit.

I absolutly hate driving in Seattle so I try to take the bus if at all possible. I almost never see kids on the bus and never see younger kids alone. I never see them waiting at the bus stops either. The only exception to this is the bus from the suburbs to UW in the summer.

 

Not saying they don't ride the bus, but the area where the protest was yesterday kids are not using it as their primary means of transportation.

[Guest]

I don't mind kids walking to school. I very much mind them leaving school during school hours to go protest something they barely even understand. If they want to protest they can talk with me about it and we can go as a family if that is something we condone, but their job during the day is school and only school unless their parent says otherwise. A protest on campus itself is a gray area - I'd be annoyed depending on the content but at least the children are not leaving campus. Off campus? Zero tolerance from me as a parent.

[ktgrok]

I am genuinely surprised by this statement.

 

You would really be ok with your 11 or 12 yr old being in a place where he is surrounded by adults you don't know, where emotions are running very high, where the potential for someone to succumb to mob mentality, AND, you having NO idea that he/she is there?  That's really ok for you?

 

No. I'd want to know where he/she was. I'd want a call. And then I'd decide if it was safe. The cutting school would not be the issue. The safety would be. 

 

Now, from what I heard on the radio (and I didn't get the full story) there is a protest going on today that was pretty much just students. If it was just students, Id' be fine. Leaving to get in the middle of a community protest would be different. Although those are not usually in the middle of a school/work day. 

[Guest]

To be clearer, probably 14 yrs + OK. 9th grade and up.

 

Under 14 - sorry, mama needs to know.

Most middle schoolers in the US are under 14 or have just turned it, depending on where the birthdays falls. An older eighth grader might be 14 for the second half of the year but most are preteen or 13. Public high schools in this country are usually grades 9-12.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Most middle schoolers in the US are under 14 or have just turned it, depending on where the birthdays falls. An older eighth grader might be 14 for the second half of the year but most are preteen or 13. Public high schools in this country are usually grades 9-12.

 

Yep.

 

My 14 year old is in 9th grade.  My 11 year old in 6th.  They are light years apart on a lot of things.  Really no comparison in terms of the level of maturity.  You would not imagine this would make such a difference, but it does.

 

14 year old will be 15 in January.  He has a late birthday for the cut off to enter school.

 

I'd still probably ring my 14 year old kid's neck if he didn't tell me he was leaving school though. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yes OK, thank you everyone for the lesson on US grades, 

 

There will be a test tomorrow.  Study up!